Our Existence is Resistance! New Children's Book Challenges Columbus Narrative from an Indigenous Perspective

“Our existence is resistance!”, Rebeldita reads from a book that is kept safe by the Ceiba tree. A message of love and strength from those who came before.

Finally a book is written from the heart of Indigenous endurance highlighting the strength of spirit we pass with love from one generation to the next generation. This story is written with a bright and beautiful spirit leading to the truth of colonialism’s monstrous intent and with their very real impacts woven throughout this thoughtful story, ‘Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over!’ by Dr. Oriel Maria Siu.  

In this refreshing and honest perspective, based on Christopher Columbus' very real actions, Columbus is portrayed as an Ogre sent to steal and enslave new lands and her people. In Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over! Dr. Sui offers readers an Indigenous perspective on the truth of EuroLandia’s greed-driven champion, “the ogre explorer.”    

In this picture book, you meet the king and queen of EuroLandia. The royal couple in their greed for more riches and their need to take from more lands, the royal couple sends their most “ruthless, heartless, and savagely capricious” Ogre, Christopher Cologre to steal more of everything from everyone. 

When the Ogre, Cologre comes upon a rich, happy land the ogres find the thriving AbyaYalans. The AbyaYalans, try to resist the Ogre’s conquest.  In their refuge, the AbyaYalans entrust their story to the Ceiba tree, who in turn protects the AbyaYalans story until it can be given to their descendant, Rebeldita.

Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over!’, is a book every school library should carry to encourage students to learn about Indigenous people’s true power of strength and spirit. It is refreshing to open a book where European exploration is finally spoken of in truth. The period of European “exploration” was not about expansion, progress, or civilized growth. European doctrine of discovery was solely born of greed, raised in cold blood, leaving a legacy of destruction, and desecration.  

Rebeldita is a character young children of Indigenous heritage can relate to and cheer on. I cannot wait to see what our young indigenous hero does next!

For more info about the book, here: www.orielmariasiu.com/theogrecologre

Author Dr. Oriel María Siu is Pipil-Náhuatl/Chinese from Central America (Honduras). She left her homeland for Los Angeles in 1997 due to the violence lived back in the late 90s in Central America. She hasd since dedicated herself to uplifting the voices of people of color in the U.S. by creating and expanding academic spaces where our voices and histories can be heard. She holds a PhD in Ethnic Studies and has taught in the field for many years at various universities, including UCLA and LMU. This children's book series is herlatest effort in contributing to anti-racist, de-colonial, education in the United States.

By Rae Rose

Rae Rose is a Pacific Northwest author of Paiute, Mayan, and Japanese heritage. She writes historical fiction, poetry, picture books. “Stories are very important to me, I hope you enjoy these stories I share with you.” You can follow her @Rae_Rose7