VOCABULARY:

invade – v., to take over a land or territory

violently – adv., to do something with force and anger

flourished – v., to thrive, to grow well

harmony – n., getting along, working together

tribes – n., groups of people who share a culture

throughout – prep., all over, everywhere

colonize – v., to take control of a new place

concern – n., caring, wanting someone to feel safe or feel better

dominance – n. control, authority

Indigenous – adj., being the people who originally lived in a region

proclaim – v., to announce for the public to know

resilience – n, able to recover quickly from difficulty

determination to preserve – expression, to have a firm goal to protect something

campaign – n., a series of planned actions to reach a goal

displacement – n, forced out of a home territory

assimilation – n., when minority groups absorb the characteristics of the dominant culture

What, exactly, is this day? It is a day to remember and honor the Native Americans, the people who lived here long before white settlers invaded and violently took their land.

Over 400 years ago, a peaceful society flourished in the Americas. The Native Americans lived with each other and in harmony with nature. They worshiped the earth and the sky, and took good care of their children and their elders. There were many different tribes of Native Americans throughout what is now the United States.

Europeans arrived after Columbus’ discovery of North America and soon colonized the new country. They did this without respect or concern for the people who were here before them. Terrible fights between the white people and the Native Americans led to white dominance over the lands that had belonged to the tribes.

President Biden, in 2021, became the first U.S. president to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day officially.

He proclaimed the second Monday in October as a day to honor Native Americans, their “resilience and strength” and determination to preserve “land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition,” even as they have faced a “centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror,” he said.

with thanks and acknowledgement to NPR:

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/11/1044823626/indigenous-peoples-day-native-americans-columbus