The Real Tale of Thanksgiving
Carey MacCarthy
Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Author, Speaker, Researcher, VOTED TOP ART THERAPIST 2024
I wanted to give voice to the Native People in this week's article as we are still in Native American Heritage Month....I have lived on 2 Native American reservations, am a descendent of the Wyandot Tribe of Ohio, and have devoted my entire Art Therapy career to helping to rebuild First Nations People.
Thanksgiving has always been a time for families to gather, eat, and be grateful...
However, for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving carries mixed feelings, as it also symbolizes the beginning of centuries of tragedy and challenges brought by European colonization, that still continue to this day.
SO I am reposting an article authored by the Smithsonian National Museum of The American Indian
Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving
The "First Thanksgiving" is often portrayed as a friendly harvest celebration where Pilgrims and generic, nameless Indians came together to eat and give thanks....
....The "First Thanksgiving" as a national story is incomplete and inaccurate. The whole history is more complex and includes the Wampanoag voice and perspective that have been largely absent from this narrative. The Wampanoag and neighboring Native nations were interacting with European explorers, traders, and enslavers for nearly one hundred years before English settlers arrived at the Wampanoag village of Patuxet in 1620.
After careful observation, negotiations, and exchanges, the Wampanoag decided to assist the English settlers. However, their interactions had much more to do with political alliances and diplomacy than a budding friendship. Cooperation and peace were short-lived. To learn more about the true history that goes beyond a shared meal in 1621, see our inquiry-based resource The "First Thanksgiving": How Can We Tell a Better Story?
Giving thanks is a longstanding, central tradition among Indigenous peoples that is still practiced today. Native traditions are distinct, complex, and specific to each individual nation.
As controversial as Thanksgiving, the holiday as we know it may be, there are many Native families who do celebrate this day. I was married into a Lakota Family for many years who celebrate....
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I used to live in New Mexico and attended Feast Day of the Pueblo Natives, which is their traditional celebration of gratitude for the harvest, where they invite the entire village (which now is open to the general public) and you can go from house to house and sit at a stranger's dinner table and eat a meal with them. They have dancing in the village center where 200 dancers sing, dance and pray in the hot sun all day long as a gesture of gratitude. I highly encourage you to go to New Mexico and participate in a Feast Day if you never have... it is truly incredible and sacred.
As a white American culture there is a lot to be learned from Native Cultures....to learn from them but not copy, appropriate or disrespect other's heritage, Life Ways or Traditions.
In the 70's I was a pilgrim in the school play ....If only I had known how inappropriate that was.....
In the 70's I was a pilgrim in the school play ....If only I had known how inappropriate that was.....As I danced around on the stage as a kindergartner, I had no idea how disrespectful I was being, and I doubt my teacher understood that either as an educator in that era.
Projects that attempt to adapt or copy Native traditions often perpetuate stereotypes and misunderstandings of Native cultures, and can sometimes be construed as cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation occurs when elements of a culture—such as symbols, clothing, language, or traditions—are adopted or used by individuals from another culture, often without understanding or respecting their original meaning or significance. It becomes especially problematic when the culture being appropriated is marginalized or oppressed, as this dynamic can reinforce power imbalances, perpetuate stereotypes, and strip those cultural elements of their context.
For example, wearing sacred attire, like a Native American headdress, as a fashion statement disregards its deep spiritual and ceremonial importance. While cultural exchange can be positive and foster understanding, appropriation often involves taking from a culture for personal gain without acknowledging its origins or giving back to the community it belongs to and can be seen as disrespectful.
In my younger years, I used to attend many music festivals and I used to see young women running around in leather bikinis wearing fake Native American feathered head dresses without any understanding of the disrespect they are exhibiting. There were a few times when my Native friends and I would take the opportunity to educate them on their fashion choices.
Re-education is an important & necessary....
Re-education is essential to prevent cultural appropriation and foster respect for diverse cultures. This process involves teaching individuals and communities about the histories, traditions, and meanings behind cultural practices, symbols, and expressions.
Education can help people recognize the difference between cultural appreciation—engaging with a culture respectfully and authentically—and appropriation, which often disregards context and perpetuates harm. Schools, workplaces, and media can play a key role by incorporating inclusive curricula, promoting diverse voices, and encouraging critical conversations about cultural sensitivity.
Re-education also emphasizes the importance of listening to those from other cultures , amplifying their perspectives, and understanding the impact of cultural misrepresentation. By increasing awareness, empathy, and accountability, re-education can help create a society that values cultural exchange while respecting the dignity and integrity of all communities.