Indigenous Sovereignty Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving season is upon us, and as we gather with family and friends, let’s acknowledge that it is a National Day of Mourning for many Indigenous Peoples and their allies. According to the United American Indians of New England, Thanksgiving Day “is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures.” Thanksgiving celebrations can perpetuate the harmful Euro-centric narrative found in history books – or you can decide to try a different approach: go farther than acknowledgement and take action. We can act by upholding Indigenous solidarity and reweaving our relationship to each other and the land, which Indigenous sovereignty movements have been doing for generations and because of that, are at the forefront of the climate justice movement.
Recently, Governor Kotek proclaimed November Native American Heritage Month which we can celebrate by centering Indigenous voices to learn about Indigenous history, Indigenous sovereignty movements, and decolonization. To that end, this blog post includes education and action resources at the local and national levels. Reaching out to build relationships is how we work toward peace and a better tomorrow for all children.
Solidarity Actions
Stand with the Portland Native Community by participating in UnThanksgiving land-care events November 23-25 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sponsored by Native American Youth and Family Center. Donate here.
Sunday, November 19th, 1:30pm Pacific The Indigenous Solidarity Network is hosting its annual ReThinking Thanksgiving webinar: "Healing this Broken Land: Indigenous Leadership in the Face of Climate Crisis" Register Here See the ReThinking Thanksgiving Toolkit
Image by: Mobilus In Mobili
Protect the Waters and Land
Respond to the Standing Rock Sioux’s call for allies to contact the Army Corps and insist upon a proper environmental review of the Dakota Access Pipeline project. Deadline 12/13
Protect Thacker Pass Peehee Mu’huh from a proposed lithium mine south of the Steens Mountains by supporting local activists.
Sign petitions and write to officials using Columbia Riverkeeper’s portal to help restore Snake River salmon runs, which will go extinct within 20 years if we remain silent.
Encourage an organization near you to sign onto a letter to Governor Inslee about the Goldendale Pump Storage Project that threatens sacred land. OPB story
Support our friends at an Idaho-based environmental education program for Indigenous youth active in Snake River salmon advocacy: Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment.
Read the Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s Energy Vision for the Columbia Basin. Donate
Watch Bring the Salmon Home, an inspiring film short about a 300 mile run to restore the Klamath salmon.
Give yourself a Voluntary Land Tax.
“Paying rent” is a meaningful way to demonstrate respect for Indigenous people and acknowledge that it’s a privilege to be here, on their land. If there is not a formal “real rent” program in your area, provide regular support to a Native American-led organization. Real Rent Duwamish in what is now called Seattle has created an innovative way for settlers to go about doing this; but in most places, you’ll need to look specifically at the Native run organizations that you could donate to, volunteer with, and otherwise support. You can also increase patronage for Native businesses and artists.
A small sample of regional projects:
Northwest Native Chamber business directory
Portland Indigenous Marketplace event calendar
Wisdom of the Elders, Multnomah County
Elderberry Wisdom Farm, Marion County
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Umatilla County
Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage Society, Lincoln County
Tananáwit, a Community of Warm Springs Artists
Future Generations Collaborative was just gifted a church to establish a tiny house community in NE Portland. This is an important LandBack achievement.
This IS Kalapuyan Land exhibit at Five Oaks Museum, Washington County. Guest curator, Steph Littlebird described her experience in the article, Decentering Whiteness in the Museum; OPB interview with Littlebird on resilience;
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Montana. Watch PBS’s documentary Bring Her Home
First Nations environmental justice & economic development fund
Thanksgiving Reframing Resources
To teach kids about anti-racism, the phrase “actions speak louder than words” is crucial. In addition to having direct conversations, we also need to demonstrate our personal effort to change our frame of reference. Here are three ways to introduce new customs this Thanksgiving holiday :
Discuss the True History of Thanksgiving and European Colonization: This will require learning the history on your own (see some resources below), but there are some excellent children’s books that center Indigenous youth voices (many with an environmental focus) that can help you learn together. This Local Passport Family blog post is a good starting point for parents.
Reframe Gratitude from an Indigenous Perspective: "Having a holiday that only gives thanks one time a year is dangerous,” Matika Wilbur reflects in a 2020 episode of the All My Relations Podcast. "Because we [Indigenous people] have ways in our communities of offering thanks and giving thanks on a regular basis that shapes the way that we interact with the world." As such, By reframing our relationship to gratitude of the gifts given to us by the Earth offer us an opportunity to become closer to other people and the land on which we live, work, and play.
Introduce Indigenous Foods to Your Thanksgiving Dinner: The “traditional” Thanksgiving foods aren’t actually connected to Indigenous foodways. However, thanks to the efforts of Indigenous chefs and food experts, there are considerably more resources about true Native foods in the United States. Sean Sherman, chef and founder of Minneapolis restaurant Owamni is a leader in re-discovering Indigenous foodways through the Indigenous Food Lab and bringing it to the world through his writing and his cookbook “The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen.” “New Native Kitchen” by Freddie Bitsoie and James O. Fraioli also offer a modern take on Indigenous foods.
Other resources parents can preview for middle school+ youth
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, a daily practice of reciprocity described in Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
All My Relations Podcast: The Truth about Thanksgiving
The 9 federally-recognized sovereign nations of present-day Oregon (adjustable lexile) Note: the federal recognition process is fraught.
Native America, a PBS series about contemporary Indian Country
Look at History with Fresh Eyes
Because so much of U.S. history is told from the European perspective, it’s important to unlearn that narrative and relearn the truth. One of the best resources is An Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz. A shorter, more digestible resource on a very specific example of Indigenous history is the This American Life story Little War on the Prairie.
Some other important points in history to learn and resources to check out:
In 1863 Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday as a way to unite the nation after the Civil War.
Nine months earlier he authorized the hanging of 38 Dakota warriors, the largest mass execution in US history. Also that year, Lincoln signed the first Homestead Act transferring 270 million acres of tribal lands to settlers; he authorized the military occupation of Indigenous lands to ensure the construction of the Transcontinental railroad, further decimating Native communities and buffalo populations.
The Indian Problem. 12 min video by the Smithsonian
The American Buffalo, a new documentary from Ken Burns
Learn About Whose Land You’re On
Start with the NativeLand.ca, and toggle the treaty button to “on.” You will see a cession number on the map. For example, much of Willamette Valley (see narrative) is part of 1855 cession 352. Next, search for that cession number. More resources from The Library of Congress. Cross check local tribal nation websites with overlapping map areas to get a better idea of whose land you occupy. Look for local opportunities to Give Land Back and learn more about the Land Back movement writ large.
Follow First Nations news near you
Native Voice One affiliate stations
Smoke Signals, Grand Ronde News
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs News
Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe
The Voice of CLUSI The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
Learn About Global Indigenous Sovereignty Movements
The Land Back Movement: The Land Back movement is simply giving the physical land back that was stolen from Indigenous peoples. It is both the physical transfer of the land, but also the spiritual returning of the land that allows Indigenous peoples practice traditional ceremonies. Land Back is a movement effectively toward the decolonization of Native land which was stolen through the act of settler colonialism. Learn more in Briarpatch Magazine as well as through NDN Collective, Land Rights Now, and The Lakota People’s Law Project.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty: The Indigenous Food Systems Network defines food sovereignty as “a specific policy approach to addressing the underlying issues impacting Indigenous peoples and our ability to respond to our own needs for healthy, culturally adapted Indigenous foods.” Learn more about indigenous food sovereignty with the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance.
Global Fight for Indigenous Rights: Learn about the global movements for Indigenous sovereignty at The Global Oneness Project, Land Rights Now and this Foodtank list.