Bellecourt on Alcatraz:
"We Did Not Have to Have Abraham Lincoln Proclaim Thanksgiving for Us"

Levi Rickert, editor-in-chief in Native Challenges. Discussion »

AIM Co-Founder
Clyde Bellecourt

ALCATRAZ ISLAND - Before the sun rose on Thanksgiving morning, hundreds of American Indians arrived to at Pier 33 to take boats over to Alcatraz Island to for "The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony." On Alcatraz, the group drummed, sang and heard speakers offer prayers of thanks.

Since 1975, American Indians have gone to Alcatraz Island on Thanksgiving to commemorate the loss of life sustained by American Indians as the result of Europeans coming to this continent.

This year special guest Clyde Bellecourt, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, was one of the featured speakers. The seventy five year old, Bellecourt, a tribal citizen of the White Earth Ojibwe Tribe, said he was honored to be part of the program.

"Where ever I go I like to tell people that we have Thanksgiving every day of the week,"

said Bellecourt as he recalled gathering of wild rice and hauling in fish when fishermen arrived back from fishing.

"All day long people would be preparing for a feast. We learned to give thanks every day." Continued Bellecourt.

“We did not have to have Abraham Lincoln proclaim Thanksgiving Day for us.”

"And, this is important today to pass down to your children. Could you imagine how powerful that would be if they saw us giving thanks all the time?" Bellecourt asked.

Bellecourt encouraged the crowd to think about this generation of youth who have to deal with pollution and gangs.

“Our youth are telling us things are out of balance,”

said Bellecourt.

Alcatraz Island has remained historic to contemporary American Indians because it was occupied by the Alcatraz Red Power Movement group for 19 months beginning November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971. The group consisted of members of several American Indian tribes. Alcatraz has become symbolic of modern struggles of Indian people.

posted November 25, 2011 10:40 am est