The following is an explanation of the history of Thanksgiving. I am posting it because I think it's very important that we are conscious of the "truth" and understand the origin of our celebrations.
In my "perfect" world, I would boycott Thanksgiving, head up to Northern California and in solidarity join the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering". However, my world is not perfect, but more importantly for my family and myself Thanksgiving is one of the only times throughout the year when we all get together and simply just have a good time. So by boycotting Thanksgiving, would I be boycotting my family? I also know that there are some members in my family who would probably roll their eyes if I begin telling them the "truth". That's sad but true!
So my only solution is to attempt to spread the word as much as possible, and during Thanksgiving celebrate my beautiful family (whom I love dearly even though they roll their eyes at many of the things I say) and not celebrate the atrocities that occurred more than 500 years ago! And although I can't promise to fast that day, (I am a sucker for my sisters turkey and stuffing) I'll definitely cut back on my mom's candied yams (camote)!
Just a thought for those who care....
A Closer Look at Thankstaking by Ralph de Unamuno
In a few days we will all be getting ready to take a break from our studies and participate in the festivities of ..Thanksgiving.. day. Many of us will be going home to our families to devour a dinner, which could probably feed an entire village of Mayan refugee of the US/ Mexico ..Low- Intensity.. war in Chiapas, of turkey (or tamales), stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. The present holiday has been a time-honored tradition since President Abraham Lincoln institutionalized it so that it could be celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of every November. So why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What is the history behind this most ..thankful.. day? The origins of Thanksgiving are varied and with close inspection are much more malignant than a big tamale (or turkey) dinner.
For many of us this ..holiday.. was explained for the first time in elementary school as a celebration of prosperity in the ..New World... I..m sure many of you remember those cherished moments in the Kinder when the teacher would dress you up like Colonists and Indians, y yo con un nopal en el frente, would get stuck being the Pilgrim! The teachers recanted the stories of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims and how they triumphed over the cold winter and failed crops. These colonists were to serve as examples because their ..rugged individualism.. set the foundation for this nation. This, unfortunately, marks the beginning of the first of many lies and half-truths taught to us in school about how this Western Empire was established. For our purposes, we must go back in time a little further to see that the origins of November twenty-fifth is in fact much older than the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, subsequently we must go to VIII century Europe.
In the 8th century the Muslims (Moors) conquer Spain, Portugal and France and controlled it for over 700 years. These people threatened European Christians, meaning: Western Civilization. It was not until the late 15th century that in Spain on November 25, 1491 Santiago defeated the last Muslim stronghold in Grenada. On this day King Ferdinand gave thanks to God for this victory and the Pope of Rome declared this day to forever be a day of Thanksgiving for all European Christians. Rass Kass in ..Nature of the Threat..states that: ..When you celebrate Thanksgiving, what you are actually celebrating is the proclamation of the Pope of Rome, who later in league with Queen Isabella, sent Cardinal Ximenos to Spain to murder any African that resisted Christianity... These genocidal policies were justified by Pope Nicholas in the Inter Cetera Papal Bull of 1452, which called for the King of Portugal ..To invade, search out, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans, whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ... These
are the religious and political motivations that formulated the white supremacist mindset that was the foundations for the economic colonization of the Americas and its Native peoples.
Thanksgiving in the United States of Amerika is a part of this tradition that celebrates the subjugation of non-Western people for colonial purposes. Its roots are more directly connected to the events that occurred in the Northeastern United States in November of the year 1637, when 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot Tribe, gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as Groton, Connecticut. While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indigenous people were ordered from their ceremonial structures and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were burned alive in their homes. The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared a day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 Pequots. Subsequently, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor or President since was to honor that victory, thanking God that the ..battle.. had been won. The holiday on the 3rd Thursday of November we celebrate is in observation of that massacre and upholds the colonial mentality of this nation-state.
How will you celebrate Thankstaking day? Many Native People fast on Thankstaking in remembrance of those who were murdered in the process of the Western expansion of Europe. In the Bay Area, Indigenous peoples and allies from across the continent have gathered for many years to observe the day with a sunrise ceremony, organized by the International Indian Treaty Council on Alcatraz Island. Starting at 4:30 AM, thousands of people take ferries from Fisherman..s.. Warf to the Rock to participate in this ceremony; this is done to remember our ancestors and to reaffirm the struggle to resist Western colonization. Alcatraz maybe a little far and for others, while missing dinner with the family is not an option. Well, let..s look at what that stereotypical dinner contains: Turkey (or tamales), Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Cranberries (sauce), and Pumpkins (pie), are all foods that were found only in the Americas prior to 1492. Thankstaking dinner is a collection of foods indigenous to the Americas. In fact, Europe, Africa, and Asia would have had a hard time prospering without the nutrition they derived from the "New World". This Thankstaking I hope you all take time to remember our ancestors, all the contributions that our people from Alaska to the tip of Tierra del Fuego have given the world, and for nuestra voluntad to resist colonization, and for our ability to persevere with dignity- despite 508 years of Western oppression!
* For more information on the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering", on
Alcatraz Island, S.F., CA. Call: IITC
Information Line (415) 641-4482
** For more information on Native American contributions to the world see
Indian Givers: How The Indians of the Americas Transformed The World by
Jack Weatherford
In my "perfect" world, I would boycott Thanksgiving, head up to Northern California and in solidarity join the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering". However, my world is not perfect, but more importantly for my family and myself Thanksgiving is one of the only times throughout the year when we all get together and simply just have a good time. So by boycotting Thanksgiving, would I be boycotting my family? I also know that there are some members in my family who would probably roll their eyes if I begin telling them the "truth". That's sad but true!
So my only solution is to attempt to spread the word as much as possible, and during Thanksgiving celebrate my beautiful family (whom I love dearly even though they roll their eyes at many of the things I say) and not celebrate the atrocities that occurred more than 500 years ago! And although I can't promise to fast that day, (I am a sucker for my sisters turkey and stuffing) I'll definitely cut back on my mom's candied yams (camote)!
Just a thought for those who care....
A Closer Look at Thankstaking by Ralph de Unamuno
In a few days we will all be getting ready to take a break from our studies and participate in the festivities of ..Thanksgiving.. day. Many of us will be going home to our families to devour a dinner, which could probably feed an entire village of Mayan refugee of the US/ Mexico ..Low- Intensity.. war in Chiapas, of turkey (or tamales), stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. The present holiday has been a time-honored tradition since President Abraham Lincoln institutionalized it so that it could be celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of every November. So why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What is the history behind this most ..thankful.. day? The origins of Thanksgiving are varied and with close inspection are much more malignant than a big tamale (or turkey) dinner.
For many of us this ..holiday.. was explained for the first time in elementary school as a celebration of prosperity in the ..New World... I..m sure many of you remember those cherished moments in the Kinder when the teacher would dress you up like Colonists and Indians, y yo con un nopal en el frente, would get stuck being the Pilgrim! The teachers recanted the stories of the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims and how they triumphed over the cold winter and failed crops. These colonists were to serve as examples because their ..rugged individualism.. set the foundation for this nation. This, unfortunately, marks the beginning of the first of many lies and half-truths taught to us in school about how this Western Empire was established. For our purposes, we must go back in time a little further to see that the origins of November twenty-fifth is in fact much older than the foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, subsequently we must go to VIII century Europe.
In the 8th century the Muslims (Moors) conquer Spain, Portugal and France and controlled it for over 700 years. These people threatened European Christians, meaning: Western Civilization. It was not until the late 15th century that in Spain on November 25, 1491 Santiago defeated the last Muslim stronghold in Grenada. On this day King Ferdinand gave thanks to God for this victory and the Pope of Rome declared this day to forever be a day of Thanksgiving for all European Christians. Rass Kass in ..Nature of the Threat..states that: ..When you celebrate Thanksgiving, what you are actually celebrating is the proclamation of the Pope of Rome, who later in league with Queen Isabella, sent Cardinal Ximenos to Spain to murder any African that resisted Christianity... These genocidal policies were justified by Pope Nicholas in the Inter Cetera Papal Bull of 1452, which called for the King of Portugal ..To invade, search out, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans, whatsoever, and other enemies of Christ... These
are the religious and political motivations that formulated the white supremacist mindset that was the foundations for the economic colonization of the Americas and its Native peoples.
Thanksgiving in the United States of Amerika is a part of this tradition that celebrates the subjugation of non-Western people for colonial purposes. Its roots are more directly connected to the events that occurred in the Northeastern United States in November of the year 1637, when 700 men, women, and children of the Pequot Tribe, gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as Groton, Connecticut. While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indigenous people were ordered from their ceremonial structures and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were burned alive in their homes. The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared a day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 Pequots. Subsequently, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor or President since was to honor that victory, thanking God that the ..battle.. had been won. The holiday on the 3rd Thursday of November we celebrate is in observation of that massacre and upholds the colonial mentality of this nation-state.
How will you celebrate Thankstaking day? Many Native People fast on Thankstaking in remembrance of those who were murdered in the process of the Western expansion of Europe. In the Bay Area, Indigenous peoples and allies from across the continent have gathered for many years to observe the day with a sunrise ceremony, organized by the International Indian Treaty Council on Alcatraz Island. Starting at 4:30 AM, thousands of people take ferries from Fisherman..s.. Warf to the Rock to participate in this ceremony; this is done to remember our ancestors and to reaffirm the struggle to resist Western colonization. Alcatraz maybe a little far and for others, while missing dinner with the family is not an option. Well, let..s look at what that stereotypical dinner contains: Turkey (or tamales), Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Cranberries (sauce), and Pumpkins (pie), are all foods that were found only in the Americas prior to 1492. Thankstaking dinner is a collection of foods indigenous to the Americas. In fact, Europe, Africa, and Asia would have had a hard time prospering without the nutrition they derived from the "New World". This Thankstaking I hope you all take time to remember our ancestors, all the contributions that our people from Alaska to the tip of Tierra del Fuego have given the world, and for nuestra voluntad to resist colonization, and for our ability to persevere with dignity- despite 508 years of Western oppression!
* For more information on the "Un-Thanksgiving Day Sunrise Gathering", on
Alcatraz Island, S.F., CA. Call: IITC
Information Line (415) 641-4482
** For more information on Native American contributions to the world see
Indian Givers: How The Indians of the Americas Transformed The World by
Jack Weatherford
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