Preseason your turkey’s, marinade your chicken and wash those collard greens well, for it’s thanksgiving! Settle at your beautifully decorated kitchen table topped with colorful placemats and shiny silverware. Look to your left at your glowing grandmother, the matriarch of the family, sitting beautifully underneath the warm light of the glistening chandelier. Now, turn to your right and look deep into the past of small pox, murder, enslavement, and forced cultural redefining of the Indigenous people of “Amerikkka”. Ahh, this is what Thanksgiving is all about!
It’s simple. We’ve been lied to! Hopefully I can break it down to you to help you understand the truth the lies, but also why you shouldn’t feel guilty for celebrating Thanksgiving.
- Myth: Thanksgiving is portrayed in the History books, in films, commercials, and through conversation as if the very first thanksgiving was the same as today. Often times people dress up as Pilgrims and “Indians” on thanksgiving and show a loving relationship between the two over a nice turkey with loads of sweet foods, drinks, laughter, and warmth.
The Truth: There were years of countless battle between the Indigenous people and the European settlers. Many Indigenous people were already dead and gone by the time the settlers came due to the wide spread disease.
It’s reported that about 90 percent of the Indigenous population were killed because of this, however there were still millions of them alive and well enough for the greedy European settlers to enslave, sell and murder. The foods most certainly weren’t the same. So all your cakes and pies turkeys and hams, try some fish and rain water and see if your thanksgiving is as plentiful.
- Myth: Christopher Columbus discovered America
The Truth: Have several seats Chris and who ever made that lie up! How in God’s name can you discover some shit that was already full of people!? That’s like me going to NYC Times square and shouting; “I hear by claim this land DISCOVERED!!!” Yea right, they’d probably lock my coloured ass up, or worse shoot me and leave me for dead in the middle of Times Square for four hours. It’s said that the Vikings “discovered” America having traveled there and received a thorough ass kicking by the Indigenous people who basically said; “Da fug? *grabs bow and arrow*“. Simply put the Indigenous people discovered America. What’s most interesting is that the European settlers had no idea of how to survive and the Indigenous people taught them to hunt, fish, grow and crop, and what poisons to stay away from…and then they killed them off and claimed the land. #iCant
Myth: Indians are Native Americans Are Indians Are Indigenous People Of America Are American Indians are Natives….
The Truth: If you’re confused reading myth 3, you should be! Let me break this bullshit down to you. Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean. As the kid-song goes “…the waves grew higher, and higher and over…1 2 3 independence…” As ignorant as this kid-song is, its widely excepted that Christopher happened upon America after a hard sail through the ocean. When it’s more likely that Christopher had an easy sail. Chris landed on what he thought was India, saw the Indigenous people there and called them Indians.
Now how the hell can you land somewhere and just call muthafuckas whatever name you want? That’s like me going to the City Hall of Newark NJ to change the name of Mayor Ras Baraka to D’s nuts. No shade, but that would be ridiculous… no?! And for years after his retirement and death everyone would know him as the great mayor of Newark NJ D’s Nuts! So, when thinking of an Indigenous person or commonly known as Native American vs an Indian person, here’s a little help:
Indigenous – originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.
Native – a person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth, whether subsequently resident there or not.
FACT: IN THE IMAGE BELOW ON THE LEFT IS A BEAUTIFUL INDIAN MAN FROM INDIA. IN THE IMAGE BELOW ON THE RIGHT IS A BEAUTIFUL INDIGENOUS MAN NATIVE OF AMERICA.
To help you understand demographic and how disrespectful it is to call an Indigenous person an Indian look at how far away on the map these two origins are.
Native Americans are derived from the founders of America the Indigenous people (who are coloured people by the way often dipicted as white, just another white lie!) America is highlighted yellow above. Indians are from India highlighted Red in the picture above. So, Indians are not Native Americans they don’t have the same culture, food, style of dressing, maybe even ideals. Even though older Native Americans still consider themselves American Indian the truth is they’re not, but hey it’s American history for a white man to set a precedent that we blindly follow without question why else do we often consider ourselves black? I hope you think twice the next time you decide to dress up on Halloween with your feathered hat strapped with a bow and arrow hopping around patting your mouth calling yourself an INDIAN! When you should really have a dot in the middle of your head draped in beautiful garment.
I truly do hope this has cleared up some confusion. But I urge you, don’t feel guilty, much like the oppression of the Afrikan people in America we now celebrate and give thanks to those who’ve died for us, particularly around February, but often everyday from most. Thanksgiving is a time for celebration, even then, however it wasn’t all happy. So, instead of simply giving thanks to why you are here with your family, give thanks to those Indigenous people who fought, taught, and help raise this country to be what it is today. If you want to find out more on how American schools systems have lied to us simply visit the sites below and read until your breath stank! Ha!
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I am so glad someone finally told the truth!!!
Bless you! Thanks so much for reading!