The Native American community of Chapel Hill came together virtually on Monday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, which honors the histories and cultures of Native American people.
Indigenous Peoples Day is celebrated on the same day as the U.S. holiday, Columbus Day, a day meant to celebrate the Italian navigator and colonist Christopher Columbus and his voyage to the Americas.
But Mason Locklear, a sophomore and the culture chairperson for Carolina Indian Circle, said he believes that Columbus should not have a day at all.
“As Indigenous people, we feel that Columbus shouldn’t have a day,” Locklear said. “Honestly, saying Columbus discovered America is like saying Neil Armstrong discovered the moon.”
Locklear said most of the time, the real picture of Columbus isn’t presented to students in a school setting.
“As a Native child, I got two different stories,” Locklear said. “Public schools taught me that he discovered America and did all these great things and then my Native tribe told me otherwise.”
Instead of celebrating Columbus Day, many communities across the country and North Carolina celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day to honor Native American people.
Different student groups at UNC, including Carolina Indian Circle, typically celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day through live performances during an event held outside the Student Union.
However, due to COVID-19, Carolina Indian Circle made the decision to hold all events virtually this year. The virtual events included an Instagram takeover, virtual storytelling and music and dance presentations.
