I am Native (notes)

  These are just some notes for something I've decided to write and I figured I would share them with you all. I may not talk about this stuff a lot but sometimes it does get into my head. I recently read an obituary, it was my great uncle, my grandfathers brother, and i knew him well. I already knew he passed but I didn't get to read the obituary until recently. He was a member of the tribal council and to honor him, I suppose that's why I decided to write. Anyway enough of my rambling, if you like it or want to know more just let me know.

 Ø      Talk about which tribe you are from:

o       Mashpee Wampanoag’s

o       How they met with some of the first settlers

o       Survive to this day

Ø      National day of mourning

o       Explain what it is and why it is important

Ø      Talk about the facts that few know today:

o       Lasted 3 days

o       53 pilgrims and 90 natives

o       There was more than just turkey; seafood (fish, eels, and shellfish) was a huge part of the first thanksgiving as was deer, wild fruit and veggies, bread and “Three Sisters” which was made of beans, dried Indian maize (corn), and squash.

o       Plymouth rock is not where the pilgrims first landed, they actually landed closer to what is now providence town (located at the other end of the state for those who don’t know)

Ø      National Day of Mourning

o       Organized since 1970 by American Indian tribes of New England always on the same day as thanksgiving

o       Un-thanksgiving day: a similar protest on the west coast

o       Many native people believe thanksgiving is a celebration of the slaughter and enslavement of their people

o       The protests are to bring awareness to people about the history of the natives pasts, and stand strong for many

§         “We will stop protesting when the merchants of Plymouth are no longer making millions of dollars off the blood of our slaughtered ancestors. We will stop protesting when we can act as sovereign nations on our own land without the interference of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and what Sitting Bull called the "favorite ration chiefs". When corporations stop polluting our mother, the earth. When racism has been eradicated. When the oppression of Two-Spirited people is a thing of the past. We will stop protesting when homeless people have homes and no child goes to bed hungry. When police brutality no longer exists in communities of color.

In honor of Francis S. Sanford