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Thursday, November 28, 2002 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"One day at a conference we were singing, 'My Country 'Tis Of Thee' and we came across the part that goes: 'Land where our fathers died, land of the Pilgrims pride...'. Some of us broke out laughing when we realized that our fathers undoubtedly died trying to keep those Pilgrims from stealing our land. In fact, many of our fathers died because the Pilgrims killed them as witches. We didn't feel much kinship with those Pilgrims, regardless of who they did in."
- - Vine Deloria, Jr. (From his book, "Custer Died For Your Sins")
RHINO HERE:
Thanksgiving shouldn't be a controversial holiday. But it is. The essence of so many ceremonies of the religions of the world is gratitude; expressing thanks to the creator for all that's provided for us in life on Earth. But the U.S. version of Thanksgiving just isn't that simple.
First off there are the vegetarians (several of whom are on the blog list) who call this Black Thursday, a nod to all the turkeys murdered each November. Who can forget the episode of Dharma & Greg in which Dharma and her parents don black coveralls and ski masks for a midnight mission to a meat packaging plant where they liberate a corral full of grateful turkeys.
TURKEY SHOWER
http://www.liquidgeneration.com/greetings/thanksgiving_shower.asp
TURKEY SAUNA
http://www.liquidgeneration.com/greetings/thanksgiving_hotinhere.asp
COMIC TURKEY
(After each joke, when he whistles, throw something at him)
http://www.liquidgeneration.com/greetings/thanksgiving_comicturkey.asp
Then there's the Indigenous perspective on Thanksgiving, which can't overlook the irony of the mythology that celebrates when the Indians shared food, skills and tools with the Pilgrims, and were soon ripped off for their land, infected by European diseases, or killed for the challenge of it.
A New Thanksgiving Tradition: Ingratitude
By JUDITH MARTIN, NY Times, Nov 27, 2002
...Thanksgiving recreation was invented by the Pilgrims, belying our notion that the only form of excitement they enjoyed was praising God for granting them occasional respites from persecution, famine, illness, droughts, infant mortality, predators, epidemics, fires and frozen winters. Like everyone else, they had time on their hands when feasting in the company of those with whom they did not customarily dine.
So they went shooting. Plymouth's original version of the holiday (its claim to being the first Thanksgiving is wildly contested, as escapes from disaster were commonly marked by proclaiming days of thanksgiving) was enlivened by hunting and target practice, the goals of which were, first, still more food and, second, impressing the native-born guests with their superior weaponry...
THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IS POSTED AT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/opinion/27MART.html
Below the line is a N.Y. Times article on the issue of American Indian Tribal Recognition, and specifically dealing with the the Wampanoag of Mashpee, Massachusetts, the ancestors of the nation who supposedly ate with the Pilgrims on the original Thanksgiving; celebrated myth/disputed tale.
Enjoy your weekend.
Picture me feasting on Tofurkey breasts and Tempeh drumsticks.
North American Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopava
In full strut
Mature male
Classic pose
8:38:49 AM 
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By DIRK OLIN, NY Times, Nov 24, 2002
The United American Indians of New England are preparing for their 33rd annual ''National Day of Mourning'' near Plymouth Rock this week. Hundreds are expected to protest on Thanksgiving, according to Colin Calloway, a professor of History and Native American Studies at Dartmouth College, to counter what they call America's ''racism of the Pilgrim mythology'' built on commemorations of the famous 1621 feast that was shared with Chief Massasoit's Wampanoag tribe. In past years, speakers recited a litany of historical crimes and demanded recognition of present-day American Indian plights that include widespread poverty and ill health.
At least one group of Wampanoag descendants, however, is seeking another kind of notice. The Wampanoag of Mashpee, Mass., have for years petitioned to be formally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A tribe that can demonstrate, among other criteria, its continuous existence and its members' ancestral integrity is accorded virtual sovereignty and exempted from most state and local laws. And for hundreds of such current petitioners, federal status confers more than financial promise and the legal means to preserve their culture (through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, say). Cora Tula Watters, chief of one 230-member band of the Shawnee Nation in Ohio, explained her group's effort to The Plain Dealer. ''If you don't have recognition, the reservation people look at you as a white person who wants to be Indian,'' she said. ''Basically, we're looking for dignity.''...
THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IS POSTED AT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/24/magazine/24CRASH.html
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ).
All copyrights belong to original publisher.
"RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com)
Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged.
RHINO'S WEB SITES:
http://www.rhinosblog.info (RHINO'S WEBLOG - PRESENT & PAST)
http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG)
http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES)
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7:52:02 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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