In elementary school, children are taught a very watered down version of the history of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims arrive in the United States, become friends with the indigenous people, and celebrate together with a feast. The history behind the colonization of the U.S. is a very different reality, with not nearly as many warm feelings.
Decades before Christopher Columbus landed on North America’s shores, there had been a dense population of Native Americans. They developed separate tribes according to climate, resources, and environment, with tribe names such as Cherokee, Seminole, Shawnee, and Calusa. In their disregard for the history of these different tribes, colonizers such as Christopher Colombus and Ponce de Leon grouped these tribes together and regarded them as one people.
Throughout the history of the United States, from the time of the colonies to the development as an independent country, different Native American tribes have helped the people who once took their land, resources, and people for granted.
White Americans saw these indigenous people as a threat— they inhabited “unsettled” land that they thought they deserved. Because of this, the Black Hawk War and the Trail of Tears came to be— an intricate way to remove Native Americans from their own land, which has not been repaid.
This removal of indigenous people has often been regarded to as a mass murder, but that is putting it too plainly. After essentially wiping out countless Native tribes, there is only one thing this action can be regarded as— genocide. On top of this blatant genocide, Native Americans have been preyed upon and made subject to several other grim acts. Indigenous women and girls are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than any other ethnicity, murder being the third leading cause of death for indigenous women, according to the Center for Disease Control.
The hashtags #MMIW (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women) and #NoMoreStolenSisters have been used across all types of social media platforms in order to lift up Native American women’s voices and spread awareness. These movements have been created by the Native Women’s Wilderness organization and in partnership with Indigenous Women Hike. Organizations such as these have been created in hopes to protect indigenous women, but they should not have to be founded in the first place.
Out of the 5,712 reported MMIW cases in 2016, only 116 were logged into the Department of Justice database.
While it is important to remember the distinctions between tribes and differing experiences and/or traditions, it is also important to bring awareness to the fact of the discrimination this group faces. After being ignored by the government and having their culture appropriated every year by Americans, there’s no repayment in any form. White America has turned a blind eye to the very culture they robbed from indigenous people.
Many only think of the natives within continental United States, but one cannot forget about Alaska natives and Hawaii’n natives. The American colonization is reverberated throughout all of the land the United States’ government has taken, not just the contiguous states that first come to mind. These people have been robbed of their land and then forgotten by not only the government, but the intruders who live on their native land.
Tribes such as the Comanche, Hopi, Choctaw, and Lummi should not only be relevant when it comes down to researching for a history project. These groups face constant discrimination from society and the government that overtook their ancestors.
Respecting and remembering the heritage and culture of indigenous people is one of the most important aspects of this month, making it easier to bring awareness to the discrimination Native Americans, especially Native women, face even today. Bringing awareness to such problems is the least one could do to repay for all the wrong America has inflicted upon them.
There is still much more to do, and many ways citizens can help. For more information about the Native Women’s Wilderness organization, as well as information on “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women” and “No More Stolen Sisters”, visit here.
