Why Indigenous People’s Day matters to me

This summer I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Peru for the first time. As a Peruvian-Bolivian student my childhood was filled with songs from the Andes, zampoña flute lessons and Peruvian and Bolivian cuisine. I was overjoyed to finally be able to visit my father’s homeland, but unsure of what to expect from the month in Peru. Little did I know that the lessons gained from the trip would change my life. Through the days spent traveling in that beautiful country, I met family members who taught me about Peruvian culture and history. Accompanying these lessons was a strong appreciation for our Incan ancestry. I spent hours at the table with my tía Chachi, a professor at La Universidad Católica de Santa María in Arequipa, who told me of our mighty Incan ancestors who created complex roads and communication systems, celebrated the earth and innovated brilliant agricultural structures. She taught me sacred Incan practices and native dances. As I sat at that table and watched my family passionately retell the history of the Incas, I was filled with both pride and anger for the silenced voices of my ancestors. The Spanish conquest of the Inca empire is known as one of the longest and deadliest campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.Spanish soldiers under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro massacred and enslaved thousands of natives. Among the catastrophic effects of the Spanish conquest was the destruction of Inca culture, religion and sacred sites. This story is all too familiar among Native American groups who encountered European conquistadors.

In Peru, I visited ruins of sites that were destroyed during the Spanish conquest and replaced with Spanish invader architecture. During our time in Cuzco, my sister and I saw a notable difference in the architecture. Infused with the Spanish invader architecture were pieces of Incan structures. One example is the Inca sun temple, Qurikancha which was once the most popular Incan temple. It was destroyed and used as a base for the Church of Santo Domingo when the Spanish conquered the city. Below the Spanish architecture lies the foundation of original Inca architecture. To me, the uneasy fusion of Inca and Spanish architecture visible in those Cusqueñan buildings stands as a symbol of the colonization of Peru. Just as the buildings stand on Incan foundations, the success of Spanish conquistadors stands on the shoulders of native Peruvians whose voices were silenced by relentless force and deception, allowing a forty-year conquest to destroy their civilization because culture was not as valued as gold to the conquistadors. The story of my ancestors is just like those of indigenous peoples all over the world. Why do we not have a day of celebration for their discoveries and legacy? Francisco and his men did not discover Peru, just as Columbus did not discover North America. When we use this dangerous language, it celebrates colonialism and the atrocities that indigenous people suffered and continue to suffer. Changing the name of “Columbus Day” to "Indigenous People’s Day" is only one small gesture that we can do to destroy the notion that people such as Francisco Pizárro and Christopher Columbus embodied the “spirit of discovery.” As my friend and fellow co-author of the Indigenous People’s Day resolution, Benya Kraus, stated, “We are able to condemn the horrors of colonization in lands abroad, but are reluctant to feel a similar devastation about the colonized lands Tufts is built upon today.” As a premier educational institution that prides itself on civic engagement, it is time for this university to teach students about the real history of colonialism. I am just one student with one story, but I have encountered many other Tufts students with similar narratives of indigenous ancestry, each one inspiring us to pursue justice for indigenous communities. I am hopeful that this change will happen this year and that we as students can work together to center Indigenous voices and counter colonial and racists actions that continue to occur around the world.