Giving Thanks

We know that Thanksgiving marks a romanticized and damaging story of the relationship between the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims, and the colonization of America. And we know that the “first” Thanksgiving is a myth.

Let’s find some new ways to give thanks today.

Give thanks for the land you’re on. Enter your address on Native Land to identify the tribal community that calls where you live, home. You can also download Native Land’s app to keep the map pictured here, and its valuable information, handy whenever you travel.

Give thanks to the people who came before you on this land. And in your land acknowledgement, recognize the trauma that came with the possession of this land, respect that Indigenous communities continue to live there, and ask what restorative measures are being taken to rematriate that land.

Give thanks for native foods cultivated by Native people. From coast to coast, turkey, cranberries, beans, and squash will take their places on dining room tables today. Learn these foods' stories.

These three practices are just some of the ways to challenge the history we’ve been told - and move towards a more honest “holiday.” Let’s give thanks this Thursday – and every day.