By Santee Ross, University of Montana

“Let’s celebrate Columbus Day by walking into someone’s house and telling them we live there now,” this well-phrased quote was posted on Facebook by one of my relatives.

Yesterday was Columbus Day and to some the native community that means the rest of the country openly acknowledges a murderer.

As you can see, I disagree somewhat with my fellow blogger Lee who made interesting points yesterday. However, I’d like to offer a different perspective.

As native people we should never forget where we come from.

Columbus was only the beginning of an era of terror that was brought to our people.

Genocide, forced assimilation and the deprivation of our cultural identity are terrible events that have impacted the native people for generations.

Events of that magnitude aren’t simply erased from memory. We shouldn’t forget these events because we survived them. We are still here despite the suffering of our people.

I don’t mean we need to hold grudges or resentment but rather we need to acknowledge our strength and be proud that our ancestors were able to hold onto our traditions and culture. They were able to pass them down to our generation.

So in that sense I agree with Lee, that we need to celebrate our survival but never forgetting the journey our people made.

I also disagree with my fellow blogger on the idea that Columbus helped create who I am now as a person.

Columbus is nowhere in my family tree, he wasn’t a part of my upbringing and he certainly did not shape the woman I am today.

I am the daughter of Sandy and Robert Whitehair, the great granddaughter of Agnes Ross and the sixth generation of Chief Little Crow.

I know the culture and family I belong to. They are the ones who shaped me into the woman I am.

My cultural identity is what I draw strength from and only when I lose that identity can I truly say Columbus has made me into the woman I am today.

If Columbus did not discover America then yes maybe the 21st century would be different but I refuse to thank a man who started the events that lead to war and the near genocide of our people.

So Columbus Day for me is not a day to easily forget. It’s a day we should remember and draw strength from to continue our traditional culture.

Our generation holds the strength to continue the creation stories, the sacred ceremonies … and the 3-on-3 basketball tournaments.

Santee Ross is Hopi from Lander, Wyoming.