Turns out Christopher Columbus wasn't brave, he was just really bad at math.
Kaiser von Bidizanien Bartolome de las casas, a priest who was part of the crew, and Columbus himself are primary sources documenting the mass enslavement, rape, mutilation and murder of the Taino people. "Cruelty on a scale never before seen" according to the priest. It's difficult to overstate how brutal Columbus was and how perverse it is that we celebrate him.
www.mynbc5.com
Why the hell are the schools, some businesses, banks and the post office taking the day off as a holiday ? I say if you want a holiday "today" make it Native American day. Forget that indiginous or however you spell it word.
ReplyDeleteFrom one of the American Indians own newpapers:
ReplyDeleteThe choice of “Native American” came into vogue in the late 1970s because there were those who objected to the word “Indian” never knowing that “Indian” was the Spanish version of “Indios” a name some would translate to mean a shortened version of “Niño’s de Indios” or “Children of God.” As the name traveled north it slowly went from Indios to Indian and no, Columbus was not so stupid that he thought he landed in India or the West Indies.
We speak to Lakota elders and elders of other Indian nations frequently and never, not once, have we ever heard them refer to themselves as Natives or even Native Americans. Instead they always refer to themselves as “Indians.” They find no shame in identifying themselves as such.
In this world of political correctness It is a shame that the identity of a people who have always called themselves Indians are now left in a state of confused identities. Enos Poor Bear, former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said many years ago, “I was born an Indian and I will die an Indian.”
If the mainstream media wants to change our identity they should at least consult with the thousands of Indian elders who still call themselves “Indians.” And in the meantime Indian newspapers and radio stations should take the advice we just offered and ask their own tribal elders what name they prefer to be called. We are probably engaged in a losing battle because the national media has far more influence that we do, but at least in most cases we will used the term “Indian” when we feel it is appropriate. Incidentally, we chose to name our newspaper Native Sun News because it had a better ring to it than Indian Sun News. It is still not too late to change it.
www.nativesunnews.today
OK, my mistake, Indian instead of Native American.
DeleteWhere does that American word come from. What did the Indians call this land ? That is what it should be called.
Believe it or not, their name for the North American continent from long before the white man came, in english, is Turtle Island. There is no single native name for that, there were many different languages among the tribes living on the continent. But they didn't really need to identify it by name for most of their history because it was the only land they knew of. They mostly just thought of it as the land or the world.
Deleteen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Island
"America" came from Amerigo de Vespucci, who was enough of a raconteur and mapmaker that the New World was named for him. You could look it up.
ReplyDeleteIs this a time travel blog?? Last I knew it was October 9th??
ReplyDeleteWhat year is October 9th in?
DeleteI vote for Donald Trump Day, Make America Great Again Day.
DeleteBut the banks and post office Will Not have the day off.
Just politicians Will Have the day off.