Thanksgiving is the third in a line of problematic holidays of the fall season — holidays that may seem harmless, but that actually have a grave effect on the well-being of Native Americans.
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| Thanksgiving myths vs Indigenous history |
The other two are Columbus Day and Halloween. From the second Monday of October to the fourth Thursday in November, Native Americans are hammered with a barrage of racially offensive, culturally appropriative, and historically inaccurate tall tales.
The list is extensive - Columbus Day parades, statues, speeches, and sales; offensive Halloween costumes; Pilgrim and Indian paraphernalia; and of course, all the parties, events, and classroom activities that our children are subjected to.
All these attempt to hide the unpleasant truths about this country’s real history. wonder | wander | women have written a few pieces in the past in our own attempt to bring the truth to light more honestly and less painfully.
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The truth is having relocated as immigrants to our new countries of choice, Thanksgiving is a holiday with special meaning for us - who have much to be grateful for in the gift of the lives we now live both in the US and the UK.
As we gather around the table to break bread with friends and family, we are filled with thanks and wonder to be so far away and yet have found a home for ourselves - in a land we love that loves us back.
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| homemade table centerpiece from our garden |
We celebrate what we are thankful for while we resonate with the truth behind current Thanksgiving mythology. We empathize as a colonized people too with the Native American people - whose history as they understood it was being misrepresented.
We feel as they feel that not only our classes, but society in general was white washing historical trauma which has weighed us down for generations.
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| our Truthgiving ham & turkey |
Celebrating the act of land expansion through ethnic cleansing and slavery - generally applied viciously and in full force at gunpoint. Desperately trying to mask and cover up the fact that this country was founded on the actions of generations of Europeans who depended on the joint violence of genocide of Native Americans and the enslavement of African people to conquer this land.
Our homeland and our newfound homes here still suffer under this legacy even today. An essential part of decolonizing Thanksgiving is to start educating ourselves with the authentic history of this country.
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| our Truthgiving table |
A book that reexamines basic truths about Thanksgiving in an educational context is Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. Considering that much of the Thanksgiving mythology is based on sharing food - it is ideal to discuss the importance of Indigenous first foods or food sovereignty with our children as well.
The book Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition discusses the traditional process of growing and harvesting corn, de-commercializing what we eat, and promoting culturally appropriate foods and agricultural systems of North America.
Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools is a quick read where more resources are listed; it even has sample letters that can be sent to your children’s school concerning problematic Thanksgiving activities.
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| an outdoor spread |
So many among us struggle with grief, with our wounds, with unexpressed love. So many of us are stalled in moving forward with the mission of sewing up the wounds on our own. Together we can bring about the healing sooner.
Generations of westernized values are responsible for institutionalizing the Thanksgiving mythology - ultimately, change can occur as individuals awaken to face reality, and begin the process of truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation.
A blessed Truthgiving to all!
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