I could not let today pass without celebrating Columbus Day,
the anniversary of the discovery in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, on behalf of Spain , of the Western
Hemisphere , with all due respect to Indigenous Americans.
There has
been a recent trend in some jurisdictions across the American Union to rename
the holiday “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” or some similar name. This slighting of Columbus
is the result of a misunderstanding of the word discovery, as if honoring the European discovery of the “New World,”
possibly out of too much Euro-centrism, somehow ignores the prior settlement of
the Western Hemisphere by Indigenous
Americans. The misunderstanding is
influenced additionally by liberal multiculturalism and political correctness. As I have noted on other Columbus Days, discovery means the uncovering of
something—from the perspective of the discoverer, which means that the
discoverer need not be the first person to discover something in order to be
credited with a discovery.
For Europeans in the time of Columbus , the cover
concealing the two hemispheres was the ocean.
Because of his great observational and navigational skills, Columbus , unlike anyone
before him, permanently joined two worlds together. As a result, the peoples of the two worlds
have discovered each other. Thus, there
is no detraction from the first discovery of the Western Hemisphere by those
adventurous Asians who bravely crossed the land bridge with Siberia to people
the New World .
Whenever
two peoples who had never, or at least minimally, been in contact with each
other, do come into significant contact with each other, there is always the
danger of the spread of disease because of the exposure to contagion without
immunities. Because of human nature,
there is also the problem of conflict or exploitation. Although
there were good relations between some Europeans and Native Americans, all of
these problems were manifested, with often tragic consequences for the First
Americans. At the same time, many
Indigenous Americans were freed by the European colonizers from the dangers of
conquest by other American tribes and the particular horrors of cannibalism and
human sacrifice on a massive scale. The
Indigenous Americans were also freed spiritually through the evangelization of
the Christian Faith and through the benefits of modern science and the
development of Western political thought, such as liberty and representative
government. It is, therefore,
appropriate, while acknowledging past tragedies and sins, to celebrate the
anniversary of the discovery of the Western Hemisphere ,
without any disrespect to anyone.
In the
Spanish-speaking countries of America ,
inhabited largely by Indigenous Americans, October 12 is celebrated as the “Day
of the Races,” which acknowledges the meeting of the two peoples through Columbus ’s encountering of the First Americans after landing
on an island in the Caribbean . I suppose referring to the day as “Discovery
Day,” for example, would also be appropriate.
The point is to acknowledge one of the most important watershed events
in human history, while respecting both Europeans and Indigenous
Americans. Continuing to call the day
“Columbus Day,” does not constitute any disrespect to those who first inhabited
the Western Hemisphere . The First Americans cannot be forgotten on
Columbus Day, as they are an essential part of the story, while there are other
days and ways to honor them more particularly.
The United States
celebrates Thanksgiving, for example, to give thanks to God for the abundance
early European colonists enjoyed in the New World ,
which was attained through the critically-significant help of Indigenous
Americans. Other American countries
reserve commemorative dates on their calendars and acknowledge their heritage
in various ways, while the Church honors Indigenous American Saints with Feasts. Respect for the rights of indigenous peoples
in America
and around the world is most essential.
I wish all
Americans, including those who are Indigenous, a Happy Columbus Day!
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