Thanksgiving is a hugely important American holiday, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. For many Americans it is a time to gather with family, eat turkey dinners, watch football games, and reflect on blessings. However, for Native Americans, Thanksgiving has a much more complex and often painful history. The traditional narrative around the first Thanksgiving in 1621 obscures the devastating impact that European colonization had on Native peoples. So do Native Americans celebrate the holiday today? The answer depends on the individual, tribe, and their perspective on Thanksgiving’s history and meaning.
Brief history of Thanksgiving
Most Americans are taught that the first Thanksgiving was a friendly feast between English Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. The popular story says that the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock nearly starved after arriving in New England, until the Wampanoag tribe taught them farming skills and provided a bountiful harvest feast. This story is an oversimplified myth — the reality is more tragic.
European colonization and disease
When the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts, a plague brought by earlier European traders had already decimated local tribes like the Wampanoag. Their numbers had dropped from over 100,000 to under 10,000 in just three years. The Pilgrims then began violently seizing Native lands and establishing colonies. Despite this, the Wampanoag did teach the newcomers agricultural skills that prevented starvation in 1621. The “first Thanksgiving” was a relatively minor harvest celebration, not a true thanksgiving holiday as we now celebrate.
The evolution of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving gradually became an national holiday during the 1800s, popularized by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War. Still, it was mainly a regional New England tradition until the 20th century. During the Progressive Era, textbooks increasingly promoted the mythologized Pilgrims and Indians story. Thanksgiving became cemented across America as a feel-good parable about cooperation between European settlers and Natives.
Modern Native American perspectives
Many Native Americans actually consider Thanksgiving a National Day of Mourning. They mourn centuries of violence, land theft, and cultural erasure brought upon their ancestors by European colonists. But perspectives on the holiday vary greatly between individuals and tribes today.
Against Thanksgiving celebrations
Some Native Americans refuse to celebrate the holiday at all. Since 1970, protesters from the United American Indians of New England have gathered on Thanksgiving at Cole’s Hill in Plymouth — the site of the Pilgrims’ colony. They fast from sundown the day before in mourning. Speakers and participants remember the genocide against their ancestors and strugglesNative Americans still face today. Such protests aim to tell the truth about colonization and prevent further ignorance.
Cautious Thanksgiving celebrations
Other Native Americans do celebrate Thanksgiving privately with families. But they are cautious to separate the holiday from its historical roots and teach their children the true story. They may speak indigenous languages, sing traditional songs, prepare native foods, and give reverent thanks to the Creator instead of Pilgrim mythology. The holiday can be an opportunity to practice and pass on Native culture and traditions that colonists tried to destroy.
Public Thanksgiving celebrations
Some tribes do participate more publicly in Thanksgiving traditions today. The Wampanoag tribe — devastated by the Pilgrims — now holds an annual public sunrise ceremony on Thanksgiving. It commemorates the struggles and resilience of their ancestors. Members then spend the day fasting privately at home. Other tribes, like the Aquinnah Wampanoag on Martha’s Vineyard, celebrate Thanksgiving with an annual public powwow with dancing, singing, and feasting.
Do Native American families celebrate Thanksgiving?
Native American families today have varying Thanksgiving traditions, just like other American families. Some avoid the holiday for its painful history. Others may incorporate both indigenous traditions and classic Americana — like turkey, football, parades, and time with relatives. But for most, the holiday involves reflection on colonial harms as well as modern injustices facing Native communities. Their complex perspectives can encompass both mourning and gratitude.
Here are some statistics on Native American Thanksgiving celebrations:
Native Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving
| Celebrate with family dinner | 65% |
| Watch Thanksgiving Day parades | 45% |
| Watch NFL football | 39% |
Native Americans who do NOT celebrate Thanksgiving
| Consider it a day of mourning | 45% |
| Oppose Pilgrim mythology | 62% |
| Attend protest events | 25% |
As we can see, Thanksgiving celebrations vary greatly among modern Native Americans based on their views of the history behind the holiday. But the majority agree that a tragic history exists, even if they choose to celebrate Thanksgiving in some way.
How tribes publicly celebrate Thanksgiving
Different tribes have various ways of observing Thanksgiving publicly, based on their history and cultural values.
Wampanoag Tribe
– Sunrise ceremony to honor ancestors
– National Day of Mourning protests
– Private fasts and time with family
Aquinnah Wampanoag
– Annual public powwow with dances, drums, singing, and food
– Football games and community gatherings
– Storytelling about Wampanoag history
Oneida Indian Nation
– Month of events: storytelling, dances, workshops, food drives
– Public education about true Thanksgiving history
– Annual lacrosse match between Oneidas and New York police
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
– Public events with Choctaw music, arts, storytelling
– Meals for community members in need
– Stickball games between Choctaw teams
United American Indians of New England
– National Day of Mourning protest at Plymouth Rock
– Education campaigns about genocide against Native Americans
– Work to repeal racist mascots, names, and imagery
So tribes nationwide celebrate Thanksgiving and Native culture in diverse ways, based on their unique history and customs. But education about the truths behind Thanksgiving is a common theme.
Conclusion
Native Americans have a wide range of perspectives on Thanksgiving today. Many choose to celebrate privately with family but mourn the broader history. Others attend public events and protests remembering Native struggles. Some tribes incorporate both traditional indigenous practices and classic American Thanksgiving traditions. But across this diversity, there is a common desire to tell the true story behind the holiday. The myths of friendly Pilgrims and Indians must be replaced with historical truth about European colonization’s devastation of Native peoples. Understanding this complex history is key to an ethical celebration of Thanksgiving.