New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham nullified four pre-statehood proclamations that targeted Native American tribes during the American frontier. These proclamations allowed citizens to kill Native Americans and declared them bandits.

Governor Grisham said that these 19th Century proclamations were offensive, and that rescinding these old proclamations would help heal old wounds, as well as "strengthen bonds with Native American communities."

She also admitted that the state's history is strained by the "cruel mismanagement of Native Americans." This was why she wrote an executive order to nullify these proclamations and announced it during Indigenous Peoples Day. She also pointed to several counties within the state that offered bounties for Apache scalps.

The New Mexico proclamations took inspiration from last year's Colorado proclamations by Governor Jared Polis who rescinded an 1864 order which eventually led to the infamous Sand Creek Massacre that saw U.S. troops kill over 200 Native Americans. It was described as "one of Colorado's darkest and most fraught historic moments."

Santa Fe historian Valerie Rangel also searched for similar documents, which led to New Mexico voiding those past proclamations. Two of those voided were made by James S. Calhoun, New Mexico's first territorial governor. The proclamation excluded Native Americans from official census counts. It also authorized militias to "pursue and attack any hostile tribe."

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Protests and Celebrations as Native American Communities Observe Indigenous Peoples Day

President Joe Biden proclaimed the observance of Indigenous Peoples Day on the same day as Columbus Day. However, demonstrators trooped to New Mexico's capital, Santa Fe, to protest the injustices made against Native Americans.

Demonstrators also held banners aimed at raising awareness about missing and slain Native Americans, according to the Associated Press.

They also splattered paint on the monument of Kit Carson. He had a hand in the killing of hundreds of Native Americans during the period of the American Frontier and the taming of the West.

However, there were also celebrations, like the one in Flagstaff, Arizona which focused on the youth. They talked about how Indigenous people have contributed to the community, and also featured a dance performance by Hopi children, who performed a Corn Dance in front of City Hall.

What Is Indigenous Peoples Day?

Indigenous Peoples Day is usually observed on the same day as Columbus Day, as many Native American peoples are offended that the United States celebrated Christopher Columbus. They also claim that the holiday overlooked the deaths of hundreds of Indigenous people at the hands of Columbus, whom many believe may have conducted genocide.

According to VOA news, it is a "holiday that recognizes that cultures inhabited the Americas thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus." Support for it is slowly getting traction in the United States, with over 12 states and several cities officially recognizing the contribution of Native Americans every second Monday of October, the same day as Columbus Day.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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