Decolonize Thanksgiving

11 Ways to Relearn Thanksgiving and to Honor Native Peoples  With Native American Heritage Month well underway and Thanksgiving/National Day of Mourning occurring today, let us celebrate Indigenous brilliance, honor, and acknowledge the truth in history, recognize whose land we are on, and work towards true allyship. We call upon our Cultural Survival community to learn from Indigenous Peoples and their true account of this federal holiday, confront settler mythologies of this country's history, understand how American colonialism and imperialism continue to impact Indigenous communities today, and to take steps towards true reconciliation. Explore the many ways to honor and celebrate Indigenous Peoples every day.    1. Learn the Real History of Thanksgiving. Read and share these articles! Thanksgiving Is A Day of Mourning for Many Indigenous Communities by Kisha James (Aquinnah Wampanoag and Oglala Lakota) and Mahtowin Munro (Oglala Lakota) What you learned about the ‘first Thanksgiving’ likely isn’t true. Here’s the real story Wabanaki Sustenance and Self-Determination   The First Thanksgiving: Separating Myth From Fact by Ruth Hopkins (Dakota and Lakota) Our Ancestors Celebrated Thanksgiving 13 Times a Year: Demystifying Thanksgiving by Chenae Bullock (Shinnecock) Decolonizing Thanksgiving and Reviving Indigenous Relationships to Food by NDN Collective  Decolonizing Thanksgiving  and The Real Thanksgiving Indigeneity Curriculum by Bioneers The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday by Sean Sherman, the ‘Sioux Chef’ The Wampanoag Side of the First Thanksgiving Story Pilgrim myths: Don’t believe everything your kindergarten teacher told you The True, Indigenous History of Thanksgiving  by Alexis Bunten  Thanksgiving Promotes Whitewashed History, So I Organized Truthsgiving Instead  For Kids: 6 Books to Share with Your Young Ones Exploring the Meaning of Thanksgiving from Native Perspectives Plimoth Thanksgiving 7 Thanksgiving books for kids written from the Native perspective How to talk to little kids about Thanksgiving, explained by a Native American children's author Watch Captured 1614 Watch National Day of Mourning by Smoke Sygnals. 2. Learn about Land Acknowledgement, Traditional Lands, and Treaties. If you’re unsure about the Indigenous Peoples' land you are living on, you can search your location using Native Land. The Native Governance Center shares this handy Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement.  Other resources include Tribal Nations Maps, a source of hard copy maps that identify the traditional lands of Tribes in North and South America and the Caribbean, and the Smithsonian’s digital archive of treaties made between the United States and Indigenous Tribes. The United States has ratified more than 370 treaties with Native American Nations. Yet, many Americans know little about the treaties that shaped and continue to impact the country today.  3. Support Indigenous-led Nonprofits. Support Native organizations in your area who are working hard to improve the health, well-being, livelihoods and to uphold the rights of Native Americans across Indian country.  Cultural Survival works on this issue nationally and internationally. We also invite you to support Indigenous-led organizations and Tribes local to your community. In Cambridge, MA, where we are headquartered on Massachusett land, we partner with North American Indian Center of Boston and United American Indians of New England. Also show your support for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project, Native Land Conservancy, The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, Native American LifeLines of Boston, Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness, Nolumbeka Project, Ohketeau Cultural Center, and No Loose Braids.  More suggestions here. 4. Listen to Indigenous Voices. Join Us As We Welcome Our New Board Member, Dr. Lyla June Johnston (Diné/Navajo and Tsétsêhéstâhese/Cheyenne) Lyla June is a musician, author, and community organizer. Her multi-genre presentation style has engaged audiences around the globe towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. She blends her academic work in Human Ecology and Indigenous Pedagogy with the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives, and solutions. Her doctoral research focused on the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island to produce abundant food systems for both humans and non-humans.   Made by Hand - Quality Crafts at Cultural Survival Bazaar In this podcast, we hear from Annawon Weeden (Mashpee  Wampanoag/Pequot/Narragansett), a multi-talented performer, educator, and storyteller.   Landback - A Conversation with Demetrius Johnson Demetrius Johnson (Diné) is a #LandBack Organizer at Rapid City, South Dakota-based nonprofit NDN Collective. Originally from Tółaní, Ganado, Arizona, Johnson began community organizing shortly after being elected President of Kiva Club around the disastrous Gold King Mine spill that affected his people in 2015. Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Rights Radio Coordinator, Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan), spoke with Johnson about his work on NDN Collective’s #LandBack Campaign.   5. Decolonize Your Dinner  With Your Local Indigenous Chefs and Restaurants Native chefs have created a culinary movement with the goal of getting Indigenous people to honor their ancestors through their dietary choices. Bring Native American dishes to the dinner table.   Native Chefs to Follow This Rhode Island Chef Is Preserving Indigenous Seafood Traditions Native foods educator Valerie Segrest on marking Thanksgiving with respect Her Tribe Fed the Pilgrims. Here’s What She Wants You to Know About Indigenous Food  This Thanksgiving, Make These Native Recipes From Indigenous Chefs 6. Hire Indigenous Performers and Educators for Your Next Event. Hire Native performers, keynote speakers, and educators for an event! Native Pride Productions- International Native Dance Company Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers  Annowan Weeden (Mashpee Wampanoag/Pequot/Narragansett) Eric Hernandez (Lumbee) Thawn Harris (Narragansett) Sherente Harris (Narragansett) and many more 7. Celebrate Native Creators. Support Native Authors, Filmmakers, Musicians, Poets, and Artists! 13 Books by Native Authors to Add to Your 2025 Reading List An Indigenously Inspired Curation For You And Your Bookshelf 25 Indigenous-Led Podcasts to Explore This Native American Heritage Month 40 Best Native American Authors to Read in 2024 11 Books by Native American Authors to Add to Your Reading List 10 Children's Books by Native Writers  Must Read Books by Indigenous Authors 20 Best Books by Native American Authors to Add to Your Bookshelf Becoming Earth: Experimental Theology by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi)  Watch The "First Thanksgiving” Inquiry | Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals by Smoke Sygnals.  8. Buy Native This Holiday Season. #ShopIndigenous If you want to support Indigenous businesses but are unsure of the line between cultural appropriation and appreciation, check out Cultural Survival’s resource list. Check out our Cultural Survival Bazaar Artist Directory.  For a wide array of services and goods, check out NativeWeb's database of Native-owned businesses.  35 Indigenous and Native-Owned Clothing Brands to Shop Now and Always More Native Businesses to Support 4Kinship 9. Attend an Event. 56th Annual National Day of Mourning  November 27, 2025, 12:00 PM ET, Coles Hill, Plymouth, MA. Live stream here.   Annual Alcatraz Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering November 27, 2024, 5:30 am – 8:00 am MST Learn more. 10. Share Positive Representations of Native People.  Project 562 showcases contemporary Native America with grace, beauty, and style.  Check out North of North, Native Cinema Showcase, Still Here: Native American Resilience in New England, Bring Them Home, Reservation Dogs, Chief of War, Rutherford Falls, Dark Winds, Mohawk Girls, and more. 11. End Racist Native Mascots in Sports.  There are still more than 1,000 high school, university and professional teams that continue to have Native American mascots. Though changes have been made at the high school and college levels, at the professional level there has been virtually no change. Start the change in your community. Check out our Abolishing Racist Native Mascots: A Toolkit for Change. Get involved: #NotYourMascot, #ChangeTheName, and #NoHonorInRacism.

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