11/23/2023
What do you celebrate at Thanksgiving?
Leah R Kyaio
November 21, 2023
Did you know Abraham Lincoln was the one who "invented" Thanksgiving?
With the Proclamation 118 of 1864, it was declared:
"Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the Great Disposer of Events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it has pleased Him to assign as a dwelling place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations."
It is crucial to note the religious alignment of this holiday, as is historical for all cultures and all gods - give thanks for what has been given. Not a bad message. Just depends on how open-minded you are about all those gods.
This was a political move by Lincoln done in an attempt to mend the rifts left by the Civil War. Indeed, many cultures know that when people sit down to eat a meal together, community is built. In this way, the move was brilliant.
There was, however, no mention in the proclamation about pilgrims or Indians.
So. Let's look further back for more context and understanding.
As is true for many agricultural communities, there was a harvest celebration offering thanks and homage to the gods of the people throughout the world. It makes sense. The lore attached to the meal of 1621 was a similar celebration. Beyond that, the perspective of what actually took place varies based on who's telling the story.
(Important to note, history is written by the conqueror.)
While we all know the story of Pilgrims inviting Indians in a way to say thank you for helping them survive the new world, the oral history of the Wampanoag - the Native Americans of that Land - paints a different picture.
In 1621, the ~24 Mayflower survivors had gathered together to celebrate. As is still quite common even in their current lineage, they chose to celebrate with gun powder - shooting off guns and raising the roof. The Wampanoag, unsure of the cause of the outburst, sent a reconnaissance party of 90 braves to find out what exactly was going on.
The braves hovered on the periphera, observing, ascertaining whether there was danger for themselves or their neighbors.
As part of the guns ablazing, the Pilgrims went out "fowling" (most likely for duck and goose since they were far more prolific and easy to hunt than wild turkey). Likewise, needing to hang around to make sure things were really safe, the Wampanoag braves also hunted to feed themselves, choosing the usual prey of deer, rabbit, and other game.
Any meal that was "shared" was by proximity not by invitation.
There was no dispute in that moment, but it wasn't about a grand potlatch between the two cultures.
Remember, throughout this time, the writing of Pilgrims consistently identified the Native Americans as savages, heathens, and other such othering language. The Indian Wars began in 1609 and wouldn't end until 1924.
It's not the Halmark card holiday we've been led to believe.
In the same way that thanksgiving didn't actually begin there in 1621, Thanksgiving history doesn't end there. Not at all.
In 1865, the year after Proclamation 118, the Cheyenne of Sand Creek who had survived the Trail of Tears, were told to fly the American flag and a flag of white. It was at the base of those flags they begged for mercy as they were massacred.
But, well, that was so long ago...
Okay. Let's look at more recent history.
1969, days before the federal holiday celebration, Richard Oakes, Akwesasne Mohawk, and a group of Indian supporters re-claimed Alcatraz Island, citing the treaty of 1868 that gave them right to the land. This was at first peaceful, and they were left alone. It didn't take long, however, for electricity to be cut to the island, for the water source to be removed, and, ultimately, after 19 months of holding the island, the FBI forcibly removed the handful of remaining, unarmed Natives. This is heralded as the birth of the Native Civil Rights Movement.
Thanksgiving, 1970, Indigenous People and their allies began a new ritual that continues through today. At noon, they gather at Cole's Hill in Plymouth to honor the National Day of Mourning. This is a day to "honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide."
Thanksgiving Day, 2016 protestors at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation were being pummelled with pepper spray, freezing water, and whatever else could be conceived to drive them off, in the Native-driven attempt to shut down the Dakota Pipeline from invading sacred land. While there was a moment of hope in 202, ultimatel in 2021 all litigation was dismissed and the Biden administration announced it would keep the pipeline active.
Thanksgiving, 2019, 50 years after Alacatraz, private militia peppered protestors of the historical event with rubber bullets and freezing water. There would be no repeating that uprise! Native Americans must be kept in their place.
Thanksgiving, 2023. The president will pardon a turkey. Did you know that pardoned turkey will be dead within a month? It was hyper-bred for the table, as is so much of what we consume.
To be clear, coming together with family to enjoy all Our Relations is a good thing!
Let's just be clear about what we are celebrating.
As for me, we will have our Harvest Meal (usually on Friday or Saturday) and honor those who have come before us. I will tell these stories, and more, so that the generations to come may always remember.
It is in this way I assure the Native experience is not erased.
What are you celebrating?
