Fiona Adams, Senior
While for many Americans, Thanksgiving is a time of joy and celebration, for many others it is a sad reminder of a genocide.
Unfortunately, the tale many children in the United States learn in elementary school about how the Pilgrims happily feasted with the Natives is simply that, a tale. The truth is much darker. Massacres, like the massacre of the Pequot people in 1637, are what really started this holiday. Not to mention the Pilgrims brought many new diseases with them that wiped out nearly 90% of the Natives. They stole food, plundered Native burials, and overall were absolutely atrocious human beings. It is obvious enough that the history of the holiday is gruesome, but what makes it worse is that the effects are still seen today.
(Photo Courtesy: AmericanMagazine.org)
After the arrival of European settlers on American soil, life for the Indigenous has been hard. Centuries of genocide, and oppression have made it hard for them to survive, and Thanksgiving simply serves as a reminder of when it all started. It is seen as a day of mourning and loss. Some natives choose to mourn publicly and openly in rallies, while others choose to stay home and mourn in peace.
Some Natives choose to celebrate Thanksgiving by trying to look at it from a different perspective. Instead of feeling sorrow for the past, they try to stay true to their ancestors' ideologies of giving without expecting anything in return. The idea of being thankful for everything, such as family, community, food, and land, is deeply rooted in their culture. Because of this, many Natives choose to embrace the positive message of the American holiday and spread their own positivity. Before the Pilgrims, the Indigenous had many feasts and celebrations of their own; today they choose to gather with friends and family to enjoy each other's company and good food because they can.
Either way, Natives choose to acknowledge this holiday is completely up to them. All they ask is that everyone, Native and non-Native, fill their hearts with love, hope, healing, and a desire to dismantle the barriers that divide us. There is still so much oppression that Natives face to this day, and all we can do is work to fix and repair the damage that has been done. This starts with learning about the real history of America and acknowledging the fact that this is stolen land. Nativehope.com says, “We remember the generosity of the Wampanoag tribe to the helpless settlers. We remember the hundreds of thousands of Native Americans who lost their lives at the hands of colonialists and the genocide of whole tribes. We remember the vibrant and powerful Native descendants, families, and communities that persist to this day throughout the culture and the country. We remember people like Sharice Davids and Debra Haaland who in 2018 became the first Native American woman elected to Congress”. Listening and learning from Indigenous people is the best way to show your respect during this holiday season, and all year round.
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