Today is Columbus Day in the United States. But in Albuquerque it’s been re-named Indigenous Peoples Day to commemorate the struggles of Native Americans against genocidal invaders like good old Chris.
What makes this a little odd is that about half the population of New Mexico is descended from Spanish Conquistadores. Many families here trace their ancestry back to Spain because the invaders brought their priests with them and kept good records. It’s worth noting that even though the holiday has been re-named, Hispanics who work for the government still get the day off.
Columbus was no saint, of course. But he paved the way for the recently canonized Junipero Serra, who converted indigenous folks in California to Catholicism at gunpoint in the Eighteenth Century.
Nor did Columbus & Co. invent the custom of obliterating native populations when expanding your nation’s boundaries. Ethnic cleansing probably has been going on since the Cro-Magnons displaced the Neanderthals. The Vietnamese invaded neighboring Champa in 1471. Indigenous populations were devastated when Russia conquered Siberia, the Chinese occupied Mongolia and the Japanese were extremely unkind to the Ainu.
Genocide is not limited to advanced countries invading more primitive ones. Left to their own devices, indigenous people in more recent times have slaughtered one another with particular relish in places like Rwanda, Congo, East Timor and Myanmar.
The good news is that the United States and other countries, such as Canada and Australia, recognized the error of their ways early in the last century and have been making amends to their native populations. Our taxes are paying for the sins of our great-grandfathers by subsidizing Native American welfare with the enthusiastic support of most Americans. Indigenous Peoples Day activism is a reminder that this still is a work in progress.
I find it a little ironic, however, that some of the same folks who claim America is still a genocidal country are celebrating an agreement with Iran, which broadcasts its intention to wipe Israel off the map. It’s a little hypocritical to wallow in retroactive guilt over attempts to wipe out Native American culture a century ago while being indifferent to today’s obliteration of indigenous Christian cultures in the Middle East.
Here in New Mexico, Native Americans may be getting the last laugh. The Secretary of State, a descendant of Spanish colonists, has been charged with gambling away campaign funds in casinos… owned by Native Americans.
Two cheers for Columbus
Today is Columbus Day in the United States. But in Albuquerque it’s been re-named Indigenous Peoples Day to commemorate the struggles of Native Americans against genocidal invaders like good old Chris.
What makes this a little odd is that about half the population of New Mexico is descended from Spanish Conquistadores. Many families here trace their ancestry back to Spain because the invaders brought their priests with them and kept good records. It’s worth noting that even though the holiday has been re-named, Hispanics who work for the government still get the day off.
Columbus was no saint, of course. But he paved the way for the recently canonized Junipero Serra, who converted indigenous folks in California to Catholicism at gunpoint in the Eighteenth Century.
Nor did Columbus & Co. invent the custom of obliterating native populations when expanding your nation’s boundaries. Ethnic cleansing probably has been going on since the Cro-Magnons displaced the Neanderthals. The Vietnamese invaded neighboring Champa in 1471. Indigenous populations were devastated when Russia conquered Siberia, the Chinese occupied Mongolia and the Japanese were extremely unkind to the Ainu.
Genocide is not limited to advanced countries invading more primitive ones. Left to their own devices, indigenous people in more recent times have slaughtered one another with particular relish in places like Rwanda, Congo, East Timor and Myanmar.
The good news is that the United States and other countries, such as Canada and Australia, recognized the error of their ways early in the last century and have been making amends to their native populations. Our taxes are paying for the sins of our great-grandfathers by subsidizing Native American welfare with the enthusiastic support of most Americans. Indigenous Peoples Day activism is a reminder that this still is a work in progress.
I find it a little ironic, however, that some of the same folks who claim America is still a genocidal country are celebrating an agreement with Iran, which broadcasts its intention to wipe Israel off the map. It’s a little hypocritical to wallow in retroactive guilt over attempts to wipe out Native American culture a century ago while being indifferent to today’s obliteration of indigenous Christian cultures in the Middle East.
Here in New Mexico, Native Americans may be getting the last laugh. The Secretary of State, a descendant of Spanish colonists, has been charged with gambling away campaign funds in casinos… owned by Native Americans.
Share this: