Re-Teaching Thanksgiving Myths

Teaching about Thanksgiving in a socially responsible way means that educators accept the ethical obligation to provide students with accurate information and to reject traditions that sustain harmful stereotypes about indigenous peoples. What’s more, since most of our schools do not exactly promote historically accurate portrayals of our nation’s history, it is left to us to bring perspectives and understandings not just to children we know, but to adults who may never have been exposed to or deeply pondered the implications of racism, colonization, and genocide.  Thankfully, there are excellent online resources that can help educators and you and I who may be interested in disrupting the prevailing Thanksgiving mythology. 

Finally, for those who want to take a personal deep dive, I highly recommend Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz’ Indigenous History of the United States and for those who’d like a bit shallower dive, click here for Indian Country Today Media Network, a 16-page report, Intergenerational Trauma: Understanding Natives’ Inherited Pain, By Mary Annette Pember. Click here to get the pdf.

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