My name is Mike Jetty and I am a member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation and a Turtle Mountain Chippewa descendant and I work at the Office of Public Instruction as an Indian Education Specialist.
I hope the school year is going well for all of you. It is already the end of November and a major cultural celebration is once again upon us – Thanksgiving. I was asked to share my perspective regarding Thanksgiving and to provide some examples of how educators can teach about the history behind Thanksgiving in a more accurate and inclusive manner. These are my thoughts and are in no way intended to serve as a statement reflecting all of the multiple American Indian perspectives regarding this issue (Essential Understanding #2).
I have heard from several of my American Indian friends that they do not celebrate the holiday because it is based on a lie that serves as a way to perpetuate a feel-good history that does not tell the whole story of the cultural genocide that occurred in our country’s history. Other American Indian people that I know do celebrate the holiday in the traditional manner reflected in our contemporary American culture and I know some American Indians who celebrate the holiday in their own ways that incorporate unique cultural traditions from their people. I personally view Thanksgiving as a great time to gather with family and friends to give thanks for all that we have and to have a meal that includes all of the traditional fixings. Maybe watch a little football, eat some tasty left overs and share some bad jokes like this one…Do you know why some Wampanoags don’t like April showers? Because they bring Mayflowers…. I could not resist throwing in at least one bad joke.
We know that cultures from all around the world have ceremonies to give thanks for a multitude or reasons. Certainly all of the Indigenous cultures of the Americas had their own ways of offering thanks and so did the European immigrants who landed on the Eastern shores of North America.
So how did we get to this point?
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, as part of his efforts to help heal the country divided by a bloody and violent civil war, declared the last Thursday of November to be a national holiday of giving thanks. It took several years for the holiday to take on a mythical quality that was based upon a peaceful feast that occurred between the Pilgrims and Wampanaogs. Historical accounts from both parties attest that a gathering did occur in 1621 but what happened before, during and after the feast has morphed into a dominant culture mythological narrative perpetuated by our educational systems for over a hundred years (Essential Understanding 6).
As educators it is important that we present a more accurate and inclusive history of our country and this includes deconstructing the myth surrounding the first thanksgiving in 1621. I think events like this provide an excellent opportunity for us to implement Indian Education for All in our classrooms. I have included numerous links to excellent teaching resources and articles that provide good background information about the holiday that I hope provide you with some ideas on how to approach this issue in your own classroom.
Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, I do wish that all of you enjoy the upcoming break and get to spend some quality time with your family and friends or just enjoy some quiet time by yourself. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding Indian Education for All and I will do my best to assist you. Good luck with the rest of the school year!
Interesting links:
- "American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving," National Museum of the American Indian
- "Recognizing Native American Perspectives: Thanksgiving and the National Day of Mourning," National Geographic 9-12 Activity
- "The Wampanoag Side of the First Thanksgiving Story," Indian Country Today
- "Thanksgiving Mourning," Teaching Tolerance 6-8, 9-12 Lesson
- "The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday," by Sean Sherman, Time Magazine
- Colonization and American Indian Perspectives," Montana Office of Public Instruction grades 7-8 lesson
- "What Educators Need To Know About Teaching Thanksgiving," National Public Radio
- "3 ways to expand Native American curriculum beyond Thanksgiving myths," Education Dive
- "The Invention of Thanksgiving," by Philip Deloria, New Yorker
No comments:
Post a Comment