The exploitation of the Native Americans by White European Religious zealots has a nice ring to it. (Sarcasm)

Via KRTV:

Montana lawmakers are considering changing the name of Columbus Day to Montana Heritage Day.

Advocates of House Bill 322, including Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy (D-Box Elder), said part of the effort is about correcting misinformation about the discovery of America.

“As a young fella, I thought it was really, really cool, you know, that we had this guy by the name of Christopher Columbus came over and discovered America,” Windy Boy said. “But later on in years, when I was talking to my elders, they were telling me that we were always here, we weren’t discovered.”

There was no opposition to the bill at the House State Administration Committee hearing on Wednesday morning.

According to the Library of Congress, the first official celebration of Columbus Day was in 1892, marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in America.

In a proclamation, the president at the time, Benjamin Harrison, said Columbus was “the pioneer of progress and enlightenment.”

Since 1971, when Columbus Day was designated the second Monday in October, it has been celebrated as a federal holiday.

Some cities and states have recently renamed it “Indigenous People’s Day,” or “Native Americans’ Day.” South Dakota officially switched the name to Native Americans’ Day in 1990, and Vermont switched the 2016 holiday to Indigenous People’s Day.

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Bridget Smith (D-Wolf Point), says she, too, likes the term Indigenous People’s Day, and respects the wishes of other proponents to change Columbus Day to that.

But, she said, “I also value all of us coming together.”