Columbus

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Americas. For Native Americans the quincentennial is a solemn occasion marked by anger and grief rather than celebration. “Discovery” meant the theft of land and the deliberate genocide of native peoples and cultures. And the plunder of the “New World” continues today, as does the genocide.

The U.S. government has violated virtually every treaty made with Indian nations. The Shoshone of Nevada are still engaged in a struggle to have the terms of the 1863 treaty honored. Sacred Mohawk burial grounds are desecrated by a proposed golf course. The Yanomami of Brazil are being poisoned by mercury from gold mining. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled against Native American freedom-of-religion issues in recent years. The list goes on.

But despite the war waged against indigenous peoples for the past five centuries, their cultures have survived and are still alive and vibrant. And herein lies the real reason to celebrate. Instead of observing the oppressive Columbus, let us celebrate the survival of indigenous cultures of this land and develop a better respect for their contributions to the world.

LINDA AVILA, Santa Monica