General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHistorian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on Thanksgiving: "It Has Never Been About Honoring Native Americans"
Historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on Thanksgiving: "It Has Never Been About Honoring Native Americans"
author of An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States and co-author of All the Real Indians Died Off: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans.
As much of the United States prepares to mark Thanksgiving this weekend, many Native Americans will gather in Plymouth to commemorate the 47th National Day of Mourning. This year is dedicated to water protectors at Standing Rock and to the struggle for recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. To discuss this and more, we speak with indigenous historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. She is the author of "An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States" and co-author of "All the Real Indians Died Off: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans."
NERMEEN SHAIKH: As much of the United States prepares to mark Thanksgiving this weekend, many Native Americans will gather in Plymouth to commemorate the 47th National Day of Mourning. This year is dedicated to water protectors at Standing Rock and to the struggle for recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. To discuss this and more, were joined in San Francisco by indigenous historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Shes the author of An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States and co-author of All the Real Indians Died Off: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans. Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Roxanne. Could you tell us, as the nation prepares to observe Thanksgiving, a national holiday ostensibly meant to honor Native people, what are your thoughts?
ROXANNE DUNBAR-ORTIZ: Well, thank you for having me on the show. Actually, its never been about honoring Native Americans. Its been about the origin story of the United States, the beginning of genocide, dispossession and constant warfare from that timeactually, from 1607 in Jamestownuntil the present. Its a colonial system that was set up. Theres a sort of annual calendar for this origin story, beginning with Columbus, October 12. Why celebrate Columbus? It was the onset of colonialism, the slave trade and dispossession of the Native people of the Americas. So, that is celebrated with a federal holiday. Thats followed then by Thanksgiving, which is a completely made-up story to say the Native people welcomed these people who were going to devastate their civilizations, which is simply a lie. And then you go to Presidents Days, the Founding Fathers, in February, and celebrate these slaveowners, Indian killers. George Washington headed the Virginia militia for the very purpose of killing Native people on the periphery of the colony, before, you know, when it was still a Virginia colony. And then we have the big day, the fireworks, July 4th, independence, which is probably the most tragic event in world history, because it gave usit gave the world a genocidal regime under the guise of democracy. And thats really theIm a historian, so thats the historical context that I think we have to see Thanksgiving in, that it is a part of that mythology that attempts to cover up the real history of the United States.
It actuallywhen it was introduced as a holiday by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, there was no mention of pilgrims and Native people or food or pumpkins or anything like that. It was simply a day for families to be together and mourn their dead and be grateful for the living. And I think thats an appropriate holiday, thathow people should enjoy it. But they should take Native Americans and Puritans out of the picture for it to be a legitimate holiday of feast and sharing with family and friends.
So, thatsyou know, the people at Plymouth, I send greetings to them. They have, for many yearsI think its almost 40 years nowstood up and testified to the lie of Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, the pilgrims. And this is very hard for people to give up. This is the nationalnationalism. Its actuallyAmericanism is white supremacy and represents negative things. Theres almost no way to reconcile it. It simply has to be deconstructed and faced up to; and, otherwise, there will be no social change thats meaningful for anyone.
https://www.democracynow.org/2016/11/23/historian_roxanne_dunbar_ortiz_on_thanksgiving