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 ...
Oh Puleeezzzzzzze
My beautiful Indian wife calls Columbus day the day of the invasion. She did cook turkey today and it was pretty good.
I've noticed that also. With a wife that was born & raised on Crow Agency, MT, I've probably heard every insult/rude comment one can throw at somebody. While these type of "happenings" don't occur often; the overwhelming majority of these comments directed at me, my wife, or my kids have come from people on the left and most comments are ridicuoulsy juvenile and unoriginal.
I guess all of the tax free millions in casinos doesn't make them happy either.
Don't forget the indians were warring and enslaving amongst themselves. Sacajawea was a Shoshone who was captlured at an early age by the Hidatsa indians and made a slave. Was it also right for the indians to confiscate land from each other? There is enough blame to go around to all cultures.
Ignore them, give thanks, and they'll go away.
("2 year old seeking attention" syndrome)
You simply cannot apply today's standards to things that happened over 500 years ago. Liberal revisionists just love to do that.
ULTIMATELY, history tells us it was someone else's before it was theirs, too.
It's only a matter of how far back the line is drawn to decide who's the owner and who's the squatter.
At some point we have to decide if we're going to live in the past or in the current world, and make the best of it without playing victim.
Nobody likes a whiner, except other whiners.
Oh WOW, what a view of what should have happened.
ie: "Leave them alone."
I really didn't expect more from you or persons of your ilk
than what you wrote. Your first rant was of the past which cannot be undone. Just how did you expect "them" to be left alone when since from square one in the course of human progress "them" in the way were pushed aside by good, bad or indifferent superior progress. The almost total result was for the overall benefit of all concerned.
"Conquest and colonization" have been going on through out the world and and in this case in the US by the original
"them" since precolumbian.
Sheeesh, Please get rid of your negativity.
To the folks who want to trash all Native Americans/Indians because of stunts like "unthanksgiving", just keep in mind how many Native Americans have served in the U.S. military.
It's intended. When the government wanted the lands back in Oklahoma, they traded them for the personal allotments with the stipulation that they be enrolled with the federal government retaining oversight of the lands given. All rental and usage of this land is overseen by bureaucrats in the BIA. My personal experience is that every one I've met and talked to, go out of their way to keep Indians from requesting that their lands be removed from the federal trust.
To qualify my initial statement that it appears to me to be intended, from what I've seen the BIA exists merely to keep the Indians in a state of status quo. One example, being a government branch, the BIA will secure any rental or royalty lease without regard to the best interests of the owner. A lot of these leases are given to the lowest bidder just to keep the owners from profiting from their own land. In talking to one, he went out of his way to try to dissuade my mother from taking her lands out of trust. Her land is owned by herself and the families of her two brothers. He first tried to dissuade her by giving her all the cons of outright owning the land. He then stalled and avoided seeing her. Since all surveying work had to go through his office, it was impossible to get the land surveyed so that the various relatives could try to agree on allotments. To top it off, any attempts to reach management above his office resulted in the same bureaucratic run-a-round.
You're right. Socialism fails. One more example: the Indian Health Service. It was atrocious. It is a perfect example of what we could expect of public health services on a national scale. Some tribes have taken over complete management of their health services recently and the quality has gone up dramatically.
One thing I don't get; the willingness for some conservatives to sidestep the idea of individualism and group Indians as I stated in my original post. The tribes vary, but my family and most I know grew up Christian. We're not all liberal tree huggers and nature worshippers. We don't all subscribe to the leftist worldview. Most I know, even those who are apolitical, live a conservative lifestyle and adhere to conservative principles and family life. I've said this before and at least one freeper was honest enough to state that they had no idea. We're not all hollywood Indians.
One word: torpedoes.
Great point, thanks. I didn't serve, one slight regret I have, but I have two cousins who did. One was much older, a Marine who died in Vietnam. These threads can sometimes really bring out the worst generalities.
"Having been to several Pow Wows, I have to say that those Indians I observed and some I met were wonderful people. At every Pow Wow I attended, they celebrated the American Flag and Veterans in parade. These were very positive experiences."
Sounds like the flag waving Indians at the Pow Wow are different than the ones that show up at Alcatraz.
*It also seems the Indians organizing and participating in POW WOWs throughout America are independent "entrepeneurs":
craftsmen and traders, professional ceremonial dancers and musicians, etc., and many families who seek to reclaim old tribal traditions. Circle Dances and Drumming are theraputic in meaning and effect. It's sad that there are "liberal" con artists like Ward Churchill who exploit for their OWN PERSONAL FINANCIAL BENEFIT the weaknesses and problems suffered by many of our American Indians. There are many leftists who are really professional activists living off funds given in the name of seeking "justice." The most pervading of those is the ACLU. I have no doubt that the "Unthanksgiving" Rite was organized by the ACLU.
Conquest was how the Mohigans took land from the Pequots in my neck of the woods and it was how all tribes took land from each other during the centuries that they held sway here.
After having the continent for 20,000 years and working it all the way up to the neolithic, they lost it to a group that, 400 years later, left footprints on the moon. The principle at work is called highest and best use.
Well, The Americas were hit by a tidal wave of European invasions. It is all very Darwinian, isn't it?
I respect the American Indians' point of view and sentiment. Unfortunately, the Indian perspective is targeted for exploitation by leftist/communist/ACLU, et al.
There is no better example of this self-serving radical activism *on behalf of Indians* than arch-hypocrite Ward Churchill. Ranting against government betrayals, which existed, and against the evils of capitalism greatly benefitted Churchill's capital coffers. Rosebud Reservation has not benefitted by Churchill's many years of "activism" on behalf of dispirited Indians.
Thanks-giving is not limited to celebrating the first American colonial harvest and feast.
BTW, New Hampshire got hit with about 4 inches of snow on Thanksgiving Day.
*
That's why I used it.
Yes, and by todays standards they receive superior treatment than any white man. The wrongs have been repented of, and repaired. Now they should look at what they can do to improve themselves. Most indians live in poverty and ignorance.
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