jdmann@cdp.uucp (David Yarrow) (10/12/89)
/* ---------- "RUSSELL MEANS ON COLUMBUS DAY" ---------- */
/* Written 8pm 10/9/89 by David Yarrow(jdmann) in gen.nativeam */
Source: Syr Herald, Tuesday, Oct 9 by Scripps Howard News Service
RUSSELL MEANS PROTESTS COLUMBUS DAY
DENVER, Co. - American Indian activist Russell Means poured animal
blood and scattered parts of mutilated Indian baby dolls over a monument to
Christopher Columbus on Monday to protest the nation's holiday honoring the
Italian explorer. The founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM) called
Denver's Civic Center Park monument "filth" and an "abomination," and
pledged an annual protest until it is removed.
"This is actual blood," Means said as he poured a thick, reddish fluid
over the monument to the sound of beating drums and chanting protestors.
"This isn't blood from a human being, but is the legacy of Columbus - blood
from our relatives. These grotesque dolls you see represent the Columbus
legacy. We don't want to destroy this monument to the Columbus legacy. We
only want to add to it. The truth. The true Columbus."
Scores of police on foot, horseback, motorcycle, and squad cars watched
the protest by an estimated 150 people, but made no effort to intervene. A
police spokesman said Means would be cited for defacing public property.
"I'm not surprised; I expected something like that," Means said when told
of the police plan, adding he'd ask for a jury trial and use it to "expose"
what kind of a man Christopher Columbus really was. "I look forward to my
day in court."
Park crews were cleaning up the monument only minutes afer demonstrators
left the site.
Glenn Morris, associate professor in political science at Univ. of
Colorado and a protest organizer, said the demonstration was designed to
let people know "Columbus wasn't a hero, wasn't a visionary, wasn't a great
guy. It's a mythology that Columbus discovered anything. Columbus was lost.
Indians discovered Columbus and saved his life. American people need to
understand that and the fact that this is not a day of celebration."
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COMMENTARY: Russell continues to display his anger publicly in this bit
of street theater equal or surpassing yippies Abbie Hoffman & Jerry Rubin.
This morbid reminder is genuine, if offensive: since Cortez landed in
central America and slaughtered Aztecs, native populations have declined
from over 70 million to 10 million today.
Like Cortez, Columbus came to the New World in search of wealth; proving
the Earth is round was a secondary concern. Columbus wrote many times in
his diary that his dream was to find lots of gold on his journey.
Christopher found little, but Cortez, Pizzaro and the conquistadores sent
home hundreds of ship loaded with bullion made from melted down art, sacred
and household objects of natives. The amount of gold in Europe increased by
10 to 20 times in little more than 100 years, transforming feudal economy.
A small percent went to the Catholic Church, the rest kept by monarchs.
After gold ran out, silver was extracted in increasing quantities, most
of it extracted by slave labor. In the next 100 years the supply of silver
in Europe increased 10 to 20 times. Unlike gold, silver is ideal to mint as
currency; the sudden increase in coinage gave rise to silver-based exchange
economies, greatly increased the number of merchants, and gave birth to
both capitalism and the middle class.
But Russell reminds us that wealth was paid for in Indian blood.
- prepared by David Yarrow, the turtle, for SOLSTICE magazine
***** SOLStICE: Perspectives on Health and Environment, is published
bimonthly at 201 E. Main St Suite H, Charlottesville, VA 22901 804-979-4427
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