This year’s National Day of Mourning will broadcast live beginning at noon on Nov. 26, 2020 with a combination of livestreaming from Plymouth MA and pre-recorded messages via
- the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) website www.uaine.org
- the UAINE facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/UAINE and
- https://hate5six.com/ndom
An interactive Zoom workshop “Looking Deeply at Thanksgiving: The Journey to a new Thanksgiving built on justice & right relationship” took place on Thursday Nov 19, 2020.
Video of program https://youtu.be/x1Kx2ZwMPt0
- Indigenous presenters (on why many Native Americans consider Thanksgiving a Day of Mourning) were:
Joan Tavares Avant (Mashpee Wampanoag) & Gail Melix (Manomet Wampanoag) - Breakout groups reflected on what we had heard
- Discussion exploring ways to move forward together
The Indigenous presenters were joined by Rev. Kelly Gallagher (UCC) and Leslie Manning (Quakers)
Transcript of Leslie’s talk https://bhfh.org/2020/11/20/rethinking-thanks-giving/
This program raised over $3500 in reparational funds for Native Land Conservancy to support Indigenous land reclamation http://www.nativelandconservancy.org Donate now to NLC
Sponsors:
- 400 Years Project – 25 faith communities & community groups in Western Mass partnering to work together toward right relationship with Native peoples https://interfaithamherst.org/400-years
Letter to Congregations: A Call to Re-imagine Thanksgiving
Land Acknowledgment for Northeast read during the Nov. 19th program - Justice & Witness Ministries of United Church of Christ, Southern New England Region looking at the world & prayerfully working to make it a better place (“God speaks to our hearts and minds”) https://www.macucc.org/changingourworld
- Beacon Hill Friends House – online opportunities for spiritual exploration and deepening & social action bhfh.org/virtual-events
Resources from our presenters & panelists
- From Joan Tavares Avant & Gail Melixd:
National Day of Mourning (Nov. 26, 2020) organized by United American Indians of New England http://www.uaine.org/
The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James – delivered in Plymouth MA in 1970
http://www.uaine.org/suppressed_speech.htm - From Rev. Kelly Gallagher
Repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
ucc.org/justice_racism_doctrine-of-discovery - From Leslie Manning
“Apology to Native Americans” – 2020 draft under consideration by Friends Meetings across New England neym.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/Apology.pdf
Right Relationship Resource Group of New England Quakers
neym.org/right-relationship-indigenous-peoples-resources-engagement
Decolonizing Quakers decolonizingquakers.org/
Other resources about Thanksgiving:
- The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving – a novel by Larry Spotted Crow Mann
video on book: https://youtu.be/YATDN9SlR2U
30 min. conversation between Larry & Sen. Jo Comerford on the book https://youtu.be/wQHVSC3jYt8
order copies (100% of receipts go to author & Native projects)
https://www.riseupandsing.org/mourning-road - American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving from American Indian Museum https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/thanksgiving_poster.pdf
- Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
https://danceforallpeople.com/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving-address/
Other Decolonizing resources
- Maine-Wabanaki REACH – envisioning & preparing for a future where Maine & Wabanaki people join together, acknowledging truth, promoting healing & creating change http://www.mainewabanakireach.org/
- Decolonizing Faith Project
http://www.mainewabanakireach.org/decolonizing_faith_project - Indigenous Values Initiative – articulating, disseminating and promoting values expressed by the leadership of the Onondaga Nation https://indigenousvalues.org
YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_5IjjVpNv7iuIkBC7O-1hQ
(includes all talks from three day course in August 2020: “The Doctrine of Discovery: Mother Earth’s Pandemic”)
Some examples of reparation / restorative action in relation to Native peoples
- 1% Native Land Reparation pledge https://www.peaceabbey.org/reparation
- First Nations Development Institute https://www.firstnations.org
- “Native American Land Taxes: A Step on the Roadmap toward Reparations”
https://haaland.house.gov/media/in-the-news/native-american-land-taxes-step-roadmap-reparations - Seneca Nation of Indians Economic Development Company (SNIEDC) http://www.sniedc.org