Image courtesy of debspoons at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The ideological Thanksgiving of today is beautiful; however, for American Indians it is a reminder of the massacres and displacement of their ancestors. Is it true, what some historians say about the 1st Thanksgiving Massacre? If so, how can we heal as a nation, without acknowledging these facts? The purpose of this article is to promote awareness and to encourage you to support Native tribes who are still oppressed in this country.
It is great to gather with family and friends and I believe in giving thanks every day. However, I cannot help wondering if we are lying to our children with stories about Pilgrims and Indians feasting together to give thanks. Furthermore, I am concerned that celebrating Thanksgiving is inconsiderate of Native Americans.
There are many stories around the web about the first Thanksgiving, “…William Newell of the University of Connecticut has described [it] as “A day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women and children.”–/Wikipedia Many stories claim the Pilgrims did have a feast in 1621 but not for thanksgiving and the feast did not become a tradition until 1637. The Vice President of The Native American Student Association wrote, “Pilgrims perceived Indians in relation to the Devil and the only reason why they were invited to that feast [1621] was for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would secure the lands for the Pilgrims.“—Laura Elliff
There are many reports that the English intentionally spread diseases like smallpox. A less popular account is that Abe Lincoln started the tradition in 1863 to unite the country. Whether or not any of these stories are true, we will never know. Nonetheless, some facts are clear.
We know American Indians occupied the land, long before Europeans arrived. We know Native Americans were massacred and some tribes were completely wiped out by the English and their diseases. We know treaties were established and broken by the, English, now known as Americans. We also know that many Native Americans were displaced from their original lands and forced to reside in reservations.
I first learned of Native American mistreatment, when my class wrote to pen pals who were students on a reservation. There was a lack of text books for students. They resided in crowded homes because there was not enough housing. They were forced to change cultural traditions, like herbal medicine. However, the real disappointment for our class came when they were denied permission to visit our school.
Many Native Americans, due to poor education and a lack of jobs, are living in poverty and they need our assistance. I donate to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Their list of needs include: children and adult clothing, socks, hats, gloves, thermal underwear, blankets, slippers and space heaters. For more information, please visit: http://www.friendsofpineridgereservation.org/
Since 1970, many American Indians have observed National Day Of Mourning in lieu of Thanksgiving. Is there a revision needed to include their perspective in mainstream Thanksgiving stories? Should we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving? Could we pick another day of the year to celebrate “Family Dinner Day?”
Food for thought…..
Image courtesy of debspoons at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Sources:
IS ALL THAT TURKEY AND STUFFING A CELEBRATION OF GENOCIDE? Laura Elliff
http://www.republicoflakotah.com/2009/cooking-the-history-books-the-thanksgiving-massacre/
THE TRUE STORY OF THANKSGIVING, Richard Greener
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-greener/the-true-story-of-thanksg_b_788436.html
THE DARK HISTORICAL ROOTS OF OUR ‘THANKSGIVING’ LEST WE FORGET, Tristan
http://www.rense.com/general45/thanks.htm
PEQUOT WAR