You Belong Here

Stretch

I retired the term “Thanksgiving” some time ago. Becoming a Social Studies teacher 17 years ago, I learned the problematic origins of this holiday where we pass the rolls, gorge on turkey, and try to avoid family squabbles. When I had my own family, my husband and I opted to rename this holiday within our family; we call it Gathering Day.

What I was taught

When I was growing up, I was taught that Christian European settlers were braving a new and unoccupied land, navigating the perils of the New World. They were glorified in our history lessons, often lauded as courageous, having settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts, establishing their colony on unoccupied land.

Eventually, they make friends with a group of Native Americans, the Wampanoag, who teach the Pilgrims important survival skills for navigating this New World, which is critical to the survival of the Pilgrims through the harsh winters, which they were unaccustomed to.

According to this tale, the Pilgrims were so grateful to the Wampanoag for helping them survive the harsh winter that in 1621, they invited them for a grand feast and supplied food through newly acquired farming, hunting, and foraging skills taught to them by the Wampanoag. During this meal, they celebrated the friendship and gratitude shared by the settlers towards the Wampanoag people. Peace and generosity abound.

What’s the reality?

Unfortunately, the reality is a harsh departure from this tale. The settlers did not arrive on unoccupied land in Plymouth (there is debate if they landed in Plymouth at all), but rather on land that had been occupied by tribes such as the Pequot and Wampanoag, some of whom had lived on the land for over 10,000 years before the arrival of the settlers.

During the first few winters, settlers resorted to robbing Wampanoag graves to survive. The Wampanoag were generous in teaching the settlers survival skills like hunting, foraging, and farming, which eventually allowed them to establish a stable food supply. However, feeling threatened by tribes like the Wampanoag and Pequot, settlers massacred entire groups and villages, with a particularly heinous massacre of the Pequot tribe taking place in 1637, murdering over 500 people in one attack and burning their village to the ground. This marks the start of a long and bloody genocide of Indigenous people, of which we still see the impacts today.

Since this early first story, white settler colonization of the North American continent has left a bloody toll on Indigenous communities throughout, with the population being decimated and relegated to small reservation areas that we now see today. Forced conversion to Christianity, the murderous past of Residential Boarding schools, and lack of adequate access to basic needs such as healthcare, housing, food, and clean water have relegated Indigenous peoples to second-class citizenry.

Day of Mourning

Many Indigenous people do not see Thanksgiving as a holiday of celebration but rather a day of mourning. Instead of celebrating and glorifying the settlers and their resilience, many choose to focus on:

• Celebrating the generosity of the Wampanoag tribe to the European settlers.

• Mourning the lives of the millions of Indigenous people lost to settler colonization and violence.

• The vibrancy and resilience of Indigenous communities today.

Making Your Meaning

After learning the true origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, I knew I could never celebrate its origin ever again and wanted to find a way to make a different meaning for this day.

In my family, we call it “Gathering Day.”

During this day, we gather with both our family, both chosen and related. We focus on appreciating the community we have built with each other and the blessings that we are fortunate to receive. We teach our children to focus on gratitude and spend meaningful time with the people we love.

Nothing can be done to erase the bloody and violent legacy of settler colonialism in North America. However, we can decide how to choose to engage and interact with one another in a way that honors Indigenous communities, supports the rebuilding and strength of these communities, and centers their voices and experiences in the history that is taught to our children. Only then can we hope to heal this open wound in our history and build a brighter future.

Reflect

1. How does learning about the true origins of Thanksgiving shift your perspective on this holiday?

2. What steps can you take to decolonize the way you approach Thanksgiving or similar holidays?

3. How can you incorporate Indigenous voices and perspectives into your understanding of American history and culture?

Act

1. Teach the Truth: Share accurate historical accounts about Thanksgiving and the legacy of settler colonialism with family, friends, and children.

2. Support Land Acknowledgements: Practice and promote land acknowledgments in personal and public settings, ensuring they are meaningful and tied to action.

3. Advocate for Education Reform: Call for schools and institutions to teach accurate and inclusive history about Indigenous peoples and settler colonialism.

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