The Scars of Our Colonial Past Won't Heal

The English (and other Europeans) who descended on the continent could have coexisted with the native Americans, settling in lands unoccupied by the latter. But the colonial greedy impulse was more powerful than even the love and tolerance that their Christian faith claimed. They, the American victims  who rebelled against English colonialism, became the colonizing brutes who chased the native Americans out of their ancestral lands, force-converted them, deported them to desolate parts of the country, where they herded them into reservations and massacred them. 

That is essentially what the colonial Zionists have been - and are - doing in Palestine centuries after the height of European colonialism. They, the victims of European hatred and extermination, became themselves a belated colonial European offshoot that are tormenting to death their colonized Palestinian victims (land theft, displacement and herding into refugee camps, massacres, etc.). Israel is by all measures the only extant colonial entity on the planet long after the official end of colonialism. 

Native Americans are doing their best to remain alive as a nation and as a culture. Across the continent, north and south, native nations remain resilient in the face of extermination and annihilation. 

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Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in the Face of Political Erasure
American Indian College Fund Blog
Mon, October 12, 2026


(Photo: Courtesy of URL Media)

Guest Opinion

Falling on the second Monday of October, Indigenous Peoples Day is a chance to collectively celebrate the history, cultures, and contributions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians to the United States. While not a federally recognized holiday, the need for such a day of learning and reflection could not be greater.

Indigenous Peoples Day shares a date with better known day of observance, Columbus Day. Cristoforo Colombo, otherwise known as Christopher Columbus, is celebrated by our nation, despite his never having stepped foot on what would become United States' soil. 

Along with the many atrocities he carried out against Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and Central and South America, he could also be considered the grandfather of revisionist history in the "New World." It was Columbus who claimed in letters back to Spain that the Taino people viewed the Europeans as gods, despite having only been in contact with the locals for a matter of days and not speaking their language. Experts today tend to agree this was a gross misinterpretation of the Taino's actions and words meant to validate not only Columbus' expedition but further colonization efforts that would follow him.

The behavior of superiority and misguided history continues through policies and practices. Instead of celebrating the Indigenous peoples of this land, those in power seek to erase the symbols of past and current existence and ignore contributions of Native Americans. When we open ourselves to a genuine exploration of our past, we may be uncomfortable with many truths, but we also gift ourselves the opportunity to connect with peoples who stewarded and loved this land well before explorers and colonizers arrived. Practices to erase and ignore Indigenous peoples is a disservice to us all.

Indigenous people named places based on what they saw and their relationships with the land and water. But we seek to rename them. For example, the recent attempt to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America. Why? Lake Ontario is an anglicized version, but it still comes from of a Wendat (Huron-Wendat people) word meaning "the lake is beautiful" or "the lake is big." What is our purpose in changing the name and what are we losing when we do not celebrate and acknowledge origins?

Mount Rushmore is another example, visited by approximately two million people a year. Yet, many are unaware that it is a defacement of Tuŋkášila Šákpe, a sacred site for the Lakota people that translates to The Six Grandfathers, which represent the six sacred directions. It was a choice that we made to value the acknowledgement of American Presidents over Indigenous people's values, culture, sacred site, and in this case, right to the land. If we knew more, if we acknowledged more, would we make different choices?

Names, landmarks, history taught in classrooms, and yes, federally recognized holidays are not just a recognition of our past, they are the foundation for how we consider moving forward. We have a choice to decide what and who we celebrate and honor. We have a choice about what we allot time to reflect on and learn more about. Are we better as individuals and as a country for celebrating Christopher Columbus? Or would we be better if we acknowledged, celebrated, and learned from the Indigenous peoples of this land? It is a choice.

If you choose to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and have a desire to learn more about the history, culture, and current contributions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, we encourage you to take action. Supporting and exploring the National Museum of the American Indian is a great place to start. Supporting and learning more about tribal colleges and universities, who are leaders in educating for the future while uplifting rather than erasing the languages and cultures indigenous to this land, is another opportunity. You may choose to resist renaming landmarks. And you may choose to advocate for a federally recognized holiday honoring and celebrating Indigenous peoples.

The post Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in the Face of Political Erasure appeared first on Native News Online.

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International Indian Treaty Council to Host Indigenous Peoples’ Day Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz
Levi Rickert
Mon, October 12, 2026


Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day on Alcatraz Island. (Photo/Arthur Jacobs)

The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) will host its annual Indigenous Peoples' Day sunrise gathering on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, honoring Indigenous resistance, cultural resilience and the historic occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes.

The annual gathering began as an alternative to Columbus Day celebrations and honors the 1969–1971 occupation of Alcatraz by Indians of All Tribes. The occupation protested the forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples, displacement, and the loss of Native lands, languages and cultures.

The IITC's promotional flyer describes the gathering as a commemoration of "534 years of Indigenous Peoples' resistance, cultural resiliency, and survival in the Americas," while honoring Alcatraz as "a sacred historical place for Indigenous peoples in California and around the world."

Event Information

The gathering will take place on Alcatraz Island, with departures from Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing in San Francisco.

Ticket office opens: 4 a.m.

Departure times: 4:15 a.m., 4:30 a.m., 5 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. All boats will return to San Francisco by 9:00 a.m.

Ticket price: $12; children under age 5 are admitted free.

Visitors should dress in layers and bring a light jacket or sweater because weather conditions on Alcatraz Island can change unexpectedly.

Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing and the Alcatraz Cruises vessels have accessible boarding areas and restrooms. However, wheelchairs are not available to borrow at the landing or on the island.

For tickets and additional information, visit the Indigenous Peoples' Day Sunrise Gathering event page.

The post International Indian Treaty Council to Host Indigenous Peoples' Day Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz appeared first on Native News Online.