Giving Thanks and Honoring Native American Heritage Day

Thanksgiving is known to many of us as a time of gratitude, happiness, family, and food. However, this holiday does not necessarily signify the same message for Native Americans. 

The narrative most of us have been taught in schools about Thanksgiving is that settlers from England bravely sailed over to the New World and befriended the Native Americans they found already living there. The Native Americans then helped out the settlers by teaching them how to grow food and hunt, and eventually shared a large feast with them.

This narrative does not address the centuries of genocide, cultural wipeout, and land stolen from Native American peoples. Some Native Americans choose to reject the Thanksgiving holiday because of this, while others choose to focus on the more positive aspects of the holiday. 

Native American Heritage Day falls the day after Thanksgiving, or on the day most widely marketed as Black Friday. We encourage you to take this day to acknowledge the injustices Native American peoples have experienced, and take the time to celebrate the beauty of Native American culture. While we cannot go back and change the past, we can absolutely change the future by becoming better allies and advocates for equality and reparations for Native American peoples. 

If you’re interested in hearing a Native American point of view on this, please refer to this article here: https://blog.nativehope.org/what-does-thanksgiving-mean-to-native-americans 

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving, and happy Native American Heritage Day.