In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue – a familiar rhyme to American children as they are taught the story of America – and it’s “founder” Christopher Columbus. Many scholars have long disputed his actual “discovery” of the Americas, yet every year Columbus is celebrated.

For Native Americans, Columbus Day is a somber day that awakens deep-rooted feelings passed down from generation to generation.

Liana Onnen, Tribal Chair Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, said that Christopher Columbus is not a hero to indigenous people.

“Nothing was discovered from our perspective, we were here…and what Columbus Day signifies for Native American people is the beginning of the historical genocide and removal of Native American people,” said Onnen.

As the Tribal Chair for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Onnen brought forth a resolution last year to not recognize Columbus Day but rather Indigenous Peoples Day – a practice shared by native and non-native people across the United States.

“It wasn’t a good thing for native people…so it is a somber day; one of the reasons that I brought the resolution to the table last year to change it to Indigenous Peoples Day was to kind of take that gravitas, that sadness out of that holiday,” said Onnen.

Cities like Phoenix, AZ and Denver, CO are amongst those that recognize the federal holiday of Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day in their respective areas.

“Just about every tribal leader that I know, and I know several, and every native person that I know – we would like to see Columbus Day changed [to] Indigenous Peoples Day,” said Onnen.

Although the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is a federally recognized tribe, Onnen said that there is no active push from her tribe, or through other tribal leaders to address the government and have the holiday changed.

“Native Americans are here, they’re everywhere…and I think I would just like people to know that [it] is offensive to us, and it is sad to us because, we’ve lost a lot and now we struggle a lot to retain and regain pieces of our culture that have been lost, such as our language; and all of that started with Columbus and his discovery of a land that was already occupied by hundreds of thousands of people,” said Onnen.

What will you celebrate today?

#ColumbusDay or #IndigenousPeoplesDay ?