The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

A Hideous Tradition: Thanksgiving
By Kawana’ao Chang-Jablonski

To me, and many others, celebrating thanksgiving is like spitting in the face of all the Natives that died by the hands of all the colonists (the “real american heroes”). Not only that, but it perpetuates the notion that the colonists and the Natives were “friends” and that nothing bad happened so the asshole colonist’s asshole descendents can live more guilt-free lives. Celebrating thanksgiving is no better than celebrating the Holocaust because colonization WAS a holocaust.

Most people know the history behind this holiday but either choose not to think about it, or simply don’t care and think colonization is forgiveable. I’ve heard countless people argue that the sacking of the continent was ok, because it was just a war for territory, something everyone did. That argument is not valid, why? Because it was not a war, it was genocide. The colonists tried to exterminate an entire race, that is not forgiveable, that is apalling.

Read this excerpt as a nice reminder…

From chapter 17 of the book “Where White Men Fear to Tread”, by Russell Means

“When we met with the Wampanoag people, they told us that in researching the history of Thanksgiving, they had confirmed the oral history passed down through their generations. Most Americans know that Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag had welcomed the so-called Pilgrim Fathers – and the seldom mentioned Pilgrim Mothers – to the shores where his people had lived for millennia. The Wampanoag taught the European colonists how to live in our hemisphere by showing them what wild foods they could gather, how, where, and what crops to plant, and how to harvest, dry, and preserve them.

The Wampanoag now wanted to remind white America of what had happened after Massasoit’s death. He was succeeded by his son, Metacomet, whom the colonist called “King” Philip. In 1617-1676, to show “gratitude” for what Massasoit’s people had done for their fathers and grandfathers, the Pilgrims manufactured an incident as a pretext to justify disarming the Wampanoags. The whites went after the Wampanoag with guns, swords, cannons, and torches. Most, including Metacomet, were butchered. His wife and son were sold into slavery in the West Indies. His body was hideously drawn and quartered. For twenty-five years afterward Matacomet’s skull was displayed on a pike above the whites’ village. The real legacy of the Pilgrim Fathers is treachery.

Americans today believe that Thanksgiving celebrates a bountiful harvest, but that is not so. By 1970, the Wampanoag had turned up a copy of a Thanksgiving proclamation made by the governor to the colony. The text revealed the ugly truth: After a colonial militia had returned from murdering the men, women, and children of an Indian village, the governor proclaimed a holiday and feast to give thanks for the massacre. He also encouraged other colonies to do likewise – in other words, every autumn after the crops are in, go kill Indians and celebrate your murders with a feast.

In November 1970, their decendants returned to Plymouth to publisize the true story of Thanksgiving and, along with about two hundred other Indians from around the country, to observe a national day of Indian mourning.”

Let me add that every year since 1970, the Wampanoag, along with many hundreds of Indians and Indian supporters from across the country, gather at Plymouth on Thanksgiving day to protest the lies and teach the American people the truth about our National “Christian” holiday. And it will continue every year until the truth about the colonies at Plymouth become common knowledge.

Duane – a most wonderful holiday to you and your family! Enjoy!

Thank you for a wonderful story. Beth needs to get a life. Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. We’re thanking God for our blessings not retelling reinvented history.