Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.
Many people in the U.S. continue to celebrate Christopher Columbus, who ostensibly “discovered” the Americas, which I discussed in “Caribbean Matters: Sorry, Columbus. You didn't discover anything. The Caribbean was already occupied.” The truth is that Columbus bears responsibility for the genocide of the indigenous populations he encountered.
Although there are countries in the Caribbean that celebrate the “explorer” and still have statues dedicated to him, that is shifting.
We tend to think of Caribbean island and basin peoples as either English, French or Spanish-speaking in heritage, and racially Black, “mixed,” or white. But this United Nations data paints a different picture.
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean:
There are 826 different indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an estimated population of 58 million people (ECLAC, 2014) (Table 1). These peoples share common concerns that form the basis of their global and regional agendas. These include various aspects of the right to self-determination:
- Political: right to autonomy and self-government.
- Territorial: territorial rights and natural resources.
- Economical: right to own development model.
- Cultural: right to own cultural identity.
- Legal: right to own legal system.
- Participatory: right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and right to consultation.
From History.com:
In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus’ landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza (“Day of the Race”), a celebration of Hispanic culture’s diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”) to recognize native peoples and their experience.
[...]
Controversy over Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-immigrant groups in the United States rejected the holiday because of its association with Catholicism.
In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of an event that resulted in the colonization of the Americas, the beginnings of the transatlantic slave trade and the deaths of millions from murder and disease.
European settlers brought a host of infectious diseases, including smallpox and influenza that decimated Indigenous populations. Warfare between Native Americans and European colonists claimed many lives as well.
The image of Christopher Columbus as an intrepid hero has also been called into question. Upon arriving in the Bahamas, the explorer and his men forced the native peoples they found there into slavery. Later, while serving as the governor of Hispaniola, he allegedly imposed barbaric forms of punishment, including torture.
In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus’ landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza (“Day of the Race”), a celebration of Hispanic culture’s diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”) to recognize native peoples and their experience.
Since 1991, nearly 200 U.S. cities, several universities and a growing number of states have adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans, alongside Columbus Day.
From Travel Belize:
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Resistance Day in Belize!
Indigenous Peoples Resistance Day is a vibrant celebration of Belize’s rich cultural tapestry. Formerly known as Columbus Day or Pan-American Day, the country honors its multiethnicity on October 12th, conscious of the hardships their ancestors faced. From Maya to Mestizo and Garifuna to Creole, Maya and African blood runs in the veins of Belizeans and is the core of the country’s melting pot identity. Visitors have a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the traditions, history, and way of life.
In 2024, Belize’s Amandala newspaper posted an editorial titled “Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day”:
The public and bank holidays set aside to celebrate the “tribes” of Belize are important occasions, essential to the fabric of our nation. On August 1, Emancipation Day, we mark the removal of the shackles from the feet of our enslaved African ancestors after 300 years; on November 19 we rejoice over the arrival of the indomitable Garinagu to our shores. This Saturday, October 12, we observe Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day in honor of the people on this side of the world, particularly our Maya ancestors who, many of them to their last breath, resisted being subjugated by invaders from Europe.
October 12 is celebrated as Columbus Day in the U.S. A historical page from the desk of the U.S. Embassy of Switzerland and Liechtenstein said Columbus Day has been an annual holiday in the U.S. since 1937. The page said initially it was celebrated on October 12, but “it was moved to the second Monday in October to give workers a long holiday weekend.” The page further states that in the U.S. the holiday commemorates “Columbus’ landing in the New World on October 12, 1492…celebrates the cultural heritage of Italian Americans, since many scholars believe Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy [and] the transformations it [the voyage] provoked…” In the past, Columbus Day was observed in Belize, and people of mixed origin here who identified with their European roots joined enthusiastically in the celebration of the meeting of the two worlds.
The U.S. Embassy’s historical page noted that “the holiday continues to evoke discussions about the Age of Exploration and the transformations it provoked, including the injustices done to indigenous peoples.” (our emphasis) Prior to 1492, when Columbus and his crew set out from Spain aboard the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, we lived in a world without engines energized by steam or fossil fuel, in a world without electricity, telecommunications, computers, and cellphones, things that the people of today would find it very difficult to live without.
After the “conquest,” the Europeans would have control of all the natural resources of the Americas (and subsequently of Africa too), and free labor, which was supplied mainly by our African ancestors who were transported here from the African continent in chains in the holds of slave ships. There are few discoveries and no inventions without investment in research, and after 1492 the Europeans had the financial resources to pay for it. They had borrowed immensely from other cultures they had come in contact with previously, the peoples of North and Central Africa, and Asia, and with their new wealth, which was vast, more than any people ever had before, they were able to invest heavily in science and engineering; and, disastrously, in the development of more powerful weapons of war.
What the coming of Columbus meant to the people who lived in this part of the world when he came was overlooked for generations. Almost completely lost was the horror that the Europeans brought to the Americas, their weapons and savagery that decimated a people that were in many ways more advanced than they were, their diseases that nearly wiped out the peoples of the Americas, their genocide. However, the atrocities that occurred after Columbus’s ships grounded in the Americas could not be ignored forever.
In other parts of the world, mainly among the Europeans and people of mixed race who identify with their European roots, Columbus Day, also called Día de la Raza, will be celebrated with great joy and festivities. Belize is a land of many races, and understandably there are pockets that still venerate Columbus’s arrival in this part of the world.
Here in Belize we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance Day. While it is very much a solemn occasion, it is also greatly inspirational. There is triumph in resisting evil. On Saturday, October 12, we revere our ancestors and their resistance to violent invading forces that trampled on the sacred places, murdered and enslaved millions, and plundered the land.
Belizehub.com posted “Christopher Columbus and the Transition from Pan American Day to Indigenous People’s Resistance Day in Belize”:
In 2021, Belize’s government decided to rebrand Pan-American Day as Dia de la Raza. Later that year, in November, this term was discovered to be a misunderstanding; Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs and New Growth Ministries clarified that the government press office published a list of holidays, with pressure coming from the calendar printers to have a good idea of what holidays to list. This resulted in the initial list having Dia de la Raza as a holiday name despite little thought having been put into the name. Due to the vaguely racist phrasing of this name, the holiday’s proper name is now known as Indigenous People’s Resistance Day in honor of Belize’s many indigenous peoples, especially the Mayas.
The Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, currently senior minister of state in the office of the prime minister and chairperson of the National AIDS Commission, was the Minister of Belize’s Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs when she issued this statement in 2021:
Belize is home to the To’one Masehualoon NGO.
Video notes:
An introduction into the formation and the importance of a vibrant Yucatec Maya cultural preservation group in northern Belize. To’one Masehualoon NGO is a cultural preservational group in northern Belize which grew out of the idea that the people of Belize who are of Yucatec Maya decent are slowly losing their self of identity and that the demise of a vibrant culture filled with ancestral splendor and knowledge is slowly reaching extinction. The purpose of the group is to restore and preserve the pride of being of Yucatec Maya ancestry. This is accomplished by preserving all areas of the culture such as language, spirituality, attire, cuisine, folklore, and dance and by also being engaged in community outreach. The surprising discovery has been the negative effects that colonialism has had on the Yucatec Maya culture in northern Belize and the lack of governmental support the people experience due to no having protection of their Indigenous rights as is chartered on a global level. It is vital to continue this focus because with the event of Covid 19 we have lost many of our elders who are the vital link to the new generation who hold in their hands the preservation of an entire culture group. In returning to the group their sense of identity and pride of ancestry the culture will then gain the revitalization and preservation it rightly deserves
Since I’m writing this prior to this year’s celebration, I can’t post videos from something that hasn't occurred yet. But here are some clips from prior years’ events, like the “2nd Annual Indigenous People’s Resistance Day Celebration in Belize”:
Here’s “Belize National Library Service documented Indigenous Resistance Day activities in Belmopan 2024”:
The Belize National Library Service and Information System is committed to the promotion of an informed, aware and literate society that fosters our national development and cultural heritage.
As mentioned above, Venezuela also celebrates a Day of Indigenous Resistance:
The Day of Indigenous Resistance, known as "Día de la Resistencia Indígena," was previously recognized as Columbus Day (Día de la Raza) in many Latin American countries, marking Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. However, the narrative changed in Venezuela under the presidency of Hugo Chávez. In 2002, the Venezuelan government renamed it to honor the native peoples and their fight against European colonization.
Here’s “Venezuela: Clara Vidal on Day of Indigenous Resistance”:
The Day of Indigenous Resistance serves as a platform for reaffirming Venezuela's commitment to recognizing and valuing its indigenous population's history, culture, and ongoing contributions to society.
Venezuela observes Day of Indigenous Resistance
“We continue in resistance.. we continue in a tireless struggle for the vindication of our indigenous peoples.” At a march in Caracas, we heard from Clara Vidal, of the Kariña ethnic group, who serves as Minister of Popular Power for Indigenous Peoples.
Current Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has continued the tradition by decreeing Oct. 12 as “Day of Indigenous Resistance and Decolonization of the Americas”:
On Oct 13, 2024, indigenous people marched through Caracas to commemorate Resistance Day:
Question: Do you celebrate Christopher Columbus?
Please join me in the comments section below to discuss, and for the weekly Caribbean News Roundup.
