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 ...
No turkey for me, either. I'm having HAM.
One family named Jordan/Jourdan/Jerden accounted for several of them and at least one is so identified in Revolutionary War records.
The Indians would have wiped us out if they could have too. I agree that they did get screwed, but the English were struggling to survive as were the Indians. There were no innocent or guilty in this. The Indians had always fought each other, Europeans had always fought each other. It's simple human nature, and when the English arrived here; which they had every right to do, what came next over the centuries was unavoidable. I'm sure Indians are proud of their ancestors who fought the English, and I am proud of my Puritan ancestors.
People who came later however, were not so understanding and also tribes in other areas were more warlike.
The combination of settlers who were less tolerant plus the more warlike tribes, such as the mohawk, and the mother of all eastern tribes, the Deleware, and all the other eastern and north eastern tribes, and the fact that the British and the French used various tribes in their wars against each other was not condusive to the survival of the native Indians.
Down through history more advanced civilizations have absorbed or wiped out less advanced civilizations. It isn't the ideal situation but it is the way it was. Crying and moaning about it now will not change things.
Making the pilgrims, the least offensive of the people who came to these shores, is ridiculous and this tribe in SF that did this is showing their prejudice and lack of understanding of the way things really happened.
Cry me a river...any river.
The Mexican Indians had figured out how to produce a lactose free cheese within 30 years of Spanish arrival, and that meant adopting cattle culture for a start.
I think "metal work" includes working with gold!
That guy wasn't even a real Indian. His name was Antonio DeCorti.
No, that is still wrong. Many ancient sites of the Old World had extensively developed copper metallurgical processes, including smelting. One of the oldest was the Kirbat Hamra Ifdan, in modern day Jordan. This place had a highly sophisticated copper foundry dating back to atleast 2700 BC.
Please stop repeating unsubstantiated tribal folklore as fact, especially when it flies in the face of highly well-documented and scholarly research from the Old World.
I'm pretty sure European civilizations had metal tools by 3000 BC also. The stone age was over by then if I'm not mistaken.
The Spaniards didn't do it on their own!
Go back and re-read my post. I said tribes warring against the Europeans period. The Iriquois were at times allied with the French and at other times allied with the English. A significant portion of the Iriquois were Christianized. As such, the Iriquois and other nations in an alliance of one form or another with the Europeans were not the subject of my post.
In the American Revolution the Oneida were American allies and saved the Revolution more than once.
Again, I posted tribes warring against Europeans. The Oneida would not qualify in my original post.
Just where did you learn your American Indian history anyway? Sounds like Souvrn' Mexico or something ~ maybe Argentina?
Another person might respond by asking where you learn't to read?
Not even close to being true. I consider what was done to the Cherokee one of the vilest things. They had their own written language of sorts even before the Europeans, and when they encountered the Europeans many emulated them, even wearing tophats and converting to Christianity. They were largely a merchanting culture, and became even moreso with the European settlements...and then they were stripped of their land, their houses, and anything they couldn't carry and sent away to live on a reservation.
Was this guy's name "Chief Whiner"? If not, he should change his name.
After that time the Indians had to make deals with the Europeans since they could no longer mount a serious military presence.
It's worth noting that the war between the Iriquois and Mohican Indians that had been going on for 300+ years ENDED due to the absence of Mohican warriors. They were adopted by the Oneida. You can find them today at lake Winebago ~ they are the Munsee Band.
Disease did the job.
Unless a casino is on it.
The native indians here on the S. Texas coast were the Karankawas. Even the other indians hated them. They were supposedly cannibals. I have to give them credit - they are part of the reason the early French settlers didn't make a go of it here.
I believe Jourdan is a French name, which is probably where they learned blacksmithing also.
I strongly doubt that this is a real tribe, at least not anymore. I seem to recall that there was a similar bogus "Tribe" in California who tried to claim ownership of some land so they could build a casino or someshuch. But hey, these Wailikie (Wailikians?) got another representative from a nonexistant group-Palestinians-to join them, so I guess it worked out...
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