Today is Columbus Day or at least the legal holiday version of Columbus Day, but President Joe Biden has also proclaimed it Indigenous Peoples Day while in South Dakota it will Native American Day.
Whatever the name, it’s a federal holiday with federal offices and financial institutions closed and no mail delivery.
It’s a legal holiday in many states as well, including Nebraska, with state and county offices closed but with many cities still doing business as usual and most school districts having classes.
Native American Day in South Dakota, although observed with a wide range of public programs, is not a legal holiday.
Columbus, an Italian sailing for Spain, first made landfall in the Western Hemisphere on Oct 12, 1492, but Congress in 1971 decided to mark the legal holiday on the second Monday of the month to create a 3-day weekend.
       Columbus Day began to draw controversy in the 1970s over claims that other explorers reached the Western Hemisphere first.
Stronger protests were raised from those who blamed Columbus for the near elimination of the indigenous peoples and cultures of the hemisphere.
That led the South Dakota Legislature in 1990 to replace Columbus Day with Native American Day to recognize the more than 70,000 American Indians living in the state. It’s the nation’s oldest official holiday honoring American Indians.
Dawes county was named after Henry Dawes an attorney and republican senator who worked to assimilate the Sioux into white man’s lifestyle of commerce. Not such a great holiday for those who lost their land and way of life.
Definitely something to think about. Thanks for the info.
History is important, Minor correction. Dawes county was named in honor of James W Dawes, 5th Governor of Nebraska. Henry Dawes was a Senator from Massachusetts who was noted for the Dawes Act which was intended to stimulate the assimilation of Native Americans by ending the tribal government and control of communal lands. Wikipedia
History is important, Dawes county was not named after Henry Dawes, but for James W. Dawes, the fifth governor of Nebraska. Henry Dawes a Massachusetts senator was responsible for the Dawes act which was intended to stimulate the assimilation of Native Americans by ending the tribal government and control of communal lands.
Ref Wikipedia for both.