Indigenous America

In recent years, there has been a push to rebrand Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, both in a distancing tactic from Christopher Columbus (who, even by the standards of his day, was not an exceptional good person) and an attempt to better highlight the millions of people who were already living on the American continents before he got lost, landed in the West Indies, and said, "Eh, good enough."

Columbus Day itself didn't mean too much in the zoo and aquarium world, other than it was a day when a lot of other businesses are closed (which means today was NOT the day to put off my banking until) and a lot of people don't have work or school, hence higher rates of visitation for a day when the weather is still nice.  Indigenous Peoples Day, however... on that subject I have some thoughts.

• Take the opportunity to highlight the significance of American species in Indigenous culture, history, and livelihoods.  The American bison is the best known example and perhaps the wild animal that we most closely when we think of First Nations, but there are many species with deep connections to Native Americans in story, religion, and history.  When telling these stories, strive for accuracy and sensitivity by working with Native peoples to share this heritage.  This goes double for signage or exhibit design that might have Indigenous themes
• Seek conservation partnerships with Native peoples.  Building on the aforementioned history, many Native American groups have been excellent partners, working with zoos and government agencies to restore native species to their lands.  American bison, swift fox, California condor, and black-footed ferret are just some of the species which have benefited from these partnerships
• Acknowledge that Indigenous Peoples are still here - and that we are living and working on land that was once theirs.  Too often, we treat the First Nations as if they were passenger pigeons - once here, now extinct, lamentably so, but what's done is done and no use crying over it.  This is not true, and believing it absolves us of responsibilities.  When we talk about Native history in zoos, we should remind our audiences that Native Americans aren't just in the past - they are with us to this day, and their cultural and historical ties to the land remain.