and why I (usually) do not celebrate it.
Jim & Jill discuss this article in their podcast here.
Of Dutch–German heritage, I grew up with the Dutch tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas (or Santa Claus). My mum would take us to the Dutch expat society in Stuttgart, and when it was my turn, I’d sit on Santa’s lap while Zwarte Piet – or Black Pete – handed me a present.
In 2009 I moved to the Netherlands, and a few years later people of colour began speaking out about the racist nature of Zwarte Piet. It had never been an issue for me – after all, I grew up with this tradition. Yet I couldn’t help but notice how deeply offended people of colour were, so I made a short documentary about Zwarte Piet, which you can find here.
Looking back, it was a no-brainer: Zwarte Piet had to change, or Sinterklaas simply couldn’t be considered inclusive. Friends from Anglo-Saxon backgrounds were often shocked by the tradition. Today, many communities in the Netherlands no longer feature Zwarte Piet. Instead, you’ll find yellow, orange, multi-coloured, or grey Piets – showing how Dutch traditions can evolve to remain inclusive.
Thanksgiving is following a similar trajectory. In 1970, a group of Indigenous people declared the National Day of Mourning on the fourth Thursday of November – the same day as Thanksgiving. Most of my American friends are far less critical of Thanksgiving than they are of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet.
Nevertheless, it’s an indisputable fact that the traditional Thanksgiving narrative overlooks the Indigenous perspective. For example, the Wampanoag tribe was forced to ally with the Pilgrims after 90% of their population had been wiped out by European diseases. Traditionalists celebrate this alliance as the reason the Pilgrims survived their first brutal winter – the Wampanoag shared food and taught them how to grow local crops.
But the alliance didn’t last. As more settlers arrived, more land was stolen from the Wampanoag, leading to more violence. In 1637, Thanksgiving celebrations included the massacre of over 700 Pequot men, women and children. By 1675 the Wampanoag were brutally subdued: thousands were killed, their chief Metacomet was beheaded, and his wife and children were sold into slavery.
So again – it’s a no-brainer not to celebrate traditional Thanksgiving. I say traditional because this tradition, too, is changing. Some now honour Indigenous sacrifice by serving indigenous foods like squash, beans and offering ‘decolonised’ dishes. Setting aside a spirit plate to honour Native American ancestors is also becoming common practice.
This is why I wrote that I (usually) abstain from celebrating Thanksgiving with my American friends – unless the invitation mentions practices that acknowledge the many Indigenous victims, and in doing so, make Thanksgiving inclusive and genuinely reconciliatory.
Enjoy your thanksgiving wherever you are!