Written by: Nina Haskins
Thanksgiving as we know it today is beautiful: we gather with our loved ones and share laughs, memories, and food. Nevertheless, let us be honest: the history of Thanksgiving is devastating. Although celebrated as a union of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people over a grand feast, this is a sugarcoated guise for the years of genocide and cultural erasure of countless indigenous nations in North America. Independence Day, Indigenous People’s Day (formerly Christopher Columbus Day), and Thanksgiving are all examples of national holidays where celebration for some also means the dismissal and disregard of an entire population’s history. We cannot forget these histories, for when we do, we invite and repeat the same violence and intolerance that keeps this nation divided to this day. So, one way to honor the Indigenous people whose lives and history were lost is to educate ourselves on their history and culture.
I want to use this platform to discuss the Thanksgiving Address, a longstanding norm orchestrated by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The Confederacy comprises the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. They refer to this address in their native Onondaga language as ‘The Words That Come Before All Else.’ The tradition of the address has existed long before the holiday of Thanksgiving and initiates nearly every social, cultural, and political Haudenosaunee event. This address thanks Mother Earth and all forms of animate and inanimate life that work intrinsically together to sustain our planet and lives daily. In this address, gratitude comes first and foremost, reminding us to carry it with everything we do. Gratitude recognizes and builds connections, which incites us to make smarter choices about how we treat our planet. Below is a video from the Onondaga Historical Association about the Thanksgiving Address:
No matter how much we poison her waters, chop down her trees, and mine for minerals in her soil, our earth still cares and provides for us. In this regard, climate change is not a new concept but a wake-up call to mend our severed relationship with the planet. Every day, there is so much to be thankful for. I hope that we learn from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and, in addition to expressing our gratitude to our loved ones and lives, also extend that gratitude to our planet. In the wise words of mother, author, and scientist, Professor Robin Wall Kimmerer, let us think of Thanksgiving and remind ourselves: “Here is where our most challenging and most rewarding work lies, in restoring a relationship of respect, responsibility, and reciprocity.” (Braiding Sweetgrass, 2013).
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