After generations of poor education surrounding the true historical significance of why America celebrates Thanksgiving, people are beginning to acknowledge the negative history behind its origin and are utilizing this information to choose to cease celebrations (or at least alter how they do so). In this decision to “decolonize Thanksgiving”, many Americans are choosing to remember the losses that the Native American community endured during the initial colonialism that we celebrate on this national holiday because, as many have discovered, the history behind the supper that started it all was not as amicable as our K-12 textbooks led us to believe.
The fairytales about the “Pilgrims and Indians” co-existing peacefully were wrong on many accounts. To begin to establish a more factual narrative, Native Americans are not “Indians”, and they never were. Likewise, the first Thanksgiving was declared following the massacre of hundreds of indigenous peoples (700 to be exact), so it is not difficult to come to a conclusion as to why many Native Americans feel scorned as this celebration continues to be one of the most popular national holidays in the United States…
There are a number of alternative celebrations Americans are embracing instead of Thanksgiving: the National day of Mourning, National Family Week, National Day of Listening, and Restorative Justice Week. Like numerous other holidays, the true nature of Thanksgiving has been lost within capitalistic money grabs anyways, so many Americans have decided to embrace the idea of a Thanksgiving holiday that has nothing to do with America’s history of colonialism. Many individuals unknowing celebrate National Family Week (or day) during Thanksgiving, opting to make the holiday more about celebrating the relationships they are thankful to have in their lives, as well as using this time to reflect on other things that bring them joy (especially food)!
Contrastingly, many individuals wish to do the opposite of ignoring the colonialism surrounding the initial holiday, choosing to rather take this time to raise awareness to the unnecessary genocide of the Native American people throughout America’s history. This way of celebration materializes through holidays such as the National Day of Mourning, National Day of Listening, Native American Heritage Month, and Restorative Justice Week. Although these celebrations have been typically observed by predominantly indigenous populations, Americans from a multitude of backgrounds and identities have recently chosen to make a new tradition of celebrating them, leaving Thanksgiving and its negative history behind completely.
How can you stand beside Native Americans during such a vulnerable time whilst still maintaining respect for their culture? There are a multitude of ways:
- Practice alternative holidays such as the National Day of Mourning, National Day of Listening, Native American Heritage Month, or Restorative Justice Week.
- Donate to charities or non-profit organizations that support indigenous populations, such as the Native American Heritage Association, Native American Rights Fund, American Indian College Fund, Hopa Mountain, and Indigenous Roots.
- Simply acknowledge the negative history behind the holiday. A sense of awareness is so important to show your support towards marginalized communities.
- Include Native American films or documentaries in your family’s annual celebrations.
- Support Indigenous owned businesses.
- Make an intentional effort to educate yourself about Native American culture and hardships.
- Marching alongside indigenous peoples to show your support when the opportunity arises, especially on the National Day of Mourning.
Regardless of the way your activism takes shape this holiday season, please remember to be conscious of the ideals you are supporting and how powerful your unconscious actions are. Taking the time to be deliberate in your advocacy can create significant change, and, for some marginalized communities, your impact could be the difference between life or death for those still fighting for fundamental rights in our country.