De-colonizing Thanksgiving means stripping the day of the stereotypes and misconceptions created by the colonizers of the New World. This land of course was not “new” at all to the millions of indigenous people who had lived for tens of thousands of years on Turtle Island, later known to the immigrants as North America. But every November, in schools all across the United States, teachers have their children cut up construction paper and fabric and fashion little Pilgrim and Indian outfits to “re-enact” the first Thanksgiving. Children learn that the first “Thanksgiving” of 1621 was a celebratory event when the Indians graciously shared their food with the needy newcomers, or worse, that the Pilgrims invited some wayward Indians to share dinner with them.

The real history of these early interactions must be de- romanticized and portrayed in a more accurate light. The relations between the Anglo immigrants and the Wampanoag Indians were more likely tense interactions between groups grappling with cultural confusion. There were probably no turkeys eaten, as fish and passenger pigeon were more common fare. The Natives outnumbered the newcomers, which is often not portrayed in stereotypical depictions. The Wampanoags did not wear Plains’ feather headdresses, despite many paintings and caricatures portraying just that.

To be fair to the Pilgrims, they are also misrepresented. They did not wear the black suits and big buckles that children often don. Teachers also rarely preface their Thanksgiving modules by stating that the Pilgrims put ashore in Massachusetts because they ran out of beer, a major provision of the time.

The celebration of a mythical Thanksgiving did not happen in this country for several hundred years after the event, by which time American Indians had been colonized, assimilated and removed from many of their ancestral lands, usually through dubious treaties and other means that are still being questioned today. Thanksgiving has been further colonized by capitalism in recent times, further removing us from the true meanings of “thanksgivings” that Native people honor on many occasions throughout the year. Former President Franklin Roosevelt even moved Thanksgiving to the third week in November so there would be a longer holiday shopping season. Today, it has been pushed back even more in capitalism’s relentless desire to maximize sales. American Indians all across Turtle Island traditionally gave thanks during ceremonies, and some members of groups like the Haudenosaunee still give thanks daily. They do not give thanks for having a tense dinner with some light-skinned immigrants from across the sea, nor do they give thanks for the fact that they can take advantage of seasonal shopping discounts in early November.

They give thanks for everything in creation, including the winds and waters, grasses and plant medicines, and two- leggeds and four-leggeds. They also give thanks that the earth and sky have provided everything for us. They remember the delicate web and our responsibilities as humans in this grand ecosystem. Maybe if we gave thanks and followed this philosophy, we would not have to cope with the devastating effects of environmental degradation and a world out of balance.

Much like American-Indian mascots, people say that American Indians are being honored by the remembrance of that “first” Thanksgiving, which children purportedly embody with their construction paper and dyed chicken feather headdresses. If we want to honor American Indians, we need to take a deep look at the genocide that was perpetrated against them, the dishonest taking of Indian lands, the horrific conditions that churches and the U.S. government put them through in the Native boarding schools, and the current struggles for land, sovereignty and cultural survival.

Brooke Hansen is an associate professor of anthropology. E- mail her at kbhansen@ithaca.edu.