Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Genocide

Current social issues cannot be separated from the historical context that created them, so it stands to reason that Thanksgiving cannot be separated from its bloody beginnings.

The perception of Thanksgiving as a celebration of the pilgrims and Native Americans setting aside their differences to share a meal is a myth. While it is true that the Wampanoag tribe broke bread with pilgrims in 1621, the event that is actually celebrated on the last Thursday of November — according to Laura Elliff, Vice President of the Native American Student Association — is a massacre.

In 1636, a white man was discovered dead in a boat. No investigation was conducted, but the neighboring Pequot tribe was blamed for his death. Their punishment for this imagined transgression was to be slaughtered. Maj. John Mason gathered his soldiers and burned down Pequot homes, resulting in the deaths of more than 400 men, women and children. The governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony was so proud of the soldiers for murdering these civilians that he declared, “From that day forth, shall be a day of celebration and thanks giving for subduing the Pequots.” Because nothing says wholesome family holiday like “Thank God we killed them Injuns!”

I will concede that Thanksgiving, much like Christmas and Labor Day, has evolved; there is currently more of an emphasis on appreciation and togetherness than on the initial violence that created the holiday. But what does it say about our culture that we need to designate a specific day to be thankful? Why must we be dismissive of a tragedy — and the completely legitimate feelings of those affected by it — in order to count our own blessings? Why do we need a federal holiday to tell us to be kind to those less fortunate than us?

This country has an indisputable legacy of murder and genocide. Christopher Columbus and his crew committed unspeakable atrocities against the peoples they encountered, and that tradition continued with the oppression and subjugation of every non-white person who ever inhabited this land once it was colonized. Why should we further alienate the descendants of native tribes by celebrating the deaths of their ancestors? Even if these holidays don’t officially get taken off the calendar, the least we can do is not throw lavish, highly-publicized parades honoring murderers.