Christopher Columbus never had a real connection to anyone in the United States, Adam Recvlohe said. But indigenous people do.
Recvlohe, a 2009 UF political science alumnus and member of the Muscogee Creek Nation of Florida, spoke to about 35 students and faculty members Monday afternoon. The almost two-hour talk was sponsored by the UF American Indian and Indigenous Studies department to commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which recognizes indigenous communities instead of Columbus.
Recvlohe wanted to educate the UF community about indigenous people in Florida and the southeast and talk about how indigenous people helped many early colonists survive by teaching them how to plant traditional native foods, he said.
Columbus has no real connection to the country and never stepped foot in what is now the United States, Recvlohe said.
“Indigenous people are here, and it’s better to celebrate a real connection,” he told The Alligator.
Recvlohe discussed the amount of Native American history he said is missing from the average high school textbook.
Native American nations continued to establish themselves politically, even when the federal government squashed their efforts, he said.
When Native Americans attempted to establish Sequoyah, an American state led by indigenous people in what is now Oklahoma, the United States government shut them down, he said.
“Considering what native people have endured — war, forced removal, termination policies, boarding schools, relocation — and we are still here practicing our way of life shows resilience,” Recvlohe said.
Robin Wright, a coordinator for the American Indian and Indigenous studies program, helped found the program with Recvlohe in 2008.
The talk recognized how native people never disappeared in the face of oppression and are reviving their cultures and languages, he said.
“The native people were here for tens and thousands of years before Columbus came, and they have not been given recognition ever since the Europeans came,” Wright said.
Shelby Dahl, a 20-year-old UF anthropology junior, said people who embrace Columbus Day should spend Indigenous Peoples Day learning about indigenous people. For example, Native American contributions, like helping the colonizers, are rarely mentioned, while Columbus is portrayed as an American hero, she said.
“We need to take another look at how Columbus definitely was not the first person here and didn’t bring anything good when he came here,” she said.
Contact McKenna Beery at mbeery@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @mckennabeery
Adam Recvlohe speaks to a group of about 35 people on Indigenous Peoples Day
