Are you celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, Columbus Day or both?

Oct 7

Written By Jonathan Milner

Data Scavenger Hunt

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above:

Since 1492, Native Americans have lost 99% of their land in the United States. By the close of the Indian Wars in the late 19th century, fewer than 238,000 Indigenous people remained of the estimated 5 million-plus living in North America before European contact. According to the map above (or gif below*), what year was the last time that Native Americans owned over half of the territory that now is the continental United States?
According to the map above, what decades saw the biggest loss of indigenous lands?
Describe the difference between the Present day map and the Historical map above.
Describe the area where current day Indian reservations are located on the Present day map above.
What were the main causes for the changes represented in the visual above?
Big Brain Questions
Answer these questions by yourself using your brain and the links below:
On Monday, October 9, millions of Americans will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is celebrated on the second Monday in October, is a holiday that honors the history and contributions of Native Americans. The holiday has become a replacement for federal holiday Columbus Day, which also falls on October 9, and which many have argued should no longer be celebrated due to the fact that Christopher Columbus does not deserve credit for “discovering” the Americas. Today is both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. What is the connection between the gif above and Columbus and American Indigenous people? Today is both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. What is the connection between the gif above and Columbus and American Indigenous people?
Two years after President Biden became the first U.S. president to formally commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, more than a dozen states recognize some version of the holiday in lieu of Columbus Day. First introduced by Congress in 1885 when it was decided that federal employees should have certain days off from work, the list of US federal holidays is made up of 11 days of significance that Americans celebrate. Do you plan to celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day or both?
How much do you learn about Native American history in school and why do you think that is?
Deb Haaland, the Secretary of the Interior is the first Native American cabinet secretary ever. According to the department of Interior’s bureau of Indian Affairs, “the relationship between federally recognized tribes and the United States is one between sovereigns, i.e., between a government and a government. This “government-to-government” principle, which is grounded in the United States Constitution, has helped to shape the long history of relations between the federal government and these tribal nations.” What does this mean for relations between tribes and the U.S. government?
There are currently 573 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages in the United States. How do you think most members of these tribes and villages celebrate Columbus Day?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Acknowledge the land you’re on. First you need to learn about where you are. Use the Native Land Map to find out which Native people once lived (or still live) on your land. I typed in my street address and learned that I live on Cheraw land. Share what you find in class.

Get Creative

Breaking news: 2023 - Indigenous person frozen in a glacier in 1499 awakes in 2023. What do they see? What do they think? How do they describe the world they awaken into? (For ease of assignment, write your answer in English)