Local Indians Reminded of American Holocaust on Thanksgiving

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

WASHINGTON - The iconic Thanksgiving image of colonists and Indians sharing a feast has become the symbol of caring and cooperation among peoples, but for many Native Americans it is a reminder of betrayal, bloodshed and continuing discrimination.

"It's a day of mourning," said William Redwing Tayac, chief of one of Maryland's indigenous tribes, the Piscataway Indian Nation. "Indians are victims of the American holocaust. That's the truth. I'm not going to paint a rosy picture."

The popular conception of the first Thanksgiving of 1621 is a myth, he said. Indians taught colonists how to farm and survive in the new frontier, only to be burned at the stake several years later as the first victims of the Salem witch trials, Tayac said. The tribes of Massachusetts still have demonstrations on Thanksgiving.

Tayac pays tribute to his people on Thanksgiving Day. He fasts during the day with his family and performs a sacred harvest ceremony before sitting down to dinner in the evening. If they have turkey, that's just because it's traditional Indian food, he said.

His fight for his people continues well beyond the holiday. Tayac is involved in a "de-anglization" program that takes assimilated American Indians and "brings them back to being Indians," he said. They are taught the culture, religion, history and traditions of their people.

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/6766.shtml

[almaty 19]

i think he has some valid points as the Indians did help the pilgrims throguh the first winter here and helped teach them the way crops are grown in this region.///

the pilgrims as a way of thanks, named their sport's team the plymouth rocK redskins...

[pedroh 21]

i know that for a couple of years, thanksgiving was used to celebrate the victories over the nativeamericans

[Alex+R 0]

What would happen if we changed it to "Native American Holocaust Remembrance Day"? It would certainly be more accurate.

[GabachaYucateca 0]

I see that the only three people who have responded and the one who posted are all god damn illegal loving, bleeding heart liberals.

I'm in good company! Yay!

Kisses,

The Fifth Column

BTW, one of the most fascinating classes I took in college was aboiut colonization. It's really interesting (in a horrible way) how differently those who colonized the US dealt with native people than those who colonized Latin America. Especially being married to a descendent of the last hold-outs against the Spanish in Mexico.

Edited November 21, 2007 by GabachaYucateca

[Amby 490]

Neil is very negative and always says "why do you celebrate people giving the indians blankets filled with smallpox to kill them?" ...then again he jokingly calls the 4th of July the day England gave us our country back lol

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Curiously, the sentiments of (USC) native indians seem to be overlooked when it comes to things like this - that they should respect national holidays that have a very different historical/cultural meaning for them than everyone else.

I read a few years ago that one of the States wanted to name a new Highway that ran near or through indian land after John Wayne. I never did hear what happened there - other than that the residents were (unsurprisingly) offended by having a road named after a man who and that they were trying to have the name changed.

Of course its probably fair to say, that Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has become popularised and for all its historical/cultural associations has acquired a different, more general meaning (a meaning that others will doubtlessly swoop on as political correctness) than it once had.

[peejay 327]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

If it's important to "Never forget" other tragedies and genocides, why not this one?

[SteveLaura 0]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

That's the spirit!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

If it's important to "Never forget" other tragedies and genocides, why not this one?

It shouldn't be IMO. I think its assumed that people have to adopt the prevailing culture in total disregard to the culture that pertains to certain sub-groups. The assimilation argument has been used a lot in regard to illegal immigration, but this kind of thing really shows how meaningless that is. The idea of a single national culture is a bit of a myth, outside of the most general terminology.

[pedroh 21]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

If it's important to "Never forget" other tragedies and genocides, why not this one?

don't we say, lest we forget?

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Well, we do, Pedroh...lest we forget, history is bound to repeat itself.

[peejay 327]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

If it's important to "Never forget" other tragedies and genocides, why not this one?

Because that's not the reason for the season.

You can "invent" all kinds of lame political statements to to twist the holiday, but that's not what it's about.

Go spend your day off and holiday pay picketing the White House to protest the racist, xenophobic, homophobic, warmongering, genocidal, evil empire of America.

I'll be at home eating turkey, drinking beer, and enjoying myself. You can spend the day at the White House as an act of atonement for our sins (past, present, and future) and wallowing in your guilt (imagined or otherwise). Party on! More power to you.

Edited November 21, 2007 by peejay

[Nagishkaw 510]

If it gives you ulcers and bouts of unrestrained guilt...go to work that day and/or give your your holiday pay back to your employer or to some wino on the street for all I care. Wallow in your misery.

If it's important to "Never forget" other tragedies and genocides, why not this one?

don't we say, lest we forget?

Somethings are never 'forgotten' .