Steven Peters, Mashpee Wampanoag said “I think the only way forward is to understand the history the way that it had happened, […] No one has acknowledged these atrocities… [W]hen we talk about it, there’s zero empathy. The native life doesn’t hold the same value. I think if we can get people to come to terms with the history and the way it happened, they can start to look at Native American lives on the same plane as European lives.”
As a Han-Taiwanese East Asian who was born and raised outside of the U.S., if I may describe one observation I have of the culture as an outsider it would be its utter unwillingness to remember, grapple, and learn from the past. I wrote this instruction for myself and my friends in 2020, and I'm sharing it here in the hope that it could be useful for those who come across it. Whether you are choosing to mourn or to celebrate thanksgiving, this instruction wasn't made to make a judgement on your decision, but rather it is about making a suggestion, that maybe this year we can consider ourselves as active agents in the unmaking and remaking of the stories we tell ourselves and each other. That maybe tradition can change and we can mourn for the genocide of Native Americans during thanksgiving dinner not just alone but collectively, and consider this act as a productive way forward.
I’m definitely not the person to ask when it comes to having an answer, but I have some ideas for how we might move beyond being a passive agent on this traditional holiday. If you are celebrating, I have compiled a set of open-ended instructions for you and your loved ones to follow along / expand / remix as you spend hours making dinner and convene over meal and wine during the holiday. And if you’re not celebrating, these links could still be useful to review for everyday that’s not the thanksgiving day.
- Visit https://native-land.ca/ to find out your Native Territory. Then go online to research how the land under your feet was ceded by colonial settlers. Make sure that you’re reading from sources written by Indigenous authors or organizations.
- While you’re cooking thanksgiving dinner, listen to ThanksTaking or ThanksGiving?, the real story of thanksgiving from the Indigenous perspective; Stories from the Land - Melaw & Ethel “Moose Hide Camp”, co-created by students at the Dechinta Bush University on the Dechinta Land. Or even better if you’re able to find a podcast episode that tells the stories of the Native Tribe that stewards the land you’re on.
- Make land acknowledgment during the dinner. For guests who are zooming in from different locations, share https://native-land.ca/ so that they can find their Native Territories as well. According to LSPIRG.org, it is important to express gratitude and honoring the Indigenous people living and working on the land from time immemorial, and it’s important to tell the stories of how the land was stolen by colonial settlers and to understand your place within that history. Questions to expand on after land acknowledgement:
- How can you disrupt settler colonialism and center Indigenous perspectives?
- How can you challenge internalized colonial ideology?
- What stereotypes / beliefs about Native people do you or acquaintances perpetuate?
- Action Items
- Get involved and learn about the tribes/nations in your region. Support their resistance, further their causes, engage with tribal members year-round instead of just in November. Some current Indigenous actions around the nation:
- Some current Indigenous actions around the nation:
- Stop Line 3 - The Canadian pipeline company responsible for the largest inland oil spill in the U.S. has proposed a pipeline expansion that would carry nearly a million barrels of tar sands per day from Alberta to Wisconsin through Anishnaabe treaty territory. To learn and support the resistance, visit https://www.stopline3.org/#intro and follow @stopline3pipeline if you’re on IG.
- Shinnecock Sovereignty Camp - The Shinnecock Nation is fighting the state of New York to drop a lawsuit that seeks to block the construction of a comment on their land that will bring in desperately needed income to the Tribe. The Latest in a series of attempts by the city of Southampton and NYS to limit Shinnecock Nation’s ability to provide resources and create economic opportunity for its members. To support and learn more visit https://warriorsofthesunrise.wordpress.com/ and follow @warriorsofthesunrise.
- Camp Mni Luzahan - Located in occupied Oceti Sakowin Territory, Camp Mni Luzahan was formed to care and protect unsheltered relatives. The camp offers regular warm meals and materials aid to all. To Lean more and donate visit https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/3gkgd1 and follow @mniluzahancreekpatrol.
- Kumeyaay Defense Against the Wall - Kumeyaay Nation exists beyond the colonial borders of the U.S. and Mexico in what’s called Southern California. Kumeyaay Land Defenders are protesting the desecration of sacred land and artifacts by the U.S. government to build Trump’s border wall. To support and learn more follow @kumeyaaydefenseagainstthewall.
- Tiny House Warriors - In unceded Secwepemc Territory, Indigenous Land Defenders are building and placing tiny houses strategically along the 518 km Trans Mountain Pipeline route to block access to the pipeline and protect their land. Each tiny house is given to Secwepemc families facing a housing crisis. To support and learn more visit http://www.tinyhousewarriors.com/.
- COVID Emergency Response Fund for Native Communities - Make a donation to https://www.firstnations.org/covid-19-emergency-response-fund/