We should be wary about how we celebrate
The Thanksgiving season is usually regarded as a time for people to come together, put aside their differences and enjoy each other’s company. The story of the Native Americans and Pilgrims welcoming each other for a feast is told as a symbol of unity and peace.
While these seem like great stories, they are not accurate accounts of what occurred. The story that we honor and teach is far from the truth; it is twisted and sugarcoated to appeal to American ideals. The esteemed peacefulness that transpired between Native Americans and colonists is just one of the many falsehoods weaved into the traditional Thanksgiving backstory.
There is some truth that goes into what we commonly know today about Thanksgiving. There was a feast shared between Native Americans and the Pilgrims, but there is a lot more to the story. For years, the Wampanoag, the Native American tribe that the Pilgrims shared Thanksgiving with, as well as other tribes, were wary of the English settlers, and rightfully so.
For years they had been kidnapped and sold into slavery by European explorers. The Plymouth colonists were also having similar anxious feelings about the Wampanoag. They felt that the Wampanoag were a threat to them based on their size and knowledge of the land. The colonists knew that they needed their protection and food supply if they wanted to survive.
The alliance that was created was not because this Indigenous tribe just happened to be friendly; the Wampanoag were facing an epidemic, and had lost a devastating amount of people. They believed the English would be useful allies, both in terms of military and trade. Despite the alliance that was formed, as more colonies developed, the English began to settle on their lands.
The encroachment led to a 14-month rebellion, also known as King Philip’s War. This war was bloody and devastating to the Native American people. It was not the first time that colonists have done harsh damage to Indigenous communities though. Thanks to European conquests and the spread of diseases, by the late 1800’s, the Indigenous population had fallen to under 250,000.
After Thanksgiving, it seems that Native people aren’t mentioned in American history. Their land was viciously stolen from them, and in the process, many Indigenous people suffered brutal deaths. Many of the Native Americans that surrendered were sold into slavery. The war officially ended when King Philip, or Metacom, a Wampanoag chief, was killed and beheaded. The colonists displayed his head at the Plymouth Colony for two decades.
Native Americans today, despite their long history with this country, face several forms of discrimination, in terms of both individual prejudice and systemic issues. Indigenous people are statistically more likely to be killed by the police than any other race. Ninety seven percent of Native women have faced violence from at least one nonnative person. There are higher rates of suicide among Indigenous teenagers, as they have the highest suicide rate among all demographics in the U.S. Many face discrimination when applying for jobs, as well as discrimination in wages.
Yet with all of these issues that Indigenous communities are facing, there is little attention being brought to it. The romanticized past of Native Americans in this country is a big factor in the lack of awareness. Many people today do not believe that discrimination toward Indigenous populations exist, despite the overwhelming evidence. America hides the ugly truth about the way that Indigenous people were treated in the past. The colonizers are essentially why the Native American community faces so many challenges, both in the past and the present.
Yet despite all of the atrocities that Indigenous people face because of the colonists, America continues to celebrate them. As much as America tries to push it under the rug, Thanksgiving glorifies the gentrification of Native populations.
The way that Native Americans are portrayed in Thanksgiving is disrespectful. I understand that many people do not wish to celebrate Thanksgiving with harm; most people just want to enjoy time with their family and eat a good meal. But it is important to be aware of the history behind this holiday, and not simply take the American teachings at face value. People do not even know about the actual tribe name that the Pilgrims shared the meal with.
The Indigenous people in American history are pushed to the background, and only brought to the forefront when beneficial. The oppression and genocide of Indigenous people is ignored. The simplified version of how Indigenous people exist in American history to help colonists and then simply hand them the land is an offensively watered down version of reality. The bloodshed and pain that Native American people face shouldn’t be ignored just to further perpetuate harmful beliefs of Manifest Destiny.
