When is Columbus Day (aka Indigenous Peoples Day)? (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Columbus Day is recognized as a Federal Holiday on the second Monday in October. However, across the country there are variations on this holiday.

Washington State does not recognize Columbus Day as a legal holiday for state government employees. Some cities and counties in Washington officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the 2nd Monday in October. Last time we checked, the list included Olympia, Seattle, Spokane, and Yakima, as well as Snohomish County.

You can read more about Christopher Coumbus below, as well as how this federal holiday is evolving in states across the country.

Indigenous Peoples Day and Native American Heritage Day

Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native America Heritage Day are intended to acknowledge the hundreds of Native American tribes and millions of indigenous peoples (estimated from 10 to 100 million) who were living in North America before Europeans arrived on her shores. However, there is no national consensus but plenty of controversy about Indigenous Peoples Day. You know, our typical democracy angst.

Instead of Columbus Day, Washington State observes Native American Heritage Day on Friday after Thanksgiving Day as a legal WA state holiday. More info: RCW 1.16.050: “Legal holidays” (wa.gov).

Some states have stopped celebrating Columbus Day but have not replaced it. Other states and individual cities have officially or legally changed the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Native American Day (either instead of or in addition to Columbus Day). And some states, including Washington, have replaced Columbus Day with another observance on another date.

As we discover (heh, heh, get it?) celebrations about Indigenous Peoples or discussion about Christopher Columbus history and related events, we’ll put them on our Calendar of free and cheap things to do every day (greaterseattleonthecheap.com).

Columbus caravels, niña, pinta, santa maria, italian banknote lire

Columbus sailing ships: Niña, pinta, Santa Maria, as pictured on an Italian banknote lira. Image via Depositphotos_59981939

Who was Christopher Columbus

Simply put, Christopher Columbus is NOT the guy who “discovered” North America. It’s widely reported that Columbus first landed in (what is now) the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. On later voyages, he set foot in South America. However, he never made land in North America. So, who was Columbus and how did he become known as the “discoverer” of the lands we now call America.

Christopher Columbus was originally from Genoa, Italy. He became a merchant seaman in his teens and honed his skills working the commercial routes in the Mediterranean and along the coast of Africa. He later settled in Portugal where he studied astronomy, cartography, and navigation.

Eventually, Chris proposed to find a shorter and safer trade route to the spice trade in Asia by sailing West, instead of the southern route around Africa beset by fierce weather and pirates. The monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, were convinced to finance his first expedition, the infamous 1492 voyage comprised of three ships: the Santa Maria (a carrack ship) and the Pinta and the Niña (smaller caravel ships).

To Chris’ surprise, there was this whole other land mass between Europe and Asia! However, believing he had found “the (East) Indies” (i.e. Asia), the inhabitants were referred to as “Indians”. Now we know the rest of the story! Actually, it’s a bit weirder than that:

Of course, the indigenous people knew all about their lands, having inhabited the continent for thousands of years. Christopher discovered nothing.
Nor was Columbus first. The Vikings of Norway are documented to have landed near Greenland in the 10th century, hundreds of years before Columbus.
Further, Columbus never landed in North America at all. Instead, he set foot in what are now the Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Nor did he ever set foot in North America on any subsequent voyage.

Not only did Columbus not “discover” America, he also did not accomplish his goal of a western route to Asia, though he long believed he was plying the islands off the coast of China. Tragically, Spain would eventually exploit the “New World” through subjugation of the millions of people already living there.

So how did Columbus get such prominent (and false) place in our history? It came about because Italian immigrants to America wanted to celebrate one of their own. They succeeded in elevating his status and Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1934.