DECOLONIZING Text by SASHA BOUDTCHENKO and SOFIA ANTEBI
INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES ON COLONIAL HOLIDAY
Art by DAVID TOMZ
many natives of their property and rights, groups during the formation and evolution leaving them homeless on their ancestral of this country.” lands. Though Thanksgiving is marketed Paisley emphasized the importance of as a time of peaceful communion between learning and teaching the holiday’s history natives and colonists, their relationship was beyond what is taught to young children at rarely peaceful, and many Indigenous peo- school. ple have called attention to this dichotomy. “Latching onto false narratives of Nevertheless, some Indigenous schol- peaceful relations between Natives and ars today, such as Stanford University’s Euro-American settlers at the foundation Center for the Comof this nation perE HAD CERTAIN WAYS parative Studies in Race petuates an incorrect that we did life under our and Ethnicity Advisory The holiday is based public assumption sun,” Muwekma Ohlone Board Chair, Valerie upon a false premise that marginalizes the tribe member Joseph Tor- Red-Horse Mohl, value experiences of conres said. “And now we’re stuck in a four-cor- the celebration of grat- of a mutually bentemporary Indigenered wall … celebrating colonizers’ visions itude that comes with eficial relationship nous people,” Paisley of celebrations of mixed relations.” the holiday. wrote. Prior to the arrival of European settlers “I don’t like the between Natives and To move forand the violence that followed. Indigenous history of what hap- settlers” ward, Paisley finds tribes such as the Muwekma Ohlone — pened around the first that visibility is of —WILL PAISLEY, Stanford student one the greatest iswho are native to the San Francisco Bay Thanksgiving,” RedArea — lived drastically different, uncon- Horse Mohl said. “I sues facing the Indigfined lives where they were free to practice mean, there’s lots of enous community. their traditions and live by their cultural negatives, you can look at the smallpox that “One of Native America’s greatest values. was brought, and just all kinds of things. challenges is combatting the myth of invisThough Thanksgiving often celebrates But I think at the end of the day, it is a ibility,” Paisley wrote. “If the public percepthe tale of the union good time to give thanks tion thinks that all Natives were killed and of pilgrims and Infor whatever is a blessing no longer exist, that sets a dangerous precdigenous tribes, the We’re still here, we’re in our lives.” edent which undermines the contemporary truth of struggle and still trying to bring Two-Spirit Stan- experiences of our extremely culturally hetdisplacement is conford University student erogeneous population.” cealed behind this back our ways, our of Navajo and BlackPaisley said he encourages people to festive mirage. In cultural ways that feet origin, Will Paisley, educate themselves on the Indigenous perlight of the upcomexpressed similar senti- spective. ing holiday, Verde were once really beatments. “Learn whose original land you are reached out to local en out of us,” “I was not raised on,” Paisley wrote. “Make some effort to Indigenous voices with a critical perspec- understand the contemporary struggles of —CHARLENE NIJMEH, chairwoman of tive of the holiday as we Native people and examine how one can be for perspectives on Muwekma Tribal Council celebrate it in the spirit a better ally to tribal peoples.” the traditions of Thanksgiving. Here of gratitude for one anAs a part of her effort to represent conis what we learned. other,” Paisley wrote in temporary Indigenous people, Red-Horse The first Thanksgiving was a celebra- an email to Verde. “However, that does not Mohl encourages others to take time tion of colonial success, a conquest that divorce the fact the holiday is based upon a during this holiday to learn more came at the cost of native lands. According false premise of a mutually beneficial rela- about the native experito a New York Times article, in subsequent tionship between Natives and settlers which ence by decades, descendants of the settlers that presents a narrative of peace between celebrated the first Thanksgiving stripped the two
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26 NOVEMBER 2021
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