As the promise of fall break finally approaches, it seems that this semester has flown by! Though many of us can't wait to take a break from the academic stress and immerse ourselves in fall and family, this is also a time to reflect on the holiday known to us as Thanksgiving. Steeped in tradition, the modern day iteration of Thanksgiving is more myth and misconception than historical recounting. As students of critical thought it is important for us to take into account the intricate and nuanced history of this widely celebrated American holiday. Furthermore, as students of CCI, we have the opportunity to examine how some industries in the United States are currently attempting to address this history and how they hope to make a positive transformation. Join me as we deep dive into the holiday and delve into how some Creative and Cultural Industries are tackling the subject.
By Davies Designs Studio
Today Thanksgiving is often viewed as a celebration of Native cultures and peaceful traditions across classrooms around the country. It's a narrative that utterly flips the coin on the reality of its history, leading many to believe, as the Smithsonian Magazine puts it, that "local Native Americans welcomed the courageous, pioneering pilgrims to a celebratory feast."
David Silverman, Historian and professor of Early America and Native America at George Washington University, and author of This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving, points out in that Smithsonian Magazine article that the telling of the first Thanksgiving as many have learned it, reinforces the idea that,”friendly Indians, unidentified by tribe, welcome the Pilgrims to America, teach them how to live in this new place, sit down to dinner with them and then disappear.” He adds, “That’s the story—it’s about Native people conceding to colonialism. It’s bloodless and in many ways an extension of the ideology of Manifest Destiny.” That Thanksgiving story, has a way of dismissing the actual political and strategic moves that Wampanoag leader, Ousamequin, was employing when reaching out to the English, and certainly leaves no room to discuss the disease, oppression, injustice, and racism that native peoples had and would continue to face as their relationship with European colonizers rotted away.
By Meritt Thomas on Unsplash.
Of course this is just the start of the many stories of Native and First Nations peoples and the atrocities that would be done to them in the Americas. A few texts & articles that offer a look at this history include, The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday, David Silverman's above mentioned book: This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving The True Dark History of Thanksgiving, and Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen.
Still, the myth of Thanksgiving lingers as a cultural touchstone in America, and therefore needs to be addressed. One way that this can be accomplished is through the Creative and Cultural Industries. The fact that CCIs are so varied in scope and often at the forefront of new trends and movements, means that they have the ability to self-reflect and offer responsible ways to address inequitable and false histories, which they participated in. One such industry which can choose to lead the way in this, is museums and museum studies. Museums play a significant role in CCIs. They serve as collectors of cultural history and innovation, providing a dynamic place for people to interact with a variety of audiences, encouraging growth, education, and cross-cultural dialogue. It is then critical that such places make efforts to recognize marginalized people as well as take steps toward restitution.
By Mavis CW on Unsplash.
Here in Orange County we are beginning to witness a shift toward Native American representation. Mel Schantz, the chair of The Orange County Museum Coalition, commented that it’s become clear that in the past museums have previously misrepresented Native American traditions and artifacts. Schantz noted, "Museums frequently formulate colonialist narratives based on historical ethnocentric biases, causing a distinct misrepresentation in native culture, without the right context or input from the tribes themselves." To address these concerns, The Museum Coalition has proposed to build the Museum of Indigenous Culture and Natural History. They aspire to reimagine what a museum can be if local tribes are involved in the management, curation, and exhibition of any and all components of tribal culture or history. Once reparations have been made, they will begin curating tribal artifacts that are currently stored in the Cooper center of Santa Ana. They hope to build a world-class institution that will serve as a hub for pan-tribal culture.
The Autry Museum of the American West, which has a focus on Native American culture, houses the largest collection of tribal artifacts in Southern California. During Native American Heritage Month, they make an effort to highlight artists, post about Native American events in Los Angeles, and share bits of their exhibitions and cultural elements on social media. For example, they are currently featuring an exhibition that sheds light on Native American integration schools, as well as shared challenges and triumphs. Across their social media channels, they highlight different artists. For this Native American Heritage Month, they are shining a spotlight on Cannupa Hanska Lugar, a New Mexico based multidisciplinary artist creating monumental installations, sculpture and performance to communicate urgent stories of 21st Century Indigeneity. Luger is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold and is Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Lakota, and his visionary work "explores the intersection of identity, culture, and activism, while pushing boundaries and challenging perceptions.”
Not far from campus, the Heritage Museum of Orange County is taking other steps toward restitution. The museum responded by email to my inquiries regarding Native American Heritage Month programing and their relations with the local indigenous population, to let us know that, “We are constantly working to strengthen our relationship with the local indigenous communities. We don’t have any artifacts within our current collections that pertain to indigenous history. This is such an important part of Orange County’s history overall, and we strive to highlight the native Gabrielino-Tongva and Ajachemen history year-long." In addition, the museum is excited to announce that the local group Azteca Kalpulli Danzantes will be holding public rehearsals at the museum in November. Though the exact dates are still being worked out, the rehearsals would allow people to see traditional dances and potentially teach others about the art form.
By James Lee on Unsplash.
Historic heritage sites are a component of CCI that allow access to historical structures, traditions, and cultural knowledge. Missions in California, such as San Juan Capistrano, have a long and complicated history with Native Americans. Founded long before California was admitted to the US, this specific mission is more than 200 years old. They were established in an effort to increase Spanish power and spread Christianity among Native Americans. Indians were made to assimilate to Spanish culture, forcing them to abandon their language, traditions, and traditional food. Mission San Juan Capistrano states on their website, “The object was to transform them into self-sustaining Spanish subjects and members of the colonial order.” As the Spanish encroached on their territory, they were frequently forced to join the missions and work under oppressive Spanish control, exposing them to diseases that eventually led to their death. Per their website they further stated, “It is estimated that about 65,000 Native Americans lived in coastal zone of California (mission chain zone) in 1770 and by 1830 only 17,000 remained living.” The mission is now dedicated to try and honor the Acjachemen Native Americans. They do so through education and interactive experiences that allow visitors to follow in the footsteps of Orange County's first people.
By Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández on Unsplash.
A different type of CCI that has had to take a look at its relationship with Native peoples across the US are National and State parks. A subset of the tourism industry, these parks now lie on land that was once crucial to the existence of the native populations. The Department of California Parks and Recreation, is examining this issue through its Reexamining Our Past Initiative. Per their website, "State Parks is taking stock of and critically reexamining its past, looking specifically at contested place names, monuments, and interpretation in California’s State Park System as part of a Reexamining Our Past Initiative." They further state, "Working with community partners and universities is fundamental to ensure that State Parks’ educational programs and exhibits support public educational standards and are grounded in contemporary research methodology. As such, there will be opportunities for the public to participate in and comment on the department's efforts." In addition the California park system, in conjunction with California Tribal Nations, "is working to establish Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to create protocols for successful cooperation and partnership" and is running programing that aims to celebrate and honor Native American Heritage while also educating on the history of California Native American History.
By Samantha Fortney on Unsplash.
These changes while needed, can be slow in coming, and still the question can be asked, is it enough? In addition they highlight uncomfortable realities to be faced. Which lets face it, is hard to do and do well. Consider this, Do you know what ancestral , traditional and contemporary lands Chapman University currently occupies? That would be that of the Acjachemen Peoples in the Juaneño Territory, adjacent to our Tongva/Kizh neighbors to the North and Payomkawichum/Luiseño and Kumeyaay neighbors to the South. Chapman has this information posted on the website, under Wilkinson College as part of a Land Acknowledgement, but is that sufficient? Back in 2019, now Alumni Hakeem Wakil'20 wrote on the Leatherby Libraries blog, “November should serve as a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people in addition to the Thanksgiving holiday. I also urge you to remember that the land we walk on, where we study, and where we go to sleep wasn’t always ours, and it wasn’t peacefully gifted over.”
By Domino on Unspalsh.
Looking at uncomfortable truths shouldn’t leave us despondent, rather it can motivate us to be the people in CCIs that are striving to use our critical lens as a tool to improve the narrative for all groups and individuals in our chosen fields. Considering how ideas, theories, and practices impact not only ourselves but also those around us is a critical aspect of being a versatile individual. How is what we're learning being put into practice in the real world, and how could it be improved? We urge you to venture forth, investigate, and learn about topics that you might not typically find yourself researching and think about how WE, or those working in CCI, can seek to improve our industries and education for the better?
By Edwin Andrade on Unsplash
Be safe over the holiday weekend, enjoy the time off with family and good food, and maybe just take a minute to think about how history and storytelling can affect us all. Let us know your thoughts and ideas at ccistu01@chapman.edu or on IG @chapman_cci
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