By JUAN ESPINOSA
PUEBLO — Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day celebrations clashed again this year at the foot of a statue honoring the founder of colonialism.
For the past 33 years, elements of the Italian community and the Chicano/Indigenous people have squared off behind police barricades exchanging insults and in the most recent years trying to drown out each other with Native drumming on the Indigenous side and highly amplified John Phillip Sousa music on the other.
This year was no different, except that the barricades were rearranged so that the Columbus celebrants could get through to the Rawlings Library, where they had a luncheon on the fourth floor afterward. Their program consisted of the National Anthem, a handful of political speeches and a raffle drawing for $10,000.
Always the spoilers, the Indigenous protesters — pounding on more than a dozen drums of assorted sizes and blowing on a variety of whistles and noisemakers — came marching in just as a young female vocalist was singing the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Columbus celebrants had go take a walk of shame in front of the indigenous protesters
To add insult to injury, the Columbus celebrants who wanted to attend the luncheon had to take a walk of shame before a group shouting “Shame on you!,” and carrying signs with messages such as “Pueblo to Palestine — Colonialism Kills,” “Stop Celebrating Genocide,” “Teach Truth,” and “Take It Down!.” Also, as it has been in recent years, the Indigenous side outnumbered the Columbus faction.
La Cucaracha News was not allowed in the barricaded area in front of the statue and was not provided with an a program for the Columbus celebration. As a result, our reporting was limited to what we could hear over the shouts, drums and megaphones.
In contrast, the Cucs — our nickname for La Cucaracha staffers — had all access to the Indigenous side. Which makes sense because Chicanos are Indigenous to the continent.
An hour before marching to the statue area, the Indigenous protestors met at a park a block away. Sky Morris was one of the several women to speak. She said her first Columbus protest was in 1992 when AIM — the American Indian Movement — stopped the Columbus Day parade in Denver.
“At that time when there was no longer a parade in Denver, it came down to Pueblo in 1998,” Sky said. “I hope you are proud of your community that carries this struggle on. I want to recognize Rita’s (j. Martinez) children: Tomas, Chente and Neva. They do their mom proud every day.”
“Thank you for bringing all your relation because we don’t do this for ourselves, TikToc, and FaceBook. We do it because people did it before us, for us. They knew this generation was coming. So now we have to remember that there is going to be a generation after us and that’s why we come out here.
“People are upset with the Trump administration and that he is revitalizing Columbus Day, but please relatives do not let this be another distraction. “They’re stealing our people in broad daylight. They’re still killing our black brothers in the streets. Native women are still going
missing and turning up murdered. So as important was this may be, never forget why we are really out here. We are out here for the liberation of Indigenous people — of all oppressed people.”
More important than protest, is this ceremony taking place around the protest — cleansing with sage, native drumming, singing and gathering in the prayer circle. “This what they never wanted us to do. And we’re doing it right now. So if you think confronting the pig, or getting in those people’s faces is resistance, then you’re not paying attention. This is resistance — what’s happening right here,” Ski said gesturing to the circle.
“We don’t honor these horrible human beings,” said Emeritus Board Mamber of El Movimiento Siege. “Yes they came and yes they caused horrible atrocities. And yet we still have people in our community who insist that we honor this horrible man. We will continue this fight as long as we are able.”
The premarch ceremony ended in a bilingual prayer in Dinè and English asking Grandfather for justice and for thanking him for being with the ancestors who worked for justice for hundreds of years.
And nary a mention of honoring Mother Cabrini, a real Italian, a true hero who established many hospitals. Nothing we’ve learned about C*lumbus is true. As Sky Morris said, our prayer is more important than the negativity.