Growing up, for Thanksgiving I would gather with my 15 younger cousins, 24 aunts and uncles, and my maternal grandparents at their house on the edge of Denver. There was turkey and stuffing and my grandmother’s creamed onions and wildly competitive family soccer games.
Leading up to the day we sang songs about turkeys in school and were fed the problematic story of the amicable dinner shared by indigenous people and colonizers. Though at some point I recognized that there were some issues with the Thanksgiving story, I appreciated the gathering and gratitude, and tried to focus on those aspects of the holiday. This was a choice born out of privilege.
My daughter was born on Thanksgiving Day, 7 years ago. As her mother, I see part of my role as ensuring that she knows the real story of the history of this country, and actively engages in the healing of both land and people. In attempting these conversations with her in these past couple of years, I realized I have quite a lot of learning and relearning to do, first, for myself.
I found these resources helpful and wanted to pass them along:
- Check out this “Rethinking Thanksgiving” Toolkit created by the Indigenous Solidarity Network
- Check out this powerful artwork and this lesson plan about indegeonous leadership and stewardship from Amplifier Art’s collaborations with Illuminative and Nia Tero
- Check out this interesting article on 8 Ways to Decolonize and Honor Native Peoples on Thanksgiving filled with more reading and resources
So, here’s to taking this most unusual year of upheaval and exposed broken systems and creating new traditions that take us not back to what was but instead towards what we can become.
In gratitude for this community.
Jen
P.S. If you are holiday shopping this weekend, know that 25% of all Radici store sales will go to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, Sogorea Te’ calls on native and non-native peoples to heal and transform the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.
P.P.S. This week Coloring pages for free download will also include a bonus image of “When you have more than you need, Build a Longer Table not a Higher wall.” (Check out my daughter’s COVID mask version below).
P.P.P.S. The Still We Rise Auction is in full force on IG- bid on beautiful items until December 1st and 100% of proceeds go to flipping the senate #winbothseats
