For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning, not celebration

By Becky Tallent | FāVS News Columnist

This week millions of Americans gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving with food and football.

But many Indigenous Americans did not celebrate. For them, it is not a day of celebration, it is a National Day of Mourning.

They mourn the loss of their cultures brought about by European settlers. Since 1970 tribal members have gathered in many places, especially on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts, as a reminder of the ensuing genocide, honoring their ancestors and the struggles of Native people to survive today.

Of course, not all Indigenous Americans participate in the Day of Mourning, but many do and the trend is growing.

Much of the reasoning stems from the question: Why should Native Americans celebrate Thanksgiving? After all, it was shortly after the first harvests that tribal members began to see an erosion of their rights to live within their cultures as the pressure to either be assimilated or annihilated began in earnest. Many Indigenous people wonder aloud why they should celebrate the conquest of their cultures.

The myth of the first Thanksgiving

This is made even more startling when one realizes many of the pilgrims survived that first winter by raiding Native villages, stealing stored food and grains, eating corn from abandoned fields and even robbing graves. It was the Patuxet tribal member Tisquantum (aka Squanto) who helped them. After being kidnapped by settlers and sold as a slave in Spain, Tisquantum returned to America and taught the remaining Pilgrims how to survive a New England winter.

While most tribes cannot go to Cole’s Hill to be at the memorial for the Grand Sachem Massasoit of the Wampanoag to remember and reflect, many still do spend the day in prayer to the Great Creator that America will never forget Native Americans.

And while many Indigenous people do spend the day as a protest, many more simply ignore the original purpose of the holiday, the reported Native-Pilgrim celebration for the early harvests. Instead, they elect to spend it as a day gathering with family and friends around food.

What makes the day even more ironic is November has been designated as “Native American Awareness Month.” To designate a time of celebration during the month when the Thanksgiving Holiday – the heralding of the attempted end for Native people – is a slap rather than an honor for those whose ancestors were here first.

So, what can non-Indigenous people do to truly honor Native Americans?

Americans should understand that we are still here and we still hold sacred our cultures, faiths and beliefs as tribal nations. The federal government designated tribes as sovereign nations and we hold fast to that idea so we can again control our own destiny.

How to truly honor Indigenous people

For many Indigenous Americans, eliminating the myth around the first Thanksgiving would also be a great start. European settlers already had a concept of giving thanks for a harvest when they arrived. Inviting Natives was not part of the original plan. The harvest of 1621 was noted because it was when Plymouth Gov. William Bradford decided to invite Massasoit to join the Pilgrims. Massasoit came with about 90 warriors and brought local foods to add to the feast. The holiday’s myth of reciprocal friendship is a falsehood harmful to the tribes.

Stop trying to appropriate parts of our cultures, especially our clothing and iconography. A headdress and regalia are not costumes; they have sacred meanings that we honor. The costumes often used in elementary schools prior to the holiday are considered a mockery of the proud heritage of Indigenous people. To tribes, feathers are revered, they have special meaning.

Teachers should encourage readings by Indigenous authors so students can understand the history of the various tribes, especially in their home areas. There are resources available from the Museum of the American Indian for pre-K through college for teachers who want to dive deeper than traditional textbooks.

Simply getting to know Indigenous people as neighbors is also helpful.

On a personal note, do I celebrate Thanksgiving? No, not in the traditional sense. To me it is a time to gather with friends, but it also a time to honor my culture and my ancestors who endured so much.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.

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