Recently, the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections hosted an exhibit of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts. Meant to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, this exhibit featured artifacts from every major Mesoamerican civilization.
While this celebrates the pre-colonial culture of modern–day Latinx nations, it creates a question regarding other Indigenous cultures drastically changed by European influence.
Oct. 11 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which was historically called Columbus Day. As of 1992, the Indigenous American community has pushed to have Indigenous Peoples’ recognized as a national holiday instead of Columbus Day.
Looking at the list of Winthrop’s events for the rest of the semester, one can see that diversity and overcoming biases are emphasized. Multiple racial groups, gender identities and socioeconomic statuses are represented within both in-house events and cultural events.
This could be seen as problematic, especially as Winthrop’s campus is so close to the Catawba reservation. With no mention or celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, is Winthrop putting in the effort to honor their Indigenous students?
Many North American Indigenous artifacts were destroyed during the process of assimilating Indigenous Americans into Western culture, and what artifacts survived are housed in historical societies or museums.
Still, it would be beneficial to all students if Winthrop hosted an event that highlights the communities that were brutalized during America’s colonization. Having an event where students could learn about the cultures and histories of Indigenous American communities could show today’s students that history books are often misinformed and biased.
Erica Meece, a senior theatre design and tech major, believes that Winthrop needs to be doing more to celebrate the history and diversity of people of color — especially Indigenous Americans.
“I would love to see and engage in any of these events when they go on,” Meece said. “The fact that I never heard anything about the archival exhibit really saddens me because I would’ve loved to have seen them and learned more about those cultures through them.”
While Winthrop emphasizes the importance of celebrating diversity and what it means to be multicultural, Indigenous history/experiences are largely missing from the university’s narrative. It is past time for students to become exposed to this part of the history of the Americas.
