Posted on 11/24/2005 5:13:54 PM PST by lainie
ALCATRAZ ISLAND, United States (AFP) - A tribal chant rose from a thousands-strong prayer circle on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay as Native Americans held a sunrise "Unthanksgiving Day" ceremony.
"What we call it is Unthanksgiving," Bear Lincoln of the Wailikie Tribe told AFP as he waved burning sage to purify the area and ward off evil spirits.
"It was the saddest day for us. It was a big mistake for us to help the Pilgrims survive that first winter. They betrayed us once they got their strength."
Traditional Thanksgiving feasting in the United States is a tribute to the meal the original European Pilgrims shared with the Native Americans who helped them survive in the new land.
An estimated 3,000 people packed onto ferries that set out from Fisherman's Wharf for Alcatraz in the pre-dawn darkness Thursday, according to organizers.
A bonfire blazed at the center of a prayer circle set up on a bluff beneath the Alcatraz lighthouse. And at the base of the rock wall leading up to the ruins of the former federal prison were a pair of Indian teepees.
"Ultimately, this is their land," said Irma Pinedo, a Mexico City native who was among the Aztec dancers taking part in the ceremony. "For us, no turkey today."
Turkey, which nearly became the national bird in the United States instead of the eagle, is the main course at traditional Thanksgiving dinners.
"I take my children to this every year because I want them to understand there is another side to the story," said 41-year-old Erin Alexander, who added that the event has grown significantly since she began attending 12 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.netscape.cnn.com ...
It's hard to fathom why they align with Palestinians and Aztecs (?), then probably wonder why they're not taken more seriously. I think I can see the intent here, but, obviously, the execution is misguided.
Wow, pretty harsh don't you think?
I guess they forgot their ancestor Indians sold off a bunch of their native land for beads and other barter.
Mine did too, but I am over it after two centuries.
Bingo. North American native culture is one of the most over-rated and over-hyped social phenomena. In 15000 years of existence on this continent, these guys did not build any permanent structure of value or significance, which is what you would expect from a legitimate civilization. These people were nothing but a bunch of warmonger nomadic tribes.
"Not only that. The native Americans were slaughtered, raped, and nearly wiped out by the Spanish, long before the pilgrims landed", Then the Democrats tried to do them in. Look up trail of tears. and whose idea was that?
On the other hand, one of the reasons the Pilgrims had such a long period of peace with the Indians was the arrival of various Eur/Asian/African (Old World) diseases that wiped them out ~ mostly in 1646/47/48.
I'd suggest that by 1676 (and the Pequot, et al, uprising) there'd been enough gene flow from the arriving European population to the existing Indian population to have created a new type of warrior ~ one with inherited partial immunity to the Old World diseases.
News you can use.
" In 500 years of contact with Europeans, not once did any of the warring tribes attempt to emulate the European technology or tactics."
Except for that whole rifle/horse thing.
What do you mean "US" Tonto. You werent there. Just go back to your Casino and start dealing blackjack.
Any time one of these stories is posted about some Indians who subscribe to the leftist viewpoint, we have our share here who spout just as much ignorance; i.e. that all Indians are "fat, lazy" and live off of casinos, or that all were nomadic tribes.
Gene flow. Never heard it called that before.
Yeah, I'm not exactly sure who the intended audience is with this one.
You left out "drunk".
The Spaniards wiped out the Incas, they did not give them reservations and casinos. Someday, I would like to hear some gratitude from North American tribes for this.
The photograph of the 2003 ceremony included a view of a portable oxygen cylinder most likely used by one of the "indiginous survivors." What a riot!
Public school graduates.
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