Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated across the nation in remembrance of a peaceful harvest meal between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. At least, that’s what our history books state. The truth couldn’t be farther from it. Historians date one of the possible origins of Thanksgiving back to Massachusetts, where the colony governor celebrated the day by fasting, praying, and ending with a big feast to mark the victory of massacring the Native Americans. While Thanksgiving was a celebratory day for the European settlers, it was a day of mourning for the tribes. Some continue to view Thanksgiving as a mourning day, associating it with the struggles of their ancestors.
Native American history is often misrepresented in American culture, and the origin story of Thanksgiving is just one part of the fable. In the spirit of diversity and equity, our NU Media team is celebrating National Native American Heritage Month and including resources for students like you to continue supporting the community beyond November.
Native Americans have a rich cultural history and a strong sense of community. Did you know that around 600 unique tribes lived above the Rio Valley before the 15th century? Despite the diversity in tribes, each of them had underlying common spiritual values/understanding and lived harmoniously. Members of the tribes were interdependent, and there was equal respect for all genders. The communal sense made the tribe perceive itself as a big family with deep bonds among each member. To this day, Native Americans continue living with a strong sense of community.
Native American history and life took a turn for the worse post-1500s. After several years of Christopher Columbus’ “discovery”, their land was exposed to several foreign invaders and diseases. Scholars claim that more than half the Native American population wiped out due to measles, smallpox, and other Western diseases that these settlers bought along with them. The atrocities towards the tribes did not stop there, as Europeans continued to uproot their civilization with war and abuse, forcing Native Americans to flee their homelands.
History cannot be undone, but we can take conscious efforts to create a more equitable society and support the Native American community today. Here are some tips and resources:
- Don’t appropriate Native American culture and steer clear from harmful stereotypes: for instance, Native American headdresses are not something non-indigenous people should wear.
- Support Native American owned businesses, artists, individuals, and authors to uplift the community: The Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness has a cultural arts section, which is a good starting place to find arts activities and programs hosted in MA.
One of the most famous Native American authors is Louise Erdich, who has won numerous awards for her fiction work. Her debut novel, Love Medicine, is a good place to start.
- Educate yourself about the history of the community: Bury my heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian history of the American West by Dee Brown is a detailed book. For something closer to home for us Northeastern students, take some time to learn about the tribes in Massachusetts such as, the Massachusett, Nipmuc Nation, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and more.
- Join the Native American affinity group at Northeastern, if you are part of the community: You can also check out this interesting conversation with Kylie Bemis, a professor at the Khoury College of Computer Science, and member of the Zuni Pueblo tribe.