Native Americans Mourn Loss of Land With "Unthanksgiving" Rite

Netscape News via Drudge ^ | 11/24/2005 | AFP

[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.

[boulderite20]

Saying you dont know what your talking about was probably too harsh and i feel you may be misunderstanding certain practices.

"The Indians had no such qualms about these as they had no law."

Although Indians may not have had a specific list of laws, they did follow cultural laws and practices that are common in communal societies.

"Trappers reported Indians killing other Indians in camp over minor slights, and killing people just for the fun of it."

I have never heard of native americans killing just for the sake of killing. If these accounts of indians are from a trappers perspective then there is almost always a moderate to strong bias in the reports. Have you ever read Vespucci's account of the "savages" upon returning to Europe? It differs drastically from the accounts of Columbus' accounts. This was mainly due to Vespucci's wittnessing of "savage" acts and their customs regarding clothing and sexual behavior. Also, the reason Captain Cook was killed while off the coast of Hawaii was purely a huge religious misunderstanding which led to his death. Drastic cultural differences often caused huge distortions of taled of contact with natives.

"Indians stole anything they could get their hands on. The only killings during the Lewis and Clark exploration was of Blackfoot indians who had stolen a rifle and horse."

Often the practice of taking items from europeans and settlers had to do with the belief that these white men were sometimes a form of a diety, and by taking their possessions they would aquire the power and protection of these dieties. Likewise they would give back an equal or larger amount at a later time but by that time settlers equated it as theft. I do not deny that there was violence and without knowing the context of the events you mentioned i could be wrong.

"Indians considered it an honor to steal from others. Horses being a prime target. Theft brought them great honor among their own tribe."

Im not sure of this claim but you may have heard of "potlatching" which was a core institution in numerous western tribes. Potlatching is in a simplified explanation the attempt to aquire others belongings through a show of ones wealth, and an opposing tribal member would have to offer the same amount of wealth to either burn or to loan to the other person. Many westerners did not have any understanding of this practice and assumed it was just an aggressive act of theft and probably reported it with such bias.

"Indians thought nothing of traveling hundreds of miles just to raid a tribe or town."

I dont know how far into western colonization these accounts were but in later stages of western progression this did indeed happen.

I dont know your sources so im making educated guesses based on the last 4 months of in depth study of Native American cultural and religious traditions.

Oh and to people who scoff at how they were unwilling to change their cultural and religious practices after european colonization is simply explained that there was no need for them to change in their mind. They had lived in realitive harmony with the earth for hundreds of years and to them it was the equivalent of alien beings arriving with technology 1000 years ahead and trying to convert everyone to an odd religion.