Museum Studies Blog at Tufts University

With Columbus Day around the corner, it is interesting to note where museums stand on the Columbus Day vs Indigenous People’s Day debate. Some museums, like the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and the Museum of the Rockies have decided to forgo celebrating Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous People’s Day. The idea behind the movement is that American Indian history is not acknowledged nearly as much as it should be in traditional American history, and instead of celebrating Christopher Columbus’s conquest we should be recognizing the impact that those actions have had and still have on indigenous peoples (for more information on the movement, check out this article). Yet some museums choose not to engage entirely with this dialogue, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. According to their website, the museum is doing nothing to celebrate either Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day. On their Facebook page, however, the museum has been sharing news about different cities adopting Indigenous People’s Day and have been met with mixed reviews in the comments section. Some people argue we should acknowledge indigenous people, others say “like it or not, we wouldn’t be here without [Christopher Columbus]” or “why can’t we have both?”

What do you think? Should museums take a stand on this issue, even if that museum does not formally deal with indigenous history? If so, what stance should they make? Or should they remain  neutral, and say nothing? Share your thoughts in the comments.