10/12/2026
Today, we find ourselves in an ongoing debate over what to call this day: Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. While the name matters to many, perhaps we should pause and ask ourselves whether the argument over what to call this day is distracting us from a much deeper and more important conversation.
For a society whose Western historical narrative often begins some 400 years ago, and Indigenous peoples whose histories, cultures, and relationships with this land extend back 10,000 years and beyond, the question is not simply what we call a day on the calendar. The question is whether we are willing to recognize one another, respect our differences, and build a future rooted in mutual understanding.
The debate over the name can become a distraction—and even an obstacle—to the very coexistence we should be striving to achieve.
The Two Row Wampum Belt (Guswenta) offers us a different way forward. Created in 1613 and rooted in the relationship between the Haudenosaunee and European newcomers, it represents a vision of two peoples traveling alongside one another, each maintaining their own identity, traditions, and sovereignty.
As the Onondaga Nation describes this teaching:
“In one row is our canoe holding our ways; our language, songs, dances, how we govern, and how we celebrate our Creator. In the other row is your ship holding your ways; your language, songs, dances, how you govern, and how you celebrate the Creator. Each row will be equal in weight to show to all that even though our ways are different, they are equal. Neither of us will try to steer each other’s vessel as we travel side by side down the river of life.”
This is a powerful teaching because it reminds us that coexistence does not require sameness, and respect does not require surrendering our identity. It calls on us to recognize that neither people should have to erase their history, diminish their traditions, or surrender their sovereignty for the other to feel valued.
Perhaps, then, the most meaningful question this day presents is not whether we call it Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It is whether we can honor the truth of our shared history while respecting the distinct histories, identities, and aspirations of the peoples who continue to share this land.
We can acknowledge the contributions, struggles, and experiences of different communities without allowing the name of a holiday to become a wedge between us.
Two vessels. Two paths. Equal dignity. Peace, friendship, and a commitment to travel together without trying to steer one another’s course.
May the Two Row Wampum remind us that our responsibility is not to win an argument over the past, but to build a future in which mutual respect, understanding, and coexistence are more than words.
May we continue to travel side by side, down the river of life.
Learn more:
The Two Row Wampum Belt — Onondaga Nation: https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/wampum/two-row-wampum-belt-guswenta/
