UNM students protested Columbus Day on Monday, celebrating Indigenous Day instead.
The Native American Studies Indigenous Research Group hosted the festivities, starting with a sunrise prayer at 7 a.m.
Mario Atencio, co-chairman of the group, said self-empowerment among American Indians is important.
"We're no longer going to be defined by Western culture, no longer being whitewashed," he said.
The idea of Indigenous Day originated in 1992 on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' expedition, but this is the first year that it has been celebrated at UNM, said Ani Tsjenijeni, co-chairwoman of the group.
The group celebrated throughout most of the day, with a panel discussion, an American Indian poetry slam and a film festival in the SUB, Tsjenijeni said.
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A panel of American Indian students and faculty discussed their culture's role in Columbus Day.
"I remember we used to have to draw pictures of Columbus and boats and Indians and feathers," student Brian Curley said to the audience at the SUB Atrium. "It was a very glossy and romanticized picture of the Columbus Day I know today."
Curley said he didn't learn the American Indian side of the story until he got older.
"The people who control the history books had fed us this glorified version of who Columbus was,"
he said.
Gregory Cajete, director of Native American Studies, said Indigenous Day presents another view of the explorer's legacy. He said Columbus' arrival meant murder and enslavement for many American Indians.
"I think a lot of Native groups all over the country look at this day as a way to survive and go forward and listen to concerns about the
discovery of Native people by Columbus," Cajete said.
Senior Venancio Aragon came to the panel discussion wearing traditional American Indian clothing.
"(Indigenous Day) really helps people rethink the history of Columbus," Aragon said. "People really need to step out of their comfort zones."
The panel emphasized the resilience of American Indians and their ability to survive throughout history.
"The fact of the matter is that not only have we survived, but we are a strong people," Tsjenijeni said during the discussion. "We're moving beyond victimization to reclaim our position in the world."
