Commentary:
By Andy Porras

There is a popular Native American credence that alleges that the “worst time to be Indian is in October and in November.” October, of course, belongs to the Columbus crowd while Thanksgiving Day is our November holiday of note.

Ah, Thanksgiving – a time to sit around a U.S. History table teeming with servings of myths, lies and insults affecting almost all non-white Americans.

From an early age, we have been fed the story about frankhearted Pilgrims, who searched for religious freedom that took them from merry old England to Massachusetts and the new world, where they survived with the help of friendly Wampanoag Indians. Thanks to this early humanitarian effort, they survived in the strange and extremely harsh environment. Eventually, this supposedly led to a “harvest feast” around 1621 following the newly arrivals’ first winter in their newly acquired real estate. Granted, some of these conventional tale situations are fact.

Fair enough, but let’s note that another “celebration” took place back in 1637, when the Massachusetts Governor, John Winthrop proclaimed a “thanksgiving day” for the massacre of hundreds of Pequot Indian men, women and children.

This hedious act was “merely a part of the bloody process” to open up additional land for the approaching English hordes in search of property and their so-called religious freedom.

Thanksgiving is the day when the ascendant white culture commemorates the beginning of a genocide that was blessed by some of the same men we have been taught to call our founding fathers.

George Washington, is quoted as saying said he preferred buying Indians’ land rather than driving them off. The father of the country said it was like driving “wild beasts” from the forest. He also compared Indians to wolves, and stated, “both being beasts of prey, tho’ they differ in shape.”

Few have ever noticed that Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, refers to Natives as “merciless Indian Savages” in that sacred document. TJ was also known to romanticize Indians and their culture, but that didn’t stop him in 1807 from writing to his secretary of war that in a coming conflict with certain tribes, “We shall destroy all of them.”

One can just imagine what the common-folk thought of this land’s original dwellers if these early men of letters and reason thought so little of fellow human beings! Even that other great American, Teddy Roosevelt thought little of the natives. The 26th U.S. President is on record as having stated, “I don’t go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of ten are, and I shouldn’t like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth.” Bully!
One is tempted to utter the proverbial “with friends like these. . .” But really, what were the founding dads and even historians thinking? That we couldn’t handle the truth or what? Worse, we’ve been telling the same lies over and over while across former Indian Country, countless children reenact the Great Thanksgiving Myth complete with Safeway paper bag outfits and black construction paper Pilgrim hats. Holy Mother of God, what have we done?

Meanwhile, we insist that young people know history. There is a growing concern about the younger generations’ lack of knowledge about, and respect for, the history we claim to be true and as taught in our schools. Also, we are forever feeding them the fibs the founding fathers and early explorers’ bravery. We’re suppose to honor those who “settled this country” and about how crucial it is for our children to learn these things.

But as soon as one mentions facts that contradict a celebratory story like Thanksgiving Day, and dive into the genocide of indigenous people and other realities, parents and other adults tell them not to utilize such information, to stick to the “real history.” No sooner is one through delivering such a lecture and accusations of trying to degrade our proud nation and sabotage young people’s faith in America the beautiful are hurled by those adults, including some administrators entrenched in the status quo.

But there’s hope, last year a principal in Massachusetts sent this e-mail to her staff:

“When we were young we might have been able to claim ignorance of the atrocities that Christopher Columbus committed against the indigenous peoples,” wrote Kennedy School Principal Anne Foley. “We can no longer do so. For many of us and our students celebrating this particular person is an insult and a slight to the people he annihilated. On the same lines, we need to be careful around the Thanksgiving Day time as well.”

Hey, it’s a start. Kind of late for many, but at least some educators are finally agreeing that some of the “cherished American holidays” are not so treasured once the real facts surface.

So, as we take our place around the Thanksgiving Day table to gorge ourselves on the bounty of empire, most of us will worry. Not about the plight of Native Americans, but of overeating and our respective waistlines. Few will be thinking about the harrowing effects of the day’s actualities.

Bon appetit.