Approaching Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving preparation 2022

Thanksgiving is commonly associated with the Pilgrims and Native Americans coming together for a peaceful feast in 1621. This is the holiday’s mythology, but it very much overlooks the darker aspects of history. The arrival of European settlers to Turtle Island resulted in the displacement, marginalization, and eradication of indigenous communities, and it's important to hold these truths in mind as we prepare to celebrate.

Agenda:

1. Plan an acknowledgement

2. Support Native Communities

3. Read "Wake Up Grateful"

4. Make pies

Native American Heritage Month

National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each year in November. We are encouraged this month to "celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation."

The U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs theme this year is Weaving together our past, present and future. "We will focus on the failed policies of the past with a focus on the Federal Indian Boarding Schools and moving into the present and the work being done to address the intergenerational trauma Native people still face. In partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian Institution, we are working to record the lasting impacts of that era and share that information with all Americans. As Indigenous people, our past, present and future are all connected."

Agenda:

1. Anti-racism intentions
2. The Kalapuyans

3. Read "Wake Up Grateful"
4. Cook the pumpkins

Native American Heritage Month

National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each year in November. We are encouraged this month to "celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation."

The U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs theme this year is Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty and Identity. "Tribal sovereignty ensures that any decisions about Tribes with regard to their property and citizens are made with their participation and consent. The federal trust responsibility is a legal obligation under which the United States “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes."

They go on to say, "Much of the Department’s work under Secretary Haaland’s leadership also centers on acknowledging the impact that relocation, forced assimilation, and lack of critical funding has on Indigenous communities across the country. We are committed to elevating those issues while empowering Tribal governments and Indigenous peoples."

Agenda:

1. Anti-racism intentions
2. Colonizing New England
3. Pumpkins and pie

Lineage

Ancestry and lineage is one of my long-time fascinations.  I started doing research many years ago, starting with those who came to North America. I have a huge list of the names of early ancestors, but no context - no understanding of where they came from other than the name of the country: England, Germany, Holland, etc.

This year I'd like to begin to dive deeper into those lands of my roots to understand my origins a little better. 

 

1. Read "Root and Ritual"

2. Map it out

3. Dig a little deeper

4. Study more genealogy

Thanksgiving Day of Retreat

It's Thanksgiving Day, and normally I would be up early to cook a turkey, and finish preparing a feast, but the last few years of quarantine have caused a shift for my family. A combination of work schedule, cold weather, ambivalence towards a mythical Pilgrim narrative, and just plain exhaustion have created an opening for something new this year.

I've made pies to share, and sent out my Thanksgiving cards. Today will NOT be all about family togetherness, but a quiet day for me be grounded and thankful, and do some introspective writing.

Agenda:

1. Write about my pilgrim ancestors

2. Write about the Wampanoag people
3. Honor the Day of Mourning
4. Read from "Grateful"

Sabbath for Souls

Today is my Sabbath, and also the day before Halloween, which marks the doorway to the dark half of the Celtic year, the opening of a new cycle. The early Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin at this time of year, and so spirits of the dead could visit the living.

This is the time of year to welcome home the souls of your ancestors. But I definitely feel some angst regarding my relatives who moved here to the "New World" to take it away from the Native Peoples, and who bought into the false American Dream, built on the subjugation of so many other living beings. 

Today I plan to spend the day opening my heart and healing our soul connection.

Agenda:

1. Medicine Art for souls

2. Study genealogy and anti-racism

3. Make Pan de Muerto, Bread of the Dead

4. Have a soul ceremony

5. Offer ongoing support for my ancestors