Thanksgiving holiday is misconstrued (Ithaca Prof: holiday means racism, genocide, etc.)

The Ithacan | Park 269 ^ | November 16, 2006 | By Brooke Hansen / Guest writer

[Behind Liberal Lines]

The celebration of a mythical Thanksgiving did not happen in this country for several hundred years after the event, by which time American Indians had been colonized, assimilated and removed from many of their ancestral lands, usually through dubious treaties and other means that are still being questioned today. Thanksgiving has been further colonized by capitalism in recent times, further removing us from the true meanings of “thanksgivings” that Native people honor on many occasions throughout the year.

Much like American-Indian mascots, people say that American Indians are being honored by the remembrance of that “first” Thanksgiving, which children purportedly embody with their construction paper and dyed chicken feather headdresses. If we want to honor American Indians, we need to take a deep look at the genocide that was perpetrated against them, the dishonest taking of Indian lands, the horrific conditions that churches and the U.S. government put them through in the Native boarding schools, and the current struggles for land, sovereignty and cultural survival.

Brooke Hansen is an associate professor of anthropology. E- mail her at kbhansen@ithaca.edu.

[Tench_Coxe]

"As a genuine Native American, I would have to agree with Miss Hansen. Fight the power!"