Guest Commentary

A Thanksgiving Reflection: Lies!

Dr LaNada War Jack in Native Condition. Discussion »

In 1637 Governor of Massachusetts declared the first Thanksgiving to celebrate the return of the men from the massacre of 700 Pequot men, women and children. This is the military and congressional history of colonization and oppression of our people.

Dr. LaNada War Jack – Shoshone Bannock

The impact has been horrific and traumatizing for our Native people to celebrate a fictional cover up and polite exchange between Indians and our colonial oppressors. We know this sanitized version did not happen but actually we have gone through genocide, brainwashing government schools, diseases, indoctrination into Christian religions, and we continue to live under an imperial rule, which supports the male aristocracy. It hasn't been a good or delightful experience as our reservations and Indian communities can attest with the intentional end product revealing our apathetic condition of poverty, drugs, alcohol, teen suicide, dropouts, among other social ills.

It is true that we did have a traditional harvest ceremony and it was done in respect and honor of supporting a bountiful harvest with prayers for the plants, animals and the life cycle of procreation, which is the matriarchy. The earth is female. Earth is the mother that provides for us when penetrated by the male water. The strength of light from the sun is male and penetrates the air, which is female and with these combinations, we nurture continuous life. The plants and animals depend on our ability as humans to use voice combined with positive concentrated thought which sends positive codes traveling through the air on light for their continuous existence to maintain land and all life in balance.

We need to maintain our ceremonies and prayers for a continued balance and that is the best way to commemorate the so-called "Thanksgiving" as we have always been on the other side of all this fake reality and it hurts. We know the earth is our mother and not our father but we have been forced to accept western civilization, which is not civilized. Our ancestors survived through it all so we can be alive today. We are thankful and grateful for this and pray for our loved ones, friends and enemies for a united and peaceful journey together into the future. Salute to the continued procreation of life and our Ancestors who have provided us with a way of knowledge and prayer!

Dr. LaNada War Jack, Shoshone Bannock, formerly LaNada Means, is the president of Indigenous Visions Network. She was a student leader at UC Berkeley and organized the Third World Strike - which ultimately led to the development of the Ethnic Studies Program at Cal. Dr. War Jack along with Richard Oakes, co-organized the take-over of Alcatraz in November, 1969. She has written an upcoming book on the history of the Alcatraz takeover.

posted November 21, 2012 9:50 am est