The oppression of Thanksgiving and ways to Decolonize it
The aroma of pumpkin, sweet potatoes, turkey and veggie mixtures will be filling the homes of many people this holiday (Thanksgiving) season. Happy feelings about food, drinks, and sweets! Unfortunately, it’s not viewed as celebratory in any way for some cultures and individuals.
This writing is not to deter anyone from having moments with family and loved ones. However, it is important to acknowledge the feelings, knowledge and historic sacrifice many indigenous and African American people were subjected to around this “holiday.”
Let’s rewind….
The Story of Thanksgiving, Revised
In school many of us were taught a rather white washed version of history in all subjects! Do you remember tracing your hand to make a turkey? Coloring pages and handouts with all of the fall colors? Writing down reasons and things to be thankful for? Maybe even being asked to dress up. (For me as a kid I was even chosen to be a Wamponoag Indian. That would not have been bad except it was suggested that the tribe were great friends with the colonizers!) The ultimate lie: Thanksgiving somehow became synonymous with God! You best be grateful for what you have.
In short, the real story of Thanksgiving was revised. Why? Well, like everything else, it's easier to deny and or rewrite the truth to avoid accountability and being exposed. Here in the U.S. and as many are observing in Florida the rise of revised history-a narrative that makes white supremacists comfortable.
The misleading themes around Thanksgiving are: Indigenous people and The Pilgrims (with the black hats) traded and bartered things. The way it’s taught in schools is as if there is some allegiance owed to this nation for them even showing up on their(Indigenous folks) own land! Erasing the truth enables modern day colonizers to equate this historic colonization as American and patriotism.
There is nothing patriotic about celebrating stolen land or kidnapped people unless you consider war crimes admirable. European invaders used ( and still do so) religion to rape, steal and commit genocide. White Supremacists have a terrible habit of forgiving themselves for their crimes against humanity. Thanksgiving is an example of this.
Unfortunately, Thanksgiving meant abuse of power. Bloodshed. In short, the pilgrims were not preaching the word or sharing anything of gratitude. They were not brave explorers. They were war criminals! They were rapists and thieves— They were the same developers that we now see in our most marginalized communities, that enforce gentrification and genocide. These individuals created a system of oppression, disregarded developed nations, dominated them and instilled their own systems.
There is a lot of historic information surrounding this horrific moment in time. This writing is to reveal some of that information, offer healing and ways to Decolonize: to free (a people or area) from colonial status : to relinquish control of (a subjugated people or area) Thanksgiving.
How to Decolonize an Oppressive Holiday such as Thanksgiving
Learn About Whose Lands You Are On: I often acknowledge the stolen land of the native people and the forced labor of Africans. Try the Native Land App
Learn the Real History: "The formation of Thanksgiving as an official, United States’ holiday, did not begin until November 1863 during the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln officially established the holiday as a way to improve relations between northern and southern states as well as the U.S. and tribal nations. Just a year prior, a mass execution took place of Dakota tribal members. Corrupt federal agents kept the Dakota-Sioux from receiving food and provisions. Finally at the brink of death from starvation, members of the tribe fought back, resulting in the Dakota War of 1862. In the end, President Lincoln ordered 38 Dakota men to die from hanging, and he felt that Thanksgiving offered an opportunity to bridge the hard feelings amongst Natives and the federal government." - from The True Dark History of Thanksgiving, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Decolonize Your Dinner: Learn native dishes and support native food producers. Or support a Native-owned restaurants and catering business. "Irish potatoes, Italian tomato sauce, Swiss chocolate, Thai chilis, and a whole host of other important international foods are not actually from any of those places. They are ALL indigenous to North and South America and did not exist outside those continents prior to 1492 . . . All of these foods are a result of Indigenous agricultural innovation. There is a tendency among many White folks to assume that these foods were just growing "wild" - and while that may be the case with some fruits, the vast majority were cultivated by Indigenous people, often in brilliant and surprising ways." - from Celebrating Indigenous Food, The Food Historian
Listen to Indigenous Voices like Indigenous Rights Radio, and All My Relations podcast, featuring episodes on Reclaiming Thanksgiving and Lies Your Teacher Taught You: The Truth About Thanksgiving.
Celebrate/Stand with Native People: Enjoy and amplify the work of Native artists, musicians, authors, activists, and practitioners.
Study the history of Indigenous and African People: Do the work!
End Racist Native Mascots: "Using these harmful stereotypes perpetuates a long history of uninformed depictions of Native Peoples and violence, as well as undermines the educational learning environment." - Association on American Indian Affairs, #NotYourMascot
So, as stated earlier this writing is not to dampen holiday plans but hopefully illuminate them by embracing truth(s) that’s been hidden.
Years before Thanksgiving became a formalized national holiday; people celebrated the fall harvest. Families came together, shared stories, and even had heated conversations. This time of year encourages reflection and gratitude.
Nevertheless, Thanksgiving only exists as a formal, national holiday because of the genocide of Indigenous tribes. We must find ways to rectify how America continues to benefit from the pain of oppressed people.
They never wanted Indigenous or Africans at their Thanksgiving Day festivals. Instead, they wanted them to sit on the floor. And, in the case of Black people, Europeans, and their descendants wanted them to leave America so that they could rejoice in their version of unity, ironically leaving out people who built the nation free of charge. Thanksgiving highlights America’s painful truth as many find delight in the success of their ancestors’ successful conquest. (Harmful Revisionist History, 2020)
These crimes, committed in the past, reflect how Americans maintain holidays that disregard others’ humanity. White supremacy is a system. But it can collectively be dismantled. We need to keep sharing the truth that Pilgrims were NOT heroes. The real heroes are the Indigenous tribes who defended their land and the African slaves who worked the land and tried to flee captivity. Black and Indigenous people do not feel thankful for white dominance.
If we continue to decolonize the mind–we can decolonize the institutions that blind us.