Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day with Guest Mahtowin Munro ✨
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Season 2: Episode 18 Description
In today’s special episode: ✨ It's Indigenous Peoples' Day!🎙️ Correspondent Pamela Kirkland speaks with Mahtowin Munro, a leader of the United American Indians of New England, to talk about the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. 📓 Hear our breakdown of the different terms used in the Indigenous communities. 🗞️ In the news: An oil spill and a big NASCAR moment. 🏆 And test your knowledge in today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources for the episode:
Indigenous Peoples' Day: These are the states that have ditched Columbus Day - CNN
NAJA_Reporting_and_Indigenous_Terminology_Guide.pdf (najanewsroom.com)
California oil pipeline spill could endanger marine life for years, experts say : NPR
NYC public libraries will end late fees in push for equity (apnews.com)
Bubba Wallace becomes 2nd Black person to win NASCAR Cup Series - CNN
Jesse Iwuji continues trail blazing for African Americans in NASCAR (fox17online.com)
Tribal Nations & the United States: An Introduction | NCAI
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:02
President Biden just proclaimed October 11th Indigenous Peoples' Day. But, why is it also federally recognized as Columbus Day? Today we'll get into the history and meet one of the leaders behind the movement to change the holidays focus on the future. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's October 11th. And this is The Ten News.
Various Voices 0:23
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:31
You've probably heard the line, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." 300 years later, the first documented celebration of his voyage took place in New York City. Columbus Day became an official US holiday in 1937 and was observed on the second Monday in October starting in 1972. But since its creation, Native Americans have objected to the holiday because Columbus didn't discover America. And because of the horrific mistreatment of the indigenous people he encountered when he arrived, generations of native activists and allies speaking out and more and more awareness of the true histories of the original inhabitants of this land have created a movement to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. Today, there are seven states that officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and seven more states, plus Washington DC. Observe the holiday through proclamations and two states celebrate both Columbus and Native American Heritage on the same day. On Friday, October 8th, President Biden issued a proclamation declaring October 11th, as Indigenous Peoples' Day. This is the first time a US president has acknowledged the importance of honoring America's indigenous communities, and recognizing the impact they continue to have on this country. In order to learn more about the significance of celebrating Indigenous Peoples' day, correspondent Pamela Kirkland spoke with Mahtowin Munro, a leader of the United American Indians of New England.
Pamela Kirkland 2:17
Mahtowin, can you talk about the significance of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day?
Mahtowin Munro 2:26
Indigenous peoples were here. Throughout the Americas, we had many different civilizations and cultures and spiritual beliefs and were minding our own business and nobody asked for Columbus to come here. Nobody was waiting to be discovered. And sometimes schools will teach or other people will say that Columbus brought civilization to us. And we already had civilizations, we did not need to be civilized by this guy. So, what he did was not discovered, he invaded. And so, we've been pointing that out and saying that he ought not to be celebrated anymore, because it's the equivalent of celebrating the genocide of indigenous peoples. And instead, we want to bring something positive to replace how negative the celebration of Columbus says, and that positive thing is Indigenous Peoples' Day. It gives schools and communities a really great opportunity to be able to learn more about the indigenous peoples right where they're living, it is really important because, unfortunately, some non-native people seem to think that we're actually extinct. And I'm not kidding. Like, we are sometimes asked if we're extinct, and we are still here. We are alive, we are thriving. We are reviving our languages, we are continuing our cultures. And we have a lot of things to say. So, it's important that everyone learn about and learn to respect indigenous peoples who are here and now.
Pamela Kirkland 4:09
You mentioned that this is something that people have been pushing for, for decades. Why do you think now is the time when we're finally starting to see a shift from celebrating Columbus Day to more communities, more cities, more states embracing Indigenous Peoples' Day?
Mahtowin Munro 4:27
Every year, there's been an increasing number of cities and small towns and states that are starting to do this. And that has been great, but I think it's really picked up a lot in the last couple of years for a lot of reasons. One thing that I would say is I think, because of the hard work of indigenous peoples and the non-stop talking about this and asking for some justice on this issue. I think some non-native people have really heard that call and are responding to it. I would also say this, so the work of the Black Lives Matter movement and the work that they've done to focus people on white supremacy in this country, and the racism that exists in this country has been really important. And, I think that that work has also helped to open up, people to thinking more about indigenous issues as well.
Pamela Kirkland 5:23
So, for the first time this year, Indigenous Peoples' Day will be recognized in Boston. And I understand you were part of bringing about that change. Talk a little bit about that.
Mahtowin Munro 5:34
I'm based in Massachusetts, and since 2015, I've been leading a statewide campaign to get cities and towns all across the street, all across the state to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day. We started in Boston in 2015 and the guy who was our mayor would not meet with us. And he was Mayor, like through the beginning of 2021. So now, there's an acting mayor in Boston, her name is Kim Cheney, and she's a black woman. And she heard us, she issued an executive order, saying that Boston will now celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, and it was amazing. The mayor, in the executive order, acknowledged that Boston is situated on the land of the Massachusett Tribe and that's the first time that the city of Boston has acknowledged that Massachusett Tribe, that was a big deal, you know, that was really meaningful because of all of these years of, of not being acknowledged.
Pamela Kirkland 6:37
You mentioned land, and I wanted to talk a little bit about that. And you mentioned the original inhabitants of the land around Boston and the Massachusett Tribe, so not too far away. You've got the Wampanoag Tribe, the Nipmuc Tribe, part of the celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day is to acknowledge these indigenous communities like the original caretakers of the land. Why is it important to recognize the original inhabitants and the original stewards of the land we live on all across the country?
Mahtowin Munro 7:09
First of all, they're not acknowledged and they should be, they're still alive. It's not like we're talking about people who are extinct. It's not like we're talking about people who are not here anymore. So, it's important to remember and acknowledge that this is indeed their land. And I think it's important for non-native people to think about that and how they came to be living on this land and what happened to indigenous peoples, for them to be able to be here.
Pamela Kirkland 7:38
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to our listeners of The Ten. And we'll definitely have to have you back sometime soon.
Mahtowin Munro 7:46
Okay, thanks a lot.
Bethany Van Delft 7:55
You may have noticed, we used a few different terms to refer to Indigenous peoples in our reporting throughout this episode. To help you better understand each term and when it's appropriate to use, we consulted the Native American Journalists Association. The term Native American generally represents all native people of the continental United States, and some in Alaska. Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian have preferred terms for Native people from the lands now associated with those states. The term American Indian often used interchangeably with Native Americans and historically used by the federal government is becoming less acceptable to native peoples today. The word Indigenous with a capital "I" is used to represent people who self-identify as native, and in the US, refers specifically to those with a tribal membership or citizenship. Whenever possible, it's always best to refer to native people by their tribal affiliation. In other words, the specific tribes, nations, or communities they're connected to. Just remember, individuals have different preferences. So, if you're not sure, just ask. Now let's see what else is going on.
Bethany Van Delft 9:21
In West Coast news, a leak in a pipeline off the coast of Southern California has dumped more than 120,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean. The spill forced some beaches in the area to close and there are already lots of reports of injured wildlife. If there's anything we've learned about oil spills, it's that their harmful effects on the environment can last for years, so it's going to be a while before we know the extent of the damage. Over on the East Coast, New York City's public libraries will no longer charge late fees for overdue books. The goal is to ensure that everyone can enjoy and learn from books even if they don't have the money to pay fines. With this announcement, New York City joins San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Kudos to you all. You know you have your very own library card. You can take as many as you like. That would be wonderful. History was made down south at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Bubba Wallace became just the second black driver to win the cup series, NASCAR's top racing series. The first was Wendell Scott, all the way back in 1963. But, racing still has a really long way to go when it comes to diversity. While this is one of just a handful of black drivers who have competed in the cup series since NASCAR was founded in 1948. On your mark, get set, go! NASCAR, you got this. Up next, it's time for...
Various Voices 11:05
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 11:08
Trivia on The Ten. The Indigenous community is made up of many different cultures and tribal nations. Do you know how many federally recognized tribes there are in the US? Is it a0 54, b) 124, or c) 574?
Bethany Van Delft 11:34
Did you guess it? The answer is C. There are 574 federally recognized tribal nations across the US and many more that are not recognized by the federal government. Because they're diverse in culture and language, different groups may use different names to refer to themselves. So, you may hear about nations, tribes, pueblos, native villages, as well as communities. Time's up, but before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. You can go deeper into today's stories by visiting thetenews.com. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is returning library books and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Andrew Hall, and Nathalie Alonso. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day. Here's a great way to celebrate today, learn more about the Indigenous people from the land that you are standing on right now. Yes, right there. The land you're standing on right now.
