Rethinking Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because I love being aware of my many blessings and feeling grateful for them. What little family I still have is geographically and relationally distant, but I like sharing gratitude over a special meal with friends.

This year, my perspective broadened. I listened to a radio interview with a Navajo woman about native cuisine. It’s late November, and the topic turned to Thanksgiving dishes. It was the first time I heard that, for Native Americans, this holiday is known as a Day of Mourning. It makes sense—I just never thought of it. The woman didn’t sound bitter; she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Even though it is a sad time for us,” she said, “our families still love to cook special dishes and eat together.”

Spiritual activist Bernard Alvarez drew on his Miccosukee heritage when he posted on social media:

“Many Native Americans don’t celebrate Thanksgiving the way the rest of the country does. For us . . . it’s a time to honor our ancestors, remember the truth of what happened on this land, and hold space for all the lives, cultures, and traditions that were nearly erased.

“It’s not about guilt or pointing fingers. It’s about truth-telling. It’s about respecting the people who were here long before colonization, and acknowledging the pain, the resilience, and the stories that still deserve to be heard.

“So while many gather for turkey and thanks, we gather in remembrance, in ceremony, and in strength. We honor our relatives who carried our traditions through generations of hardship. And we keep our culture alive by speaking openly about our history—because healing doesn’t happen through silence.

“Whatever that [holiday] looks like for you, I hope you do it with awareness and an open heart. - PS- I personally love Thanksgiving dinner and I love hosting and cooking. For me it's a moment of gratitude and community.”

So yes, I understand and appreciate their perspective, and I feel sad about the historical events that precipitated it.

I remember the sanitized history lessons taught at my elementary school, when children created construction-paper pilgrim hats, Indian headdresses, and awkwardly-drawn turkeys, traced around our little hands. I remained blissfully unaware of the actual history of native tribes until I was in my twenties.

There has been a trend in many states since the 1990s to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day in place of or alongside Columbus Day in October. Either way, this provides a good forum and has resulted in an increase in thoughtful discourse about historical events. We can’t change history, but if we don’t hide the truth, we can learn from it.

I believe it’s time for Americans of all backgrounds to redefine Thanksgiving. I would like to see the sanitized history tales dropped altogether, and the celebration shifted to focus simply on gratitude and moving forward together for the benefit of everyone. After all, almost everybody, at some point in their lives, has something for which to give thanks.

I’m glad that I live in America, but I am not proud that the culture of my ancestors mistreated indigenous people and abused their homeland. Nor am I proud of many of the things I see happening in America today—particularly the treatment of immigrants.

Other than Native Americans, we are all immigrants. My ancestors on my mother’s side of my family arrived on this continent from England in the 1600s, on one of the ships that followed the Mayflower. My paternal grandparents emigrated from Norway during World War I. My stepdad’s ancestors arrived in this country from Germany during the 1800s.

Every wave of immigrants has contributed to the picture of America. We don’t all look and talk the same. We definitely don’t all think the same. But I believe that most Americans want to live in peace in a healthy environment, and have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

We are a broken society now, but it’s not too late to mend. Gratitude for the blessings we share, despite the brokenness around us, is a good place to start.

Add comment

Comments