Native American activists mark annual Day of Mourning to dispel 'Thanksgiving myth'

Activists also express support for Palestinian people, saying US aid to Israel 'must end'

Servet Gunerigok |24.11.2023 

WASHINGTON

Native American activists gathered Thursday in the state of Massachusetts to mark the 54th annual National Day of Mourning to honor their ancestors.

The annual event, which falls on the Thanksgiving holiday observed in the US, was organized by the United American Indians of New England at Cole's Hill in Plymouth.

Kisha James, an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Oglala Lakota Nation, said the native activists gathered to mourn their ancestors, tear down settler mythologies and speak truth to power.

"Once again on so-called Thanksgiving Day, United American Indians of New England and our supporters are gathered on this hill to observe the National Day of Mourning for the Indigenous people murdered by settler colonialism and imperialism from Turtle Island to Palestine," said James.

"Turtle Island" is a term used by some Indigenous peoples to refer to the continent of North America.

She said the National Day of Mourning was established 53 Thanksgivings ago when her grandfather, Wamsutta Frank James, an Aquinnah Wampanoag man, was invited by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to speak at a banquet celebrating the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the pilgrims.

"However, the speech that Wamsutta wrote, which was based on historical fact rather than the sham version of history perpetuated in the Thanksgiving myth, was a far cry from complementary. In his speech, Wamsutta not only named atrocities committed by the pilgrims, but he also reflected upon the fate of the Wampanoag at the hands of settler invaders," she said.

James also pointed out that some Wampanoag ancestors had welcomed the pilgrims and saved them from starvation, only to receive in return "genocide, the theft of our lands, the destruction of our traditional ways of life, slavery, starvation and never-ending oppression" from the settlers.

"When people perpetuate the myth of Thanksgiving, they are not only erasing our genocide but also celebrating it," she said. "We did not simply fade into the background as the Thanksgiving myth says. We have survived and flourished. We have persevered."

During her speech, James expressed support for the Palestinian people, pledging to continue their efforts "until Palestine is free."

Mahtowin Munro, co-leader of the United American Indians of New England, also addressed the gathering, expressing solidarity with refugees and migrants who she said are being forced to leave their home countries due to US policies.

She highlighted the "misguided" notion held by the pilgrims and Puritans that they were entering a wilderness provided for them by their God, as if the lands were empty and awaiting their arrival.

"This idea is so embedded that even today I hear from school children and adults alike that the Europeans brought civilization here, and that Indigenous peoples were not actually doing anything with the land," said Munro.

She said the settler invaders renamed the streets and villages and rivers, adding: "They actively erase the existence of people who lived here and continue to live here. And this certainly sounds familiar to Palestinians."

"When I look at Gaza, I see two reflections of all the Indigenous people killed in the wave after wave of massacres here in North America, in Congo, in Haiti, in Australia, and Ireland, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Algeria -- people around the world whose only crime has been to exist and resist settler colonialism," she added.

"The Palestinian people need reparations to rebuild. Occupation and settlements must end, US aid to Israel must end. Palestine must be free," said Munro.

Later, the crowd, carrying Palestine flags, chanted "Free, Free Palestine.”

Since 1970, Indigenous people and their allies have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to observe the National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the organizers' website, many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the pilgrims and other European settlers. For them, Thanksgiving Day serves as a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the erasure of Native cultures.

Dating back to the early 17th century when English Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.