Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month

November 13, 2019 | Uncategorized

Thanksgiving is celebrated in November in the US, and so is Native American Heritage Month: https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/.  

Those of us who are not Native have much to learn from Native peoples about gratitude. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, consider sharing the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address at your gatherings. The Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations ‚Äî Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora)  open and close every social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address. It is also said as a daily sunrise prayer and is an ancient message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.     
 
There are many online resources for debunking the myths surrounding Thanksgiving (look for ones written by Native people). The Indigenous people who were living on the lands invaded by the “pilgrims” are the Wampanoag. Here’s an interview with Ramona Peters, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Cultural Preservation Officer, about how the Wampanoag people think about the Thanksgiving myth: 
 

Resources for Children and Youth: 

Traditional Native American Tales retold by Native Authors: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/native-american-folktales-for-kids/?fbclid=IwAR3gc39qaZz1hHe4w-XqIPa32h8srvxIT_L794aI87iRZBymS96PI86gHcc

Decolonizing Thanksgiving. (Joan Broadfield) When celebrating Thanksgiving, it is important to acknowledge the culture of first peoples and to stay away from the whitewashed ‚ÄòPilgrims and Indians‚Äô story.  From Books for Littles, this blog post contains a brief list of children‚Äôs books countering the myth of the ‚ÄòFirst Thanksgiving.‚Äô http://www.booksforlittles.com/thanksgiving/?fbclid=IwAR35go8OkJuxTJO440UQpZDfk6lV4YBzvpsxtuDt4xJXglQBsmp-Mg1PWx0

Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, by Jake Swamp, is a special children’s version of the Thanksgiving Address, a message of gratitude that originated with the Native people of upstate New York and Canada, still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois, or Six Nations.

Book: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/giving-thanks-by-chief-jake-swamp/

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE2YHTSQVgY

Resources for Adults and Educators: 

‚ÄãThanksgiving: A Native Perspective, Ed: Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), Beverly Slapin, and Carolyn Silverman (Cherokee/Blackfeet). This sourcebook of essays, speeches, stories and activities will help teachers and students think critically about what has been, and continues to be, taught as the ‚Äúfirst Thanksgiving.” http://oyate.org/index.php/component/hikashop/product/372-thanksgiving-a-native-perspective?Itemid=11

Alison Cagle, Celebrate Indigenous History This Thanksgiving: Here’s how to authentically honor the holiday. Sierra Magazine, 2018
 

Cultural Survival,  8 WAYS TO DECOLONIZE AND HONOR NATIVE PEOPLES ON THANKSGIVING

Teaching Tolerance, Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way

Alexis Buntin, Bioneers, Three Ways to Decolonize Thanksgiving

United American Indians of New England, The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James, Wampanoag  

The Souix Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, By Sean Sherman https://sioux-chef.com/

An Introduction

The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform. 

Find Out More about QREC

Steering Circle

We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker ‘sense of the meeting’ process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read more…

Working Circles

Hand Icon

Our work  takes place in ‘circles’ or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read more…

The Resource Library

Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection

The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.

Resource Library General Search

Children's Education

Adult Education

Family

African Quaker Library

Youth Education

Small Meetings

Young Adult Friends

Biblioteca QREC

Events

Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for God’s way forward.

QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.

Attend QREC Conferences and Retreats

Conversation Circles

Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation.  Join the conversation…

Other Events

Hand Icon

Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming events…

Love at the Heart

Spiritual Practices

Discernment

Active Caring

Quaker Family Culture

Finding the Light

Faith at Home

Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.

Learn More about Faith at Home

Become a Member

Submit Resources

Get Announcements

Donate

Attend an Event

Contact Us

Get Involved

QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involved…

Get involved with QREC