Members of MSU’s North American Indigenous Students Organization, or NAISO, and other supporters gathered at the rock on Farm Lane on Monday evening to protest Columbus Day, a federal holiday to celebrate the explorer’s discovery of America.
A drum group performed and supporters held signs with messages such as “Columbus was lost” and “We were already here.”
Environmental economics and policy junior Rondo Begay manages NAISO’s public relations and is a member of the Navajo Nation. He said the day was about honoring American Indian ancestors who died as a result of Europeans’ arrival in North America.
“Christopher Columbus, to us, did not represent positive things,” Begay said. “We’ve suffered rape, we’ve suffered theft, we’ve suffered genocide and forced assimilation.”
Begay said he would like people to celebrate love and compassion for one another instead of the holiday’s traditional meaning.
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