Northland College Marks Indigenous People’s Day

Northland College in Ashland is among schools and cities that have declared Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day. Native American groups have called for the day to celebrate indigenous cultures rather than the famous explorer.

Katrina Werchouski, director of the Indigenous Cultures Center at Northland College in Ashland, said it’s important to educate people about the history of North America long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Werchouski said it’s also very important to talk seriously and honestly about the disrespect and crimes Christopher Columbus committed towards Native Americans in the U.S.

“America wasn’t discovered by Columbus,” she said. “There were indigenous people long before that, that were thriving and surviving, and creating really successful and rich societies that had beautiful culture and languages, and music, and food and all these things connected to their lifestyle and their life ways that we omit from that part of history.”

Werchouski said schools should educate children about both Columbus and indigenous cultures so that they will have a better understanding of history and the world around them.

“The problem with how the educational system — the way it’s set up with our indigenous knowledge and exposure is that it’s a section in a book that we cover for a day or two, maybe a week, and then our students don’t hear about it anymore,” she said. “So integrating that more into our curriculum is absolutely essential for starting these conversations and maintaining good communication after that.”

As part of educating youth about native cultures, Werchouski said Northland College is reaching out to local schools to offer free lacrosse programing.