Columbus Day in Kansas
Posted on Oct 04, 2022 by Shari Van Baale
While this coming Monday is the federal holiday known as Columbus Day (also known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in some states), did you know that the state of Kansas celebrates neither?
In case you have forgotten what you learned in history class, Christopher Columbus was a European explorer who set sail in August 1492 (remember the old rhyme, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue…”?) in search of a new trade route to Asia. Columbus and his crew took three medium-sized ships — the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. After almost 30 days they spotted land. He called the natives “indios” (Spanish for “Indians”), thinking he had reached the East Indies. I’ll spare you the details of the rest of his journey. You can read about it online if you are interested.
Observed the second Monday in October, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday in 1937. However, according to History.com, “The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792 … to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus’ birthplace and faith, Italian and Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual religious ceremonies and parades in his honor. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities.” So, celebrations were around much earlier than 1937.
The holiday has become quite controversial lately. According to The Conversation, “For many Indigenous peoples, Columbus Day is a controversial holiday. This is because Columbus is viewed not as a discoverer, but rather as a colonizer. His arrival led to the forceful taking of land and set the stage for widespread death and loss of Indigenous ways of life.”
So, in 1990, South Dakota became the first state to officially recognize Native Americans’ Day, commonly referred to as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in other parts of the country. Fourteen states currently observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day, plus the District of Columbia and more than 130 cities across the country. More states will begin observing it starting in 2023. Lawrence and Wichita are among Kansas cities to formally authorize the celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day.
But, Kansas as a state observes neither Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Celebrating either … or both … has become very controversial. Some see celebrating the later as a more impartial solution.
According to the Arizona Mirror, “Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers an opportunity for educators to rethink how they teach what some have characterized as a ‘sanitized’ story of the arrival of Columbus. This version omits or downplays the devastating impact of Columbus’ arrival on Indigenous peoples. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an opportunity to reconcile tensions between these two perspectives.”
Growing up, we were always taught that Columbus was sort of a hero and to celebrate his discoveries. Perhaps it is time to see both sides of the story.
Shari Van Baale
Salem Communications Coordinator