准备庆祝“土著人民日”
准备庆祝“土著人民日”
Growing up, we all likely encountered a very rosy description of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, how he sailed the ocean blue, discovered America, had three ships, blah, blah, blah. In reality, Columbus was something of a giant horror show in terms of his deadly impact on indigenous peoples, thirst for wealth and relative indifference to the plight of others. Oh — and he likely introduced syphilis to Europe.
从小到大，我们都可能遇到过对意大利探险家克里斯多弗·哥伦布的美好描述，他如何航行在蓝色的海洋上，发现了美洲，有三艘船，等等，等等。事实上，从他对土著人的致命影响、对财富的渴望和对他人困境的相对冷漠来看，哥伦布可以说是一场巨大的恐怖秀。哦，他可能把梅毒带到了欧洲。
Landing of Columbus, painting by John Vanderlyn. (Photo: John Vanderlyn [public domain]/Wikimedia Commons)
Is this really the kind of person who deserves a federal holiday?
这真的是那种值得联邦假日的人吗?
For many, that answer is a resounding no. As more of Columbus's transgressions become known, there's increasing pressure to remove his name from anything to do with the second Monday in October and instead honor those who settled the "New World" thousands of years earlier. Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in Nebraska to replace Columbus Day with "Standing Bear and Indigenous Leaders' Day." A compromise was reached in March to call it Columbus, Standing Bear and Indigenous Leaders' Day.
对许多人来说，这个答案是响亮的“不”。随着哥伦布的越界行为越来越多地为人所知，人们越来越迫切地要求将他的名字从与10月第二个星期一有关的任何活动中移除，取而代之的是向几千年前在“新大陆”定居的人们致敬。今年早些时候，内布拉斯加州提出了一项法案，以“站立熊和土著领袖日”取代哥伦布日。今年3月，双方达成了一项妥协，将其命名为“哥伦布站熊和土著领袖日”(Columbus, Standing Bear and Indigenous Leaders’Day)。
In 2014, Alaska renamed it "Indigenous Peoples Day." And in 2014, both Seattle and Minneapolis voted to stop recognizing Columbus Day in favor of "Indigenous Peoples Day." According to the Associated Press, the new holiday "celebrates the contributions and culture of Native Americans and the indigenous community."
2014年，阿拉斯加将其改名为“原住民日”。2014年，西雅图和明尼阿波利斯都投票决定不再认可哥伦布日，改为“原住民日”。据美联社报道，这个新节日“庆祝美国原住民和土著社区的贡献和文化”。
Other areas, including Los Angeles County and Portland, Maine, have recently taken measures to remove Columbus Day as a recognized holiday in their respective jurisdictions, and instead recognize Indigenous Peoples Day. A petition to do likewise in Atlanta has been garnering some attention.
其他地区，包括洛杉矶县和波特兰，缅因州，最近已经采取措施取消哥伦布日在他们各自的管辖范围内的认可假日，取而代之的是认可土著人日。一份在亚特兰大也做同样事情的请愿书已经引起了一些关注。
Inspired by this movement, the University of Alaska Southeast, Oklahoma University and even Fargo, North Dakota voted to also embrace Indigenous Peoples Day. In announcing the change, Oklahoma University president David Boren said, in 2015, that the new holiday will feature a daylong celebration of Native culture on campus — including food, dance, the arts and special lectures.
受这一运动的启发，阿拉斯加东南大学、俄克拉荷马大学甚至法戈大学、北达科他州都投票支持设立土著人日。俄克拉荷马大学校长大卫·博伦在2015年宣布这一改变时表示，新的节日将在校园内举行为期一天的本土文化庆祝活动，包括食物、舞蹈、艺术和特别讲座。
"We must never forget the many injustices in our history in the treatment of Native people and never stop admiring the strength of Native people who have preserved their values and whose cultures and governments continue in the face of terrible adversities and injustices," he wrote in a statement.
他在一份声明中写道:“我们绝不能忘记我们历史上对待土著人的许多不公正，绝不能停止对土著人的力量的钦佩，他们保留了自己的价值观，他们的文化和政府在可怕的逆境和不公正面前继续存在。”
Federal-level changes
联邦水平上的变化
Currently, 21 states recognize Columbus Day as a true holiday, giving their employees the day off. Efforts to officially change its federal designation on social media and through the White House's We the People petition site had some support during Barack Obama's tenure, but those efforts fell short of the 100,000 signatures needed for a response from the Obama administration. However, during then-President Obama's annual declaration of the holiday, there appeared to be a growing acknowledgement of the day to be not just about Columbus, but those who were also here long before.
目前,21个州承认哥伦布日是一个真正的假期,给正式员工一天假。努力改变其联邦指定通过白宫的社交媒体和我们人民请愿网站有一些支持在奥巴马任期内,但这些努力低于所需的100000个签名的回应奥巴马政府。然而，在当时的总统奥巴马的年度节日宣言中，似乎有越来越多的人认识到这一天不仅是哥伦布的节日，也是很久以前就在这里的人的节日。
