CARMEL – A prominent community activist from Putnam County is a staunch supporter of changing the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day.

Ixmucane (Ish-mo-kah’-nay) Norma Pereira said the indigenous people inhabited the land long before Columbus founded “the New World.”

“Basically, this holiday acknowledges the resilience of the people of the land since they have been enduring such an impact of colonialism while removing language, cultures, practices, and they way that they lived, they way we lived, the way that my ancestors lived in this land,” she told said.

Pereira, who is a native of Guatemala who emigrated here some 25 years ago, said she is proud to be a citizen of the United States, but those who came before us should be honored and respected. “We belong to the land, not

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