Thanksgiving is often celebrated as a time of gratitude, but it carries a tragic history that some people refuse to acknowledge. For generations, the holiday has been romanticized in schools across America through stories of happy gatherings between Indigenous peoples and European settlers. However, the reality is Thanksgiving is rooted in colonization, conquering, and genocide. Reconsidering Thanksgiving involves understanding its true history and taking steps to honor and support Indigenous communities today.

The Thanksgiving story most people learned sanitized the events. Yes, there was a shared meal in 1621. It is important to note that meal existed in a broader context of conflict, disease, and power struggles between settlers and Indigenous peoples. For Indigenous communities, Thanksgiving can be a painful reminder of the colonization and displacement their ancestors endured. This is why some Indigenous peoples instead refer to Thanksgiving as a Day of Mourning and use the day to honor their ancestors. 

Reconsidering Thanksgiving does not mean American families have to abandon spending time together when many people have a day off of work. It does mean it is an opportunity for families, as a collective, to become informed about Indigenous peoples’ history, learn about current Indigenous issues, and advocate for the needs and issues Indigenous peoples have identified. Land acknowledgments are not enough.

Below are ways to learn more about Indigenous peoples and tangible ways to support Indigenous Peoples.

Get informed.

• Learn the true Thanksgiving story
  • ICT: Thanksgiving stories gloss over the history of US settlement
  • Teen Vogue: Native American Girls Describe the REAL history behind Thanksgiving
  • Brut: The Myth of Thanksgiving
  • MTV Decoded: Everything You Know about Thanksgiving is Wrong
• Learn the various practices of Indigenous peoples on Thanksgiving
  • ICT: UnThanksgiving organizers want to rethink colonial holidays
  • Indigenous Peoples Movement: Today is the National Day of Mourning. How Do You Spend this Day?
  • CNN: How some Indigenous chefs observe Thanksgiving – or don’t
• Learn about the importance of preserving Indigenous languages
  • The Indigenous Foundation: Why is Perseving Indigenous Languages Important?
  • WatchCut: One Word: Language (Native Americans)
• Learn Indigenous history beyond Thanksgiving.
  • Read An “Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States”
• Learn about how to include Indigenous resources in school and classroom libraries appropriately.
  • National Museum of the American Indian: Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving
  • School Library Journal: Unteaching the Native Narrative

Support Indigenous businesses.

• ICT: Indigenous-owned businesses for the holiday season
• Smarter in Seconds with Blair Imani: Support Indigenous Artisans (list)
• Good Housekeeping: 20 Indigenous and Native Owned Businesses to Shop

The brief list above is only a starting point. Feel free to leave other resources in the comment section of this article or where the article is posted on social media.

It is time to transform school curriculum to reflect the honest history of Indigenous people.

It is time for all Americans to learn the history and to support Indigenous peoples locally and across America.

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