Indigenous Communities Shocked by Missing Holiday on Calendars

Across the United States, Native American communities have taken to social media in droves, voicing outrage over what they describe as the sudden disappearance of their annual holiday from calendars everywhere.

Posts flooded platforms on Columbus Day, with users from various tribes lamenting the erasure of Indigenous Peoples' Day, which many had come to rely on as a moment of cultural recognition.

One prominent activist, Cherokee Nation member Lila Thunderhawk, shared a viral thread detailing her frustration.

"We've fought for years to have our day acknowledged, and now it's just gone, overwritten like it never existed," Thunderhawk wrote in her post, which garnered thousands of likes and shares.

The backlash stems from a presidential proclamation that firmly reestablished Columbus Day as the official federal observance. This move has reignited debates in states where Indigenous Peoples' Day had previously supplanted the traditional holiday, leaving many calendars printed with the older designation.

In another widely circulated message, Navajo elder Ramon Begay expressed concern over the broader implications.

"This is an attack on our traditions and the respect we've earned through centuries of resilience," Begay stated.

Social media trends show Indigenous users highlighting how the shift prioritizes historical figures associated with conquest over the original inhabitants of the land. Several posts included images of crossed-out calendar entries, symbolizing the perceived theft of their commemorative day.

Further fueling the discontent, some Indigenous voices predict even more drastic measures on the horizon. "If they're willing to wipe our day off the calendar for political gain, what's next? Tearing down statues of our ancestors and putting up Columbus in their place?" asked Lakota spokesperson Mia Black Elk.

The proclamation has prompted gatherings in cities like Seattle and Minneapolis, where local governments had long observed Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day.

Participants at these events distributed flyers urging a return to the more inclusive holiday, arguing that the current emphasis dishonors Native contributions to the country's history.

Echoing the sentiment, Apache community organizer Sofia Red Cloud posted a series of stories documenting similar erasures in school curricula and public events.

"Our children need to see their heritage celebrated, not pushed aside for someone who brought destruction to our lands," Red Cloud declared.

Amid the outcry, federal offices remain closed for the holiday, though the name change has left many Indigenous groups feeling sidelined.

Online petitions calling for the reinstatement of Indigenous Peoples' Day have collected over 30 signatures.

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