Thanksgiving Mourning

Grade Levels: 7-12

Perspective
Much of the mythology that surrounds Thanksgiving focuses on the peaceful, cross-cultural exchange between the "Pilgrims and Indians." While it's true that the Wampanoag and the Planters shared in a harvest celebration, within fifty years, the Wampanoag would no longer be a free people. For some Native Americans, Thanksgiving is no cause for celebration, but rather serves as a reminder of colonization's devastating impact on indigenous peoples.

In this activity, students will review two written works by Native American authors. The first -- a speech written by Wamsutta James in 1970 -- gave birth to the National Day of Mourning, which is observed on Thanksgiving by some indigenous people. To them, Thanksgiving is "a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture." The Day of Mourning, on the other hand, is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest of the racism and oppression that Native Americans continue to experience.

The second document is an essay by Jacqueline Keeler, a member of the Dineh Nation and the Yankton Dakota Sioux; she works with the American Indian Child Resource Center in Oakland, Calif. Unlike some of her Native peers, Keeler celebrates Thanksgiving. And unlike most non-Native Americans, she does so through a distinctly indigenous lens.

Objectives

• Students will examine how diverse groups can perceive shared experiences differently.
• Students will review commentary from indigenous writers about Thanksgiving.
• Students will make inferences and draw conclusions based on written information.
• Students will write letters of thanks.

Materials

• Copies of The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta James from the United American Indians of New England

  Copies of Thanksgiving: A Native American View by Jacqueline Keeler from the Pure Water Gazette

Suggested Procedures
Ask students to describe the origin of the Thanksgiving holiday. Write key words and images on the board. If necessary, draw out elements of the origin story that relate to Native Americans. Where did students learn these stories? What ideas or values do students think of when they celebrate Thanksgiving? Examples students may give: thanks, charity, generosity, being good neighbors,

As you distribute the reading materials, verbally share information from the "Perspective" section, above.

Allow students time to read the materials. As a class, discuss:

• Reflect back on the values of Thanksgiving students described at the start of the activity. Did the Pilgrims uphold these values in their treatment toward the Indians? Why?
• What was new to you in the authors' descriptions of the first Thanksgiving? Why do you think these details are sometimes omitted from popular culture's take on Thanksgiving?

   

• Why does Keeler refer to Native Americans as a "very select group of survivors"? Is her characterization consistent with James's perception? Why?

   

• Wamsutta James' speech inspired some Native Americans to boycott Thanksgiving and instead observe a National Day of Mourning. Keeler takes a slightly different approach. Which approach makes the most sense to you? Why
• Keeler sees present-day Thanksgiving celebrations as a tool for healing. What are ways this can happen? Does the Day of Mourning advance or hinder healing? Why?

   

• In what ways are James's and Keeler's perspectives gifts to our nation?

As a closing activity, ask students to write letters to Wamsutta James and/or Jacqueline Keeler thanking them for sharing their perspectives. Encourage students to identify specific things they have learned from James and/or Keeler and to explain how this new knowledge impacts their own understanding of Thanksgiving.

Although James passed away in 2001, teachers can send student letters to the United American Indians of New England, which oversees to National Day of Mourning, at 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Letters to Keeler can be sent in care of the American Indian Child Resource Center at 522 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610.