DAY OF MOURNING November 23, 2023
Two years ago
PLYMOUTH, Mass. — As
hundreds enjoyed the Thanksgiving parade in Plymouth,
Massachusetts, a group of indigenous people protested the holiday
celebration.
"Why do we gather here today? Four hundred years
later, we join to raise our voices high that we are still here, we are
not conquered and we are not defeated," said Brian Weeden, councillor of the
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
"Plymouth is rich with history, but not the truth of the Indians," said Chief Ladybug of the Ponkapoag Praying Indians.
Since
1970, the Wampanoag Tribe has declared Thanksgiving a national day of
mourning for the loss of indigenous people's lives, culture and land.
"Our
presence here is a stark reminder of the true story of Thanksgiving
that differs so much from the fabled stories shared in classrooms,
history books and celebrations across this nation," Weeden said. "We
will never forget the atrocities that fell upon our people as a result
of their violent trespass."
To this day, the Wampanoag Tribe continues to fight with the federal government over land.
"Here we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving, and the fact that our
tribe is still fighting for what little bit of land we have — we own
half of 1% of our ancestral territory — and 400 years later, we don't
have much to be thankful for," Weeden said.
"Well, we can't change
the past, but we can change the future," Chief Ladybug said. "And the
way we change the future is to educate people and start understanding
that this is not a day of celebration. This is a day of mourning."
WATCH
After helping Pilgrims, today's Wampanoag tribe fight for their ancestral lands.. November 22, 2021 - read this
Tall Oak and fellow activists inaugurated in 1970 what Native
Americans across the country now call the Day of Mourning — held on
Thanksgiving to counter narratives that many say downplay the massacre
and subjugation of the Wampanoag and other Native Americans.
Today the spirit of the Day of Mourning is observed across Native America.
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