24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 23-29, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com On the Menu With a marred legacy, it’s time to decolonize Thanksgiving and how we treat the holiday. By Sean Sherman FORUM I am a proud member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. My early memories of Thanksgiving are akin to those of most Americans— meat-and-potatoes dishes inspired by Eurocentric 1960s-era cookbooks. For many Americans, the image of Thanksgiving is one of supposed unity: the gathering of “Pilgrims and Indians” in a harmonious feast. But this version obscures the harsh truth, one steeped in colonialism, violence and misrepresentation. By exploring the Indigenous perspective on Thanksgiving, we can gain a deeper understanding of American history. The sanitized version of Thanksgiving neglects to mention the violence, land theft and subsequent decimation of Indigenous populations. Thanksgiving’s roots are intertwined with colonial aggression. One of the first documented “Thanksgivings” came in 1637, after the colonists celebrated their massacre of an entire Pequot village. I do not think we need to end Thanksgiving. But we do need to decolonize it. That means centering the Indigenous perspective and challenging the colonial narratives around the holiday. Indigenous contributions— including turkey, corn, beans, pumpkins, cranberries, sweet potatoes and wild rice—are central to the Thanksgiving menu. We can ground the celebration in a genuine appreciation of this land and its original custodians—the same way that we celebrate European contributions to the American plate. The Western colonial diet has almost completely ignored the nutritional and culinary diversity of North America, just as other Indigenous cultural practices have been decimated by Eurocentric forces. At our Indigenous Minneapolis restaurant, Owamni, and in tribal communities everywhere, food is a celebration of history, culture and environmental stewardship. These values can be applied not only during Thanksgiving but every day of our lives, and would drastically change the way we all live on this planet. Indigenous values shift the focus toward acknowledging our shared human experiences and rights, one of which is the profound relationship between humans and food. The way we can save Thanksgiving is by investing as many resources in food production, water, land access, and education as we do in our military. We can save Thanksgiving by working toward a more unified world on this planet. This Thanksgiving, let’s break the bonds of colonization—not just on our plates but in our perspectives, too. I would like to be thankful for a more accurate accounting of the past. Inclusivity and commitment to truth would honor Indigenous people. Banning histories is wrong; understanding true histories is necessary. A decolonized Thanksgiving could transform a holiday marred by historical amnesia into a celebration of genuine gratitude, unity, and recognition of our rich Indigenous heritage. Let us drop food and knowledge, not bombs. Sean Sherman is an award-winning chef, educator, author and activist. OPINION I would like to be thankful for a more accurate accounting of the past. PRESENTED BY
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