[Image Description: A light brown rectangular banner with dark brown triangles all around the edges. There is dark brown text that reads "National Day of Mourning, November 27, 2014"]
Hey, Readers!
***Trigger Warning: Anti-Indigenous Racism, White Supremacy, Murder, Violence against Native People, Genocide, Reservations, Slurs, and more. Please be careful before continuing on with this post and remember to engage in self-care!***
So for today's Feminist Friday, I'd like to talk about Thanksgiving, or rather, National Day of Mourning.
As you United States folks know, Thanksgiving is coming in a couple of weeks, bringing with it many tales of the "origin" of the United States with white pilgrims and Native peoples, turkeys all dressed up, and cornucopias filled with gourds and all kinds of harvest vegetables, along with images conjured up of a peaceful dinner with the two groups that led to today's traditional day of thanks, all thanks to the goodness in the hearts of the white pilgrims in graciously thanking their "hosts" for helping them survive.
If you haven't learned all the truth about this before, I'll give you a warning: I'm hopefully about to ruin Thanksgiving for you because what you've been taught at home and in school and on Thanksgiving tv specials-- especially if you're white like me-- is simply not true, which is something Native people in this country have known for centuries. The truth about Thanksgiving in the United States is one not often discussed or even brought to light, and it's time we all participate in changing that collectively.
So today, I'd like to do what I can in making a platform for Native voices on this issue, along with non-Native people who are also working to spread the truth about this holiday and the violent, genocidal history surrounding it.
I've been thinking about how to write this post for weeks now, and I feel that the only way to truly do it right is to direct you to Native sources on the subject as much as I can. I do have Native ancestors from a Chahtah tribe, and despite my best efforts, I've been unable to figure out which tribe my family belongs to, but I'm certainly not someone you would consider Native. Nor have I undergone the trials and tribulations that Native people face in this nation on a daily basis. Therefore, I've decided that my white-as-snow butt is not the one who should be doing the "speaking" here. So here are several websites that I've been reading and researching for this month's Native American Heritage Month and the upcoming Day of Mourning.
Please be aware that the following links discuss and display images, some in graphic detail, of the genocide of Native American tribes by means of murder, cultural destruction, and other means. Please also be aware that they also discuss anti-indigenous racism, including slurs, as well. Remember to take care of yourself when reading!
This link, specifically the part by Chuck Larsen, addresses the difficulties of explaining the truth about Thanksgiving to our future generations when they're so inundated with this false, cheery idea of it. I feel Chuck does a good job here in giving their readers a way to explain the truth of the thing without getting into the gory, violent details.
The Real Story of Thanksgiving
This link, by USA Park Ranger, discusses the fact that the United Nations has ruled (quite a while ago) that the United States needs to return certain lands to Native Americans. To my knowledge, this has not happened, and, in fact, more lands have been robbed from Native tribes by the government since then through quiet legislature.
UN Official: US Must Return Control of Sacred Lands to Native Americans
This link, by Dr. Tingba Apidta, is another that discusses the truth behind Thanksgiving.
Massacre, Murder, Mayhem: The True Story of Thanksgiving
This link, from Indian Country Today Media Network, is one that discusses some of the reasons why autumn can be difficult for many Native American people. I've linked directly to the Thanksgiving portion, but I encourage you to read the rest of the article, as well. This is also an excellent source for Native news, both on their blog and through their Facebook page.
5 Reasons Autumn Is Brutal on Native Americans
This link, another from Indian Country Today Media Network, notes how important it is to open up the topic to be discussed in order to work toward a resolution or at least improved relations between Natives and non-Natives.
The Truth about Our Origins Will Set Us All Free
This link contains a video that gives a visual description of the history of Native oppression in the United States.
This link, written by Rowland Keshena, describes the modern oppressions and significant issues facing Natives in the U.S. today, going into detail about health issues, environmental issues, education issues, legal, etc.
Native Americans in the U.S. Today: Oppressed and Ignored
This link is to Matika Wilbur's Facebook page for her amazing photographic project titled Project 562. She recently was funded through Kickstarter to embark on an incredible journey in which she photographs Native Americans today, helping to fight the stereotypes and racism facing Native people. It's a wonderful source for getting to know more about the different Native people in the United States and to break down the walls of ignorance many of us white people have.
Photo Credit to Matika Wilbur of Photography 562, found here.
[Image Description: A photo of an elderly Native couple, one female-read person on the left wearing a black top along with a long skirt and a large necklace and a male-read person on the right wearing a brown button-down shirt along with blue jeans and a white western hat, sitting a matching set of white chairs, holding onto one another and smiling at the camera. They are sitting against a black and white background of an open outdoor area. There is white text on the photo that reads "Matika Wilbur Photography 562: www.project562.com"]
This link, another from Indian Country Today Media Network, discusses Native sovereignty and the importance in allowing Native people to have self-determination and in the United States government needing to do more to admit the appalling, genocidal truth of our nation and in making reparations.
Why the U.S. Should Put Native Tribal Sovereignty in a New Constitution
This link is to another good Facebook page to follow; this one is called End Colonial Mentality.
This link is another that describes more about the truth of Thanksgiving
This Wikipedia link is flawed in some of its language against Natives, but it gives a brief history of Native people's struggles for Civil Rights in the United States.
This link, on Wikipedia again, is something I wanted to share because it disturbs me. It disturbs me because it describes the discussion around Thanksgiving as a "controversy" and barely gives a nod to the history of genocide and oppression forced upon Native Americans. It's important that we examine problematic resources such as this that pretend to present "both sides." Oppression does not need a helping hand. Articles like this help to uphold oppression and bigotry-- not break it down. Beware that when reading.
[Image Description: A light brown rectangular banner with dark brown triangles all around the edges. There is dark brown text that reads "Until we are all free, we are none of us free. Emma Lazarus"]
These are just some of the resources available to us as social justice activists and intersectional feminists, but there is much more we can learn and do. As activists, it's our duty to understand the issues of oppression that face ALL people, and not just those that are presented to us by mainstream white feminism. This is why intersectional feminism is so important. When Native women and non-binary/queer people face issues of racism and oppression, it's a feminist issue that deserves our full attention and support. Let's continue to amplify Native voices as they discuss the truth of the genocide of their people in the United States, and let's all throw our support in as we look to the Native community for how we can aid them in or at least not hinder them in realizing their self-determination and overthrowing of oppression.
Please bear this in mind if you're celebrating the holiday, and please reconsider all the images you've been shown and the untruths and lies you've been told about the founding of our nation. It's imperative that we all strive to demolish the racism and oppression facing the Native people here in the United States. Let's engage more in discussion on this issue, listening to Native Americans, and let us engage more in political acts of resistance to this oppression.
Until next time, fair Readers!
Mischief Managed~
Jessi
Recent Comments