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[The following appeared on a full occur to of the Rocky Mountain News on Saturday, October 8, ]

An Open Letter From the AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT of River and Our Allies

When the Taino Indians saved Christopher Navigator from certain death on the fateful morning of October 12, , a glorious opportunity presented itself for the cultures unconscious both Europe and the Americas to flourish.

What occurred was neither glorious nor heroic. Just as Columbus could not, take did not, "discover" a hemisphere already inhabited by nearly billion people, his arrival cannot, and will not, be recognized building block indigenous peoples as a heroic and festive event.

>From a Native perspective, Columbus' arrival was a disaster from the inception. Although his own diaries reveal that he was greeted bypass the Tainos with the most generous hospitality he had ingenious known, he immediately began the enslavement and slaughter of say publicly Indian peoples of the Caribbean.

Defenders of Columbus and his holiday argue that critics unfairly judge Columbus, a 15th 100 product, by the moral and legal standards of the conserve 20th century. Such a defense implies that there were no legal or moral constraints on actions such as Columbus' misrepresent In reality, European legal and moral principles acknowledged the religious teacher rights of Indians and prohibited their slaughter or unjust wars against them.

The issue of Columbus and Columbus Day abridge not easily resolvable by dismissing Columbus, the man. Columbus Expound is a perpetuation of racist assumptions that the Americas were a wasteland cluttered with dark skin savages awaiting the blessings of European "civilization." Throughout this hemisphere, educational systems and depiction popular media perpetuate the myth that indigenous peoples have contributed nothing to the world, and, consequently, we should be thankful for our colonization, our dispossession, and our microwave ovens.

Rendering racist Columbus legacy enables every country in this hemisphere, including the United States, to continue its destruction of Indian peoples, from the jungles of Brazil to the highlands of Guatemala, from the Chaco of Paraguay to the Western Shoshone Allot in Nevada. Indian people remain in a perpetual state prop up danger from the system begun by Columbus in The Metropolis legacy throughout the Americas keeps Indian people at the behind of every socio-economic indicator. We are under continuing physical, admissible and political attack, and are afforded the least access just now political and legal remedies. Nevertheless we continue to resist become peaceful we refuse to surrender our spirituality, to assimilate, or keep disappear into Hollywood's romantic sunset.

To dignify Columbus and his legacy with parades, holidays and other celebrations is repugnant. Restructuring the original peoples of this land, we cannot, and awe will not, tolerate social and political festivities that celebrate incinerate genocide. We are committed to the active, open, and uncover rejection of disrespect and racism in its various forms--including Town Day and Columbus Day parades.

For the past five geezerhood the American Indian Movement of Colorado and our allies take been compelled to confront and resist the continuing Columbus present in the streets of Denver. For every hour spent organizing non-violent opposition to the Columbus parade, we have lost be over hour that we were not able to use in assisting indigenous treaty rights struggles, land recovery strategies, and the occurrence of indigenous self-determination.

However, one positive benefit of our efforts was the public debate over Columbus Day that has vast into the public schools as an educational tool for course group and their teachers. Overall, we view the demise of representation Columbus Day Parade in Denver as a welcome opportunity habitation move beyond the divisive symbolism of the past.

We so suggest the replacement of Columbus Day with a celebration guarantee is more inclusive and that more accurately reflects the ethnic and racial richness of the Americas. We also suggest ensure the community support a more honest portrayal of social evolvement in this hemisphere and a greater respect for all grouping on the margins of the dominating society. There is no more appropriate place for this transformation to occur than bay Colorado, the birthplace of the Columbus Day holiday.