Indigenous Peoples Day

Seattle Mayor declares ‘ Indigenous People’s Day’.

We have just celebrated Columbus Day, but now this very same day has another function!

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  A day  to reflect on the history of those inhabitants who were uprooted and mistreated through history by others wishing to take control.Although unofficial, the second Monday in October  in Seattle is now Indigenous Peoples’ Day. as Mayor Ed Murray has decreed. 

Native American youth on drums opening the ceremony

The event was a result of local Native American’ efforts for an annual reminder of the harm inflicted on Native Americans by European newcomers such as the explorer Christopher Columbus

Who knew?

 We have celebrated Columbus Day for years, however others have questioned the traditionally known happenings in history and have read of the treatment meted out by “the discoverers” that has not been beneficial to the ‘indigenous  people’. Slowly, the truth has becomes known and the victims recognized. However, the question remains, who really were these ‘original people’ and where did they come from? Columbus thought he was on the edge of India, hence the name ‘Indians’. However, these early ‘Indians’ might have arrived from the far north. 

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The Ice Age found  humans scrambling for food as they followed their prey. About 10,000 BC, following the retreat of the great inland ice sheets, the earliest

inhabitants migrated north into the territory which is now Norway. They traveled steadily   northwards along the coastal areas, warmed by the Gulf Stream, where life was more bearable. In order to survive, they fished and hunted reindeer and other prey. Between 5,000 BC and 4,000 BC, the earliest agricultural settlements appeared around the Oslofjord. 

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The Migration Period, also known as the period of  barbarian invasions or as the Völkerwanderung ("migration of peoples" in German), was a period of  human migration in Europe from about 376 to 800 AD . Everyone was moving to survive the weather and their enemies.The migrants who came first were Germanic tribes such as the Goths, Vandals, Franks; they were later

pushed westwards by the Huns, etc.The Hamburg culture (13,500-11,100 BC) was a culture of reindeer hunters in northwestern Europe probably following the reindeer into present Sami

territory.The first people arrived in Norway after 7,000 BC when rising temperatures after the end of the last ice age made the country habitable. These first Norwegians lived by hunting (elk, deer, seal and whales) and by fishing.The modern  ‘Old Norse’ is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and overseas settlements during the Viking Age until about 1300.Today, Old Norse has developed into the modern North Germanic languages (Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish and Sweden)

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When ‘discoverers’ found the Bering Strait land bridge, they more than likely followed it westerly and south. Our American Indigenous People might  be descendants from these travelers as they mixed with travelers paddling from the south. The American Melting-Pot had an early beginning

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When American tourists meet Norwegians in trips to Norway, language becomes an issue.Asking “Snakker du engelsk?” to an elder in Norway,  the answer  “Nei, Jeg snakker norsk” might be heard from a native fairly close to those ‘indigenous people’. However, asking the same question to a younger person would probably result in  their answer with a smile “ Of course, how can I help you?” Norwegian young people speak better English than many of us in America! We have many misconceptions of our superiority, wealth and attitude.

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Many believe Norway and Scandinavian neighbors  are wet and cold countries.The average winter temperature in Oslo, Norway is only about minus 4 degrees Celsius (around 23° our Fahrenheit), which is a bit warmer than the winter temperatures of most American and European cities.July is the hottest month in North Cape with an average temperature of 54°F (12°C) and the coldest is January at 27°F (-3°C) . (It gets colder during Wisconsin’s winter!). 

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  The southern and  the most populous regions of Scandinavia have a temperate climate.   Scandinavia extends north of the Arctic Circle, but has relatively mild weather for its latitude due to the Gulf Stream. Geothermal energy is located along the Mid Atlantic ridge - a deep sea mountain range with a high concentration of volcanoes. Specifically, Iceland gets most of its heating and electricity from five power/heating plants that are

located east of Reykjavik in a particularly geothermal energy-rich area and visitors relax in the warm, healthy  spas. Here in America, we enjoy the geothermal energy at Yellowstone National Park, but federal regulations forbid drilling and utilizing the energy.      

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 Mentioning IKEA brings up beliefs of a Swedish Company owned by Sweden.  While most consider Sweden to be the sole “Owner” of this franchise, IKEA stores are located in many countries. Most of IKEA's operations, including the management of the majority of its stores, the design and manufacture of itsproducts are overseen by a private, for-profit Dutch company.  the IKEA trademark and concept is owned by an entirely separate Dutch company Inter IKEA Systems.Since 1982, the IKEA Group has been owned by a foundation in the Netherlands. 

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And Iceland? 

That must be a cold ice-covered place! Who’d want to visit there? Reykjavik, the capitol of Iceland is known for its famous spas and steamy thermal heat. No need to shovel snow off sidewalks. Nature melts it. Geothermal heat originally comes from the Earth's core, where temperatures may reach 4,000-7,000°C. This heat can come to the surface  in the form of  hot water that seeps through fissures, cracks and permeable rock

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 Perhaps, our feeling of superiority is unfounded. While fiction is more interesting than facts, we might learn something from our ‘Indigenous People’ with a bit more respect.

 Hopefully, the observance of ‘Indigenous Peoples Day’ will become the norm and a federal holiday on the second monday in October every year.

Sorry, Chris.