A Fight Over History
The law says one thing. The calendar says another.
If you look it up, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is October 13. That also happens to be Columbus Day.
But in Nevada, the law marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day as August 9. Democratic Assemblywoman Shea Backus wants to change that with Assembly Bill 144.
Backus, who represents northwest Las Vegas, learned last year that even her bank didn’t recognize the August date. The signs on the door were clear.
They were observing the holiday alongside Columbus Day. That, it turns out, is where the real fight is.
“I don’t oppose an Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” Janine Hansen said. She leads Nevada Families for Freedom and has run for office more than once. “But when you put it on Columbus Day, you erase Columbus Day.”
That, some would argue, is bad for history. Columbus never set foot in what is now the United States.
He sailed to the Caribbean. He never saw the Great Plains, crossed the Mississippi, or laid eyes on the lands that later became Nevada. Whether that history is seen as a triumph or tragedy, erasing it does not change the past.
During the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs hearing in Carson City, all parties spoke in a politically correct manner. But no one wanted to say what was obvious.
“Indigenous Peoples’ Day isn’t just about recognition,” Backus said. “It’s about placing Indigenous voices at the forefront of decisions that shape the future of the state.” She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Tuesday was Nevada Tribes Legislative Day, and the room filled with supporters of AB144.
Speakers from at least four tribes stood up for it.
“Our history exists whether or not it’s in your textbooks,” said Mathilda Guerrero Miller of the Native Voters Alliance of Nevada. “Our contributions shaped this state long before Nevada was even a name on a map.”
Nevada has 20 federally recognized tribes, 28 bands and colonies, and over 60,000 urban Indians. Supporters included Make the Road Nevada, UNLV, and members of the Walker River Paiute Tribe.
Now, the bill sits in the Assembly’s hands. If it moves forward, the Senate will decide.
The date on the calendar may change. The fight over history will not.
The Old Blog in the Desert 