Although this is a season of “thanks and celebration” for families across America, Thanksgiving is also a time of mourning and solemn remembrance. For Indigenous peoples, Thanksgiving is an annual reminder of the mistreatment and genocide of millions of their ancestors across America. It is a reminder that to heal as a nation, we must face our past mistakes head on. Today, we will broadly discuss the long and intricate history of Indigenous people in the United States. We hope that through this knowledge, we can come together to build a more equitable future for all Americans.
When I was in elementary school, I remember learning about how Columbus “discovered” America. This history glorified a man that raped, pillaged, and destroyed human beings living in the Americas long before Europeans colonized it. Researchers believe that America was discovered 20,000 years prior by a group of people called the Beringians. They hypothesize that a small population of people migrated from Russia to Alaska via an ice land bridge that connected the two land masses. Overtime, this small population inhabited all of Northern America. Unfortunately, to gather this information, researchers have taken blood, fluids, and ancestral bones of Indigenous tribes without their permission. So, even though this may be the “scientific” explanation of America's ancestral history, it was discovered through an abuse of power and a lack of respect for cultural rights. As we move forward, it is important to understand that many tribes ascribe to their own cultural and religious explanations for their ancestry. For example, in the Grand Canyon, the Havasupai tribe or “the people of the blue-green waters” believe that their people were created within the canyon itself. However, scientists have unjustly taken this tribe’s blood and genetic data to link their historical origin back to Siberia. The Havasupai were awarded $700,000 for this gross abuse of power in 2010, but a similar thread of stories continue throughout America today. This is just one of the many examples of the unjust treatment of Indigenous peoples in modern society.
Conflicts between the Indigenous peoples and Europeans began once they reached America’s shores. Things like greed, racism, colonization, and disease resulted in epic battles and genocides that decimated Indigenous populations across America. Many of the stories we heard about as children like that of Pocahontas, Sacagawea, and Thanksgiving are all great examples of the white-washed misrepresentation of the “founding” of the United States. The early 15th century is riddled with stories of battles, mass murder, and broken treaties between Europeans and Indigenous Americans.
The acts of genocide against Native populations are countless. In 1782, 96 Christian Pennsylvanians were beaten to death publicly because of rising racial conflict; in 1812, the Creek war conflict forced Mvskoke Creek woman to sacrifice their own children to avoid a torturous death from American soldiers; in 1864, a White man led the charge to massacre 160 Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children, even though the Chief held up an American and white flag to indicate peace; in 1868, an Irish man led the charge to slaughter 103 Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, women, and children all while they were sleeping; the list continues. In these instances, many of the tribes were considered peaceful or “allies” of the American people but were attacked regardless. There truly is no way to atone for these atrocities. And for many of us, it is hard to hear. Although you or your ancestors may not have directly partaken in these mass murders, we all still benefit from the White superiority complex that continues into present-day society. Today we remember those lost lives.
The genocide against Indigenous Americans continues in 1830 with the passing of the Indian Removal Act. President Andrew Jackson began his presidency with a message of hope for all. In his inaugural address he stated a want to “to observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that human and considerate attention to their rights and wants which is consistent with the habits of our Government and the feelings of our people.” This speech was subsequently followed by one of the greatest acts of violence against Native American people– many know it as “The Trail of Tears.” The Indian Removal Act was designed to remove multiple tribes from profitable land to a new designated plot of land (now called Oklahoma). This 1,000+ mile journey killed over 25% of the Cherokee Creek Native American population– upward of 4,000 in total. Many died from starvation, exhaustion, and disease. In 1838, to speed up the process, President Martin Van Buren enlisted a large group of troops to march the last of the tribe to the reservation land. These soldiers beat and mass murdered the remaining members of the tribe throughout the journey. This “Trail of Tears” generally refers to the massive loss of life of the Cherokee people specifically, however, the Removal Act affected many other tribes across America. The Creeks, Seminoles, Ojibwes, Kickapoos, Poncas, Modocs, Kalapuyas, and many others all suffered as a result of this Act– the Sauks and Mesquakies people lost over 85% of their population from the journey.
These stories continue across the United States. In California, the Catholic mission system greatly affected Indigenous populations with high rates of infectious diseases, forced assimilation, and slave labor. The mission system was established in the 18th century to convert populations of Indigenous people to Catholicism. Native peoples, known as “neophytes” were forced to live in the missions until they finished their Christian education. They then were allowed to move into pueblo housing surrounding the missions. The housing both inside and outside of the mission was crowded and unsanitary, leaving room for the spread of disease. Further, these people were forced into unpaid labor like farming, cooking, and the building of the missions themselves. The effects of the mission system cut the Indigenous populations in California almost in half by the turn of the 19th century.
In the Southwest region of the U.S. there is a long history of Indigenous slave trade. This trade initially began in the early 1600s with the Spainyards, but continued well into the 1800s. In 1866, U.S. officials found over 400 slaves in New Mexico alone. Indigenous slavery was banned even before the abolishment of slavery in 1865, but it continued in the Southwest. The slave trade encoporated the Spanish, French, British, Mexican, and even neighboring Indigenous tribes. Government officials and missionaries would plot to kidnap people from their tribe to enslave them. Many slavers were able to continue their practices following 1865 because a majority of enslaved Indigenous peoples were held as peons. These were people who were forced to work with little to no pay to pay off debts for food, clothing, and other necessary materials. Enslaved indigenous people were forced to do anything from manual labor to textile sweatshop work. Congress attempted to end slavery in the Southwest with the Peonage Act of 1867, but since the system was riddled with corruption and government leadership, the Act did little to free the enslaved people. Today, many Hispanic residents in New Mexico are discovering both their slaver and enslaved heritage. This ties them to both Hispanic and Indigenous heritage. Although some have tried to make claims towards their ancestry, many Indigenous American tribes do not believe that they are deserving of that title. They believe that genetic heritage does not necessarily define your cultural tie to the origin of the tribe themselves. It is a complex set of history and ideas that many are still working through today.
Since the Indigenous nations were both apart and separate from the United States, the government attempted to create laws to bridge that gap. For instance, with the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851, Congress created the reservation system. In theory, this system provided land and funds to the different tribes. However, many people were not permitted to leave said reservation, and the land itself was useless in terms of agriculture and economic value. In 1887, President Grover Cleveland expanded upon this system with the Dawes Act which granted the government power to divide reservation land to various tribes. And this Act allowed for reservation plots to be sold to outsiders after 25 years. This caused conflict between White Europeans and the various tribes. Many White Americans even manipulated the system so that the government could ignore the treaties and give them the land without proper purchase. This Act also forced the assimilation of many Indigenous tribes into American culture. The Act stated that if the tribes were willing to “assimilate” via proper schooling and infrastructure jobs, they would be granted American citizenship. This proposition forced children into boarding schools, away from their homes. These “American” schools attempted to strip away their culture– one school motto stated “kill the Indian in him and save the man.”
In the 1900s these acts continued and attempted to repair the damage. Infrastructure like the Indian New Deal of 1924, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, and the Indian Claims Commission of 1946, all tried to elevate the socioeconomic status of Native Americans. However, each of the Acts was created by the very people that caused the damage. Therefore many aspects did not adequately support Indigenous populations and failed in elevating them within their communities. For instance, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 wanted to return land to Native populations and provide a permanent residence for tribes that were wronged. Yet only a small portion of tribes wanted permanency. The reservation system provided little to no economic opportunity leading to high rates of unemployment and poverty. Tribe leaders understood this and some wanted opportunities to better assimilate into American culture to break from this cycle; the land the government provided was useless. The key to this discussion is that each of these Acts was not created to encompass the intricate nature of each individual tribe. Rather, each made assumptions about what all American Indians would want. But each tribe comes with their own needs, wants, and culture. These Acts did not work to understand those differences. Instead they worked to keep all Indigenous Americans apart, or force them to remove all aspects of their Indigenous culture and assimilate as Americans. They left no space in between.
Although these conflicts and challenges continue, there is hope. Many tribes have come together to fight for their rights as Americans since the mid-1900s. With organizations like the NCAI (National Commission of American Indians) and AIM (American Indian Movement), political activism of Native people continues today. Similar to the Black Power movement, the Red Power movement is widely misunderstood and misconstrued in the media. The goal of this movement is to create a nation that provides tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and equitable conditions for the Native American people. The protest that helped kickstart this movement was the occupation of Alcatraz in 1971. During this period, various tribal members came together and occupied the Alcatraz island for 19 months and created a peaceful nation. On this island they painted, “Peace and freedom. Welcome. Home of the free Indian land.” This was to call attention to the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples across the United States, and create plans for a more equitable, suitable nation. The occupation of Alcatraz inspired historic protests like that of Wounded Knee in 1971, the longest walk of 1978, and the Trail of broken treaties in 1972. Each of these was unique in nature and outcome, but all called attention to Indian rights, issues, and government negligence.
These are just a few of the many historical atrocities from American colonization. There are numerous ways that we as a community can come together to help moving forward. First is education. This app ( https://native-land.ca/ ) provides a comprehensive map of ancestral Indigenous lands. You can simply type in your zip code to find out whose stolen land you now reside on, research more about their ancestral history, and donate to said Indigenous communities. Other ways to contribute can be found by following organizations like seeding sovereignty, indigenous climate action, the NDN collective, the red dress project, and beyond. These can be found on social media platforms like Instagram, and easily researched online! It has never been easier to educate yourself. Listening to leaders from these communities is an important step to take action and provide empathy as we move forward. The history of America is dark, but by ignoring that history these problems will only continue. To come together we must listen, educate, and advocate for one another. Our education starts today, but will continue in the days to come!
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