Truth of the Native Tongue

Hi friends! This week’s post is inspired by a lot of reflecting I’ve done recently. Last week was Thanksgiving and in the spirit of that I would like to send a message of love and support for Indigenous peoples. If you aren’t aware of the truth behind the real first Thanksgiving I’d recommend checking out the attached video or if you have time for a good read, “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by Loewen will rock your world. Indigenous people have had their stories told through Anglo eyes since Europeans first traveled here over 600 years ago.

I want my readers to take a moment to reflect on how we still twist and abuse the native narrative. Thanksgiving is still a holiday where happy pilgrims and turkeys litter the media and our education systems, the Dakota Access Pipeline was built on native sacred  grounds despite nationwide protest, and in this year has been experiencing leaks. This and the fact that native grounds in general are subject to our government’s rulings and decisions lead to me be firm in my belief that the experience of indigenous peoples in the US is that of ongoing genocide. Genocide refers to the systematic destruction of a group, this is often mistaken simplistically for mass murder of a group. In controlling every aspect of native lives from their land to who can identify and live among their people, they are able to keep native numbers small and their histories silenced.

In the US we are never taught experiences from the perspective of indigenous peoples. Their voices and stories are never the narrative, we outlaw their religious practices in order to arrest and control them, we brutalize every aspect of their cultures as demonic. Yet, indigenous peoples remain, they hold one of the most beautiful cultures in the world (in my opinion). They seek ways to revitalize their culture to bring back what has been suppressed. One chef has managed to popularize cuisine that has been passed down for generations and also promotes the indigenous economy.

I mention this chef because I don’t want the tone of this post to be that natives are dying. They are a people that have been greatly wounded by the outside world but they are still present and important.

I want to encourage readers this week to find more stories like the one I included about Chef Sherman and comment them below. I want people supporting indigenous peoples and culture and speaking out because as a nation we have been far too silent.

Until next time, stay furious!