The idea of celebrating the arrival of Columbus in North America is upsetting for many Native Americans, who view the event as the start of genocide and 500 years of colonial oppression that they continue to carry the consequences of today. Many note that “Columbus didn’t discover anything” and that claiming Columbus “discovered” the Americas erases all of the thriving cultures who were already here. Despite enduing generations of genocide, Native communities are resilient and fighting for thier place in American society and history.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first proposed in the 1970s; in 1990 South Dakota was the first state to celebrate Native Americans' Day instead of Columbus Day (NPR 2019).
This year, the Penn State Geography Department will celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with a Campus Adventure. Join us to learn about Native people in Pennsylvania and to celebrate the role they have had, and continue to have, in shaping our environment and society. We strongly encourage you to spend some time learning beyond this event, for example check out https://native-land.ca/ and https://www.landgrabu.org/.
When
Oct 11 to 15 (plan to spend 1-2 hours)
Where
Across University Park campus (other campus locations are also invited to participate)
How it works
- Review the list of items to find.
- You should take a selfie with each item you find and submit your selfies here
- You may also choose to tweet, or otherwise share your selfies (#IndigenousPeoplesDay + @psugeography, and also @penn_state).
Why should you participate?
- Extra credit: The following courses are offering extra-credit for participation (find at least 5 items): GEOG 230, (more to be added). Find 5 of the listed items to get extra credit.
- Prizes: There are also prizes to be won! The top 2 or 3 undergraduate students, top 2 or 3 graduate students, and top 2 or 3 faculty members will receive a small piece of art by a Native artist. Submissions will be judged by the BDJ committee based on the number of items collected (multiple from one category allowed), diversity and uniqueness or innovativeness of items collected.
- Community building: Sign up to join a team lead by one of our faculty members here. A great chance to learn and reflect together!
The list of items to find and photograph will be made available on the morning of October 11.