"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."- Matthew 5:4
Posted on 11/16/2007 9:43:43 AM PST by Patriot62
SEATTLE – A letter from the Seattle School District is raising some eyebrows about Thanksgiving and how it should be handled in the classroom.
The letter tells school district staff that the holiday is seen by many Native Americans as a "time of mourning."
It all started three years ago when some Native American parents voiced concerns about how Thanksgiving was being observed in Seattle Schools.
"In terms of what they were seeing in some of the use of the feathers and those things because those are of spiritual and ceremonial significance to us," said Willard Bill, Seattle Public Schools.
For the past three years, the Seattle School District has sent a letter to teachers and staff, telling them "Thanksgiving can be a difficult time for many native students."
This year's letter references a Native American historical website that outlines what it calls myths about Thanksgiving.
Myth number 11 – Thanksgiving is a happy time.
That’s much more of a reality to parents we spoke to.
"I don't think that's a myth at all. I think anything you are thankful for is great," said parent D.D. Boutwell.
The letter also asks teachers to understand that Thanksgiving is a "time of mourning" for many Indian people and a "reminder of 500 years of betrayal."
Some parents say it's political correctness gone too far.
"I think it gets to be silly," said parent Deb Bush.
School officials are quick to say that this letter does not signify a first shot fired in a War on Thanksgiving, and they say teachers are not being told to do anything different in the classroom.
"We just want a more inclusive history taught in our schools. Not a feel good to a feel bad history but a more representative history of who our population is," said Bill.
Local Native American leaders add that not everyone in their community sees Thanksgiving negatively, but there is still plenty of hurt that can only be healed by a deeper understanding of our history.
"We need to free ourselves so that we can manifest that true love and kindness and compassion that's necessary to heal the wounds," said said Phil Lane, Jr., United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.
About 1,200 Native American students from 100 tribes are enrolled in Seattle schools.
Thanksgiving is an American Made event.
Why doesn’t Seattle give the city back to the American Indians?
Make a nice spot for a bunch of casinos. Knock down a bunch of coffee shops and music clubs.
Indians, you can call the shots when it’s your land again. That is to say, never.
And a Great one at that!
“The letter also asks teachers to understand that Thanksgiving is a “time of mourning” for many Indian people and a “reminder of 500 years of betrayal.”
I don’t know about that. The Seminole Tribe here is Florida is thriving for the most part with their reservations and gambling casinos. TAX FREE! You should see some their wild trucks and the clothes, forget about it!
And people wonder why the school enrollment in Seattle is declining and they are having to shut down schools......
Hmmmm.
I’ve always enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with all the trappings. The food, the gathering of friends and family, football, pie and coffee.
Now I get to enjoy knowing politically correct idiots are unhappy too?
Wow. Another thing to be thankful for.....
That holiday should be called: WeSuck Day.
We sit around all day, apologizing to every nation, people, and religion for every wrong, real or imagined.
We pool all our resources, and give them all away.
Then we all commit suicide out of shame for who we are, as a nation and individually.
“I think it gets to be silly,” said parent Deb Bush.”
Bush’s fault.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."- Matthew 5:4
Oh Good grief....
Is this the next KWANZAA of sorts?
No wonder we kicked their butts and took their land ;-)
Liberals want to be able to give thanks for feeling guilty about something.
Thanksgiving Day according to solid history was a time when different peoples joined together.
The Holiday is about Thanking God, but if someone wishes to publicize a political side of it, that is the true political side.
The Natives and Whites were together in peace that day. That is a fact.
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
“For the past three years, the Seattle School District has sent a letter to teachers and staff, telling them “Thanksgiving can be a difficult time for many native students.””
No it’s not, unless they are indoctrinated to think it so.
The first Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration that the Indians of Massachusetts participated in with the Pilgrims.
This PC is totally out of control. ANY person can pick ANY day as their "time of mourning", couldn't they?
I'm picking Labor Day as my personal "day of mourning", it is a reminder of 8 hours a day of work to help pay for all the welfare people in my state, who are too lazy to support themselves.
Please, let it be so!
“VAE VICTUS” - (Woe to the Vanquished).
FR (and the world at large)is full of people who love to hold a grudge over all kinds of slights, no matter how small of old.
Indians are no different.
Pass the stuffing!!
“The letter also asks teachers to understand that Thanksgiving is a “time of mourning” for many Indian people and a “reminder of 500 years of betrayal.”....PITY PARTY ALERT!....They fealt so betrayed, they opened up casinos everywhere!
Stupid people need these administrators to tell them they are victims and how to feel about it.
Here's a suggestion for any libs reading this: $1 tax per meal on Thanksgiving to go to those tribes who don't have casinos. BTW I mourn every time I drive home from a casino.
What a bunch of pure ignorance and white liberal guilt! But this is the way the mentally deranged liberal thinks.
It is PC gone too far.
These people are morons. They need to learn their real history.
In Virginia, the site of the first real Thanksgiving, the Pamunky and Mattoponi American Indian tribes (the politically correct term in Virginia) annually present a "tax tribute" of a turkey and deer to the Governor the day before Thanksgiving.
This is silly. I have not seen better Thanksgiving celebrations than those in Seattle. The few crazies in Seattle have taken over. The schools are becoming “indoctrination centers” with torture soon to follow. The left side of the Cascades is creeping closer to liberal BC.
I have been doing some research, for genealogical purposes,on the Sullivan expedition of the Revolutionary war and I can’t believe the way it is being rewritten as a massacre of the Iroquois Indians instead retribution for the massacre and scalping of women and children by the Iroquois at a village near present day Easton, PA.
They like to write about how the troops, under the direction of George Washington, burned the orchards of the Iroquois. They don’t mention that these orchards were planted by the Indians with the help of the Catholic priests.
If I am Irish Catholic, how many years of mourning am I in?
Start honoring the Treaties you signed and maybe then we will “behave” a bit more to your liking ...
Maybe we can get the liberals to go first. They should have no problem with it, since it can show how much more they care than conservatives do.
Yeah and we'll solve that global warming thingy too.
Thank you! How come no one is ever after the Italian government asking them to apologize for everything the Romans did?
Wouldn’t this violate the liberals idea of seperation of church and state if the Indians view this as a spiritual and religious day of mourning? Guess the only thing that violates that is a Christian holiday, huh?
DANG! That was a rather accurate and savage shot.
Riposte?
Indians, you can call the shots when it’s your land again. That is to say, never.
Agreed. They could have invented ships and created large expeditionary forces and sailed over to Europe to conquer us. But they didn’t. They had more than enough natural resources to get the job done. So why didn’t they?
It’s all sour grapes now.
Thanksgiving Day has nothing whatever to do with the Indians (er, Native Americans) at all. Period. Full stop. It was first set aside by G. Washington as a day to give thanks to God for all our blessings. And that’s the problem for these liberal loons: they want to give thanks to the government.
Dude...
Thems fighting words ...
I do give you credit for using the term "Riposte" though ...
no wait I take it back ...
;-)
What a load of crap.
The insanity never ends in that city. The re-invention of American Indian culture is just as insane. They were nothing more than barbaric murdering savages at constant war with each other. The fake “culture” colorfull ceremonial dress, stupid dances etc. we see on display today never existed.
The “mother earth” worship they are now trying to claim as traditional native culture is a UN invention launched in the early 60’s with input from native activists who conned young students into creating masks and “art” which were sealed in the UN’s new world religion’s “ark of the covenant” (a bastardization of Judeo-Christian Ark of the covenant) and carried to the UN building when it was officially launched on the first “earth day” celebration.
This “mother earth” concept which is being brainwashed into native Indian culture and held up as the “traditional Indian culture of their ancestors” has been cultivated ever since.
Thanksgiving Day according to solid history was a time when different peoples joined together.
The Holiday is about Thanking God, but if someone wishes to publicize a political side of it, that is the true political side.
The Natives and Whites were together in peace that day. That is a fact.
Thanks for posting that. We all need a reminder of the real purpose of Thanksgiving Day.
I think the PC types in Seattle are confusing Thanksgiving with Columbus Day.
Unless you want to deny actual truthful cultural history, that’s what they were. Depending on the tribe, they were extremely savage, and not just toward whites either.
Would it be a Monday holiday?
I'd hate to have to commit suicide on a Wednesday, for instance, and screw up the rest of the week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.