Work Check: Indigenous Peoples' Day

[Frayed Knot]

So the whereabouts of Christopher Columbus had long been disputed. He requested burial on Hispaniola, the island currently split between Haiti and Dominican Republic where he first landed. Later they were moved to present day Cuba, and from there remains were supposedly taken to Seville, Spain, the city where he died.

Recent studies concluded that DNA from remains found in that Seville church ARE that of ol' C.C. as they match samples known to be from his brother and his son.
And now Spanish scientists have concluded (as revealed via a Spanish TV documentary airing last night) that his DNA suggest an origin not in Italy (Genoa) but rather are consistent with the sizable population of Sephardic (Spanish) Jews living in Spain at the time. This all means he likely converted to catholicism at some point to avoid either persecution or deportation (or the Inquisition and their infamous comfy chair torture).

Kind of throws a wrench into the works of treating his day as a celebration of Italian culture plus the whole 'Knights of Columbus' name, eh?

[MFS62]

My company is open, but since there is no mail delivery, I don't think we will get much response from our advertising mailers. The sales reps will be sitting by their phones like the Maytag Repairmen.

Later

[TheNextMetsManager]

The holiday was created by FDR so as to curry favor with the first generation of recent immigrant Italians and their native born offspring.
There was no nation of Italy in C.C.'s time (he would have identified as Genovese) and, of course, he sailed under a Spanish flag. Nor did he ever set foot on present day U.S. soil.

But his voyage(s) was a major force ushering in the age of exploration which led to the creation of this country and to hang many of the future sins against the indigenous populations on a ship captain is beyond ridiculous.

No one's hanging all the sin on him. He's one of many colonizer rapists and murderers. The point is NOT celebrating him as if he's a representation of some glorious and noble age of exploration.

He gets more press, so he gets referenced more. It's like how trevor bauer or aroldis chapman get criticized more than your run of the mill non-famous abuser.

[whippoorwill]

I’m retired but I’m taking a kitty to the vet tomorrow so I guess he’s working.

[Fman99]

Wife & daughter are off from school/work so we're taking a trip down to SUNY Cortland for a tour as Fgirl continues her SUNY previews (next up is SUNY New Paltz, on Veterans' Day). I took time off from work to accompany them.