Reframing Columbus Day
Recently I posted about
research positing a link between peoples of the Na-Dene/Athabaskan family
(e.g. Navajo, Apache, Tlingit) and Central Asian refugees of Genghis Khan's conquests. The implications
of such a realization are staggering - but no more than those of other recent discoveries challenging
our conceptions of the early Americas.
In time for Columbus Day this year I thought it would be appropriate to note a few of the major
convulsions in the established historical record that highlight the fact that the "era of Columbus" is now over.
It's time to observe this ideological regime change by questioning whether Columbus is really so important
after all - and what that means in the context of America's colonial and imperialist legacy
[continue reading...]
You can read the editorial version of this piece published on
WorldPress.com, a magazine for independent journalism.
Essay: Examining the Reputation of Columbus
An essay by Prof. Jack Weatherford
Christopher Columbus' reputation has not survived the scrutiny of history,
and today we know that he was no more the discoverer of America than Pocahontas was
the discoverer of Great Britain. Native Americans had built great civilizations with
many millions of people long before Columbus wandered lost into the Caribbean [...]
View
my complete Columbus Day archive...
People of the Hills: Fall
This video essay from the Syracuse Post-Standard is part five in a series about how the people of the
modern-day Onondaga Nation combine today's lifestyle with ancient traditions to live with the seasons.
This episode focuses on the harvest season of autumn.
Angel De Cora
Angel de Cora is not exactly a household name, but her story is as fascinating as it is little-known.
A Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) with French ancestry, DeCora became the most
influential Native American artist of the early 20th century.
She defied common stereotypes about Indians (and about women)
and became a trend-setter in the field of Native American art
[...]
This
Month in History:
October 4, 1861:
Birth of Western artist Frederic Remington
The very name "Remington" conjures up images of the Old West (thanks in part to the gun manufacturer who shares the name).
Frederic Remington's sketches, paintings, and sculptures - like the set of a John Ford movie - have become an immortal part
of the canon of Western mythology [...]
October 14, 1964:
Billy Mills wins Olympic gold
In one of the great Olypmic upsets of all time, Billy Mills (born Makata Taka Hela on the Pine Ridge Reservation)
became the second American Indian to achieve a gold medal in an Olympic event [...]
October 27, 1913:
Birth of Crow historian Joe Medicine Crow
Medicine Crow is an esteemed scholar and historian. He was the first Crow Indian to attend college,
earning a master's degree in anthropology in 1939. He also holds the distinction of being the last
living Crow war chief [...]
