Names are important. How often do we hear the call to acknowledge the name of a missing or murdered Indigenous person, or deny the culprit of a crime the satisfaction of seeing their name spread across the media?
Traditionally, place names have been determined based on their importance to the inhabitants of the area. Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe (Six Grandfathers Mountain) is a site of great spiritual importance, marking the six sacred directions, for the Lakota people. But names can be altered or ignored. You may better know Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe as Mount Rushmore. The naming of holidays are also important, as they raise awareness of specific aspects of a people’s history or culture. In the United States, the second Monday of October is either Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Columbus Day, depending on the city or state in which you live or the actions you wish to laud.
We live in a time of strong opinions and ideological division in our country. For every state passing legislation to acknowledge the sovereign rights of Native nations and the security of their people there is another banning accurate historical accounts of Tribes from classrooms or contesting the legitimacy of tribal legal jurisdiction. The current administration has hinted at acknowledging only Columbus Day and a dismissal of the lived experiences and cultures of those native to this continent. The perceived bigotry of the Oval Office is encouraging others to backtrack previous efforts to recognize and work with Native peoples.
Though sometimes seen as performative, land acknowledgments are at least a first step towards acknowledging the Indigenous peoples of an area. A land acknowledgment would preferably be followed by actionable, tangible steps in working with or including local Tribes in the activities of a college or university within their traditional territory. However, in recent months we have seen several colleges and universities drastically shorten, or completely eliminate, their previous land acknowledgements as the government has made overt comments against what it sees as “bias” and “DEI” propaganda.
Tulane University used to boast a several-paragraph land acknowledgment linked at the bottom of every page on its website. Now, one must type “land acknowledgment” into the search bar to read a short paragraph that has removed all mention of specific Tribes. This forced return to obscurity and the margins of a space meant to encourage learning, accuracy, and free thought is exactly why continuing to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day and uplifting Native Tribes and individuals is important.
Much like land acknowledgments, having a holiday to raise awareness of the vibrant cultures and long histories of Indigenous peoples serves as a conversation starter, a first step towards better relationships. Names have that power too, as seen in Minneapolis. There Native people and their allies worked together to officially revert the largest lake’s name back from Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska.
Words and names have power as do the places and peoples that use them. We hope you will join us in celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, reflecting on the experiences of our nation’s Indigenous Tribes, while working to strengthen ties between us all as relatives. We will continue to use the words of this blog to uplift Native voices, because we’re Indigenous every day.
