Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 10 is Columbus Day, according to the State of Montana. It is Indigenous Peoples' Day according to many Montana cities. For its part, the federal government recognizes both Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day.

This makes it a good time to consider the history of both holidays, as well as the histories of both Indigenous peoples and Columbus.

Starting with the holidays, here are three proclamations by two presidents:  

• Proclamation 2101--Columbus Day (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 9/30/1934)
• Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples' Day (President Joseph Biden, The White House, 10/8/21)
• Proclamation on Columbus Day (President Joseph Biden, The White House, 10/8/21)

And here are two articles:

• As some Montana cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, a push to observe the holiday statewide is still ongoing (Yellowstone Public Radio 10/11/21)
• Indigenous People's Day is a federal holiday now. Activists want to drop Columbus Day (National Public Radio 10/11/21)

I can see a good middle or high school lesson that asks students to engage with important questions:

• Does it matter who we celebrate?
• How do we choose who to recognize?
• Can we celebrate both Columbus and Indigenous People or do we need to choose just one?
• What do you think we should celebrate on the second Monday of October?

One approach would be to jigsaw: have students read and analyze one of the three documents in "expert groups." Then reconfigure students into groups of three, with an expert on each document in every group. Have each expert teach their document to the members of their group. 

Here are some other resources:

One of my favorite education bloggers, Glenn Wiebe, wrote a post that includes many links: Resources for Your Indigenous Peoples' Day. 

The Indian Education Division of the Montana Office of Public Instruction created this lesson for grades 6-8: Critical Thinking about the Arrival of Columbus.

Finally, check out these ideas for celebrating American Indian Heritage Days that the Indian Education Division of OPI gathered. They include links to resources, suggestions for virtual guest speakers, and links to professional development that will be useful all year long. 

P.S. Whatever you call the holiday, we're working October 10, so join us from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for the online PD Tech and Social Studies. In this sharing session, Teacher Leader in Montana History and K-6 Tech Specialist April Wills and other tech-savvy colleagues (including maybe you) will offer ways to integrate tech into your social studies classroom. Register by October 7 to receive the Zoom link.