Claremont school Thanksgiving costumes create a commotion

Nearly two dozen protesters were stationed this morning in front of Condit Elementary School in Claremont, the site of a decades-old Thanksgiving tradition that is under fire because kindergartners dress up in handmade pilgrim and Native American costumes.

After a handful of parents complained that the Native American headdresses and vests were demeaning, cartoonish stereotypes, the Claremont Unified School District eliminated the costumes from this year's festivities, but allowed the turkey feast to go forward.

The protesters were evenly split between parents who supported the costumes and parents who opposed the outfits, and their discussion grew so heated that school officials called police, who separated the protesters on separate sidewalks, said Lt. Dennis Smith of the Claremont Police Department.

Police are also paying extra attention to Claremont schools Supt. David Cash's home, after he called police to report he was receiving hate e-mails and feared for his safety, Smith said. The e-mails did not rise to the level of criminal prosecution.

Cash and Condit principal Tim Northrop did not return phone calls seeking comment, but school employees reported that the commotion in front of the school was heated.

"It's been wild," said one woman who declined to give her name. Meanwhile, the kindergartners -- some of whom showed up wearing their banned costumes -- frolicked on the playground, eating, running and chattering with friends, Smith said. "The kids were oblivious," he added, "as they should be."

--Seema Mehta

Read the original story here.

Comments

[ConcernedMom]

This is why I homeschool. Historical accuracy is being replaced with PC revisionism. The Pilgrims, Puritans and Strangers (non-religious members of the group) were losing members rapidly and would have lost everyone if the Native Americans hadn't helped them conquer the weather, planting issues etc... They had a treaty for over 50 years that maintained peace and trade. Whay shouldn't that be celebrated?

[claire]

Wow. Discussion boards really bring out the worst in people, don't they?

[Eman]

Buffalo Bil is a myth? I thought his name was William Fredrick Cody. He was born in La Clair Iowa. His date of birth was Feb, 29,1842. He is buried on Look Out Mountain, Golden Colorado. He also starred in Buffalo Bill's WIld West Show. Paul Bunyan may be a myth but Buffalo Bill is not.

[Sorry American]

Maybe we can stop the suburban white teens from wearing sagging pants,
and listening to rap and hip hop. Surely this must be insulting to the inner city black culture?
Wait, we can't draw lines, we are all the same, there are no differences ???
John Lennon asked us to "Imagine". I have, and it would be a boring world. If everyone was like me, the world would suck, and if everyone was like you the world would also suck. I like that the world has different cultures, foods, and traditiions.

[Leroy]

I wish I could have replied to this yesterday. But better late than never. First, based on these posts, there is no consensus between posters about whether or not there ever was peace at all between "Indians" and Pilgrims. Where are the posts that have links supporting one or the other's version of the "facts?"

And even if there is was peace for some time then, apparently some people think that it no longer matters due to later transgressions by the American settler. Oh, but by that reasoning, all democrats are guilty of everything the republicans did (or vice versa.)

Ok, that stretches it a bit. But this is PC run amuck. The professor simply didn't want to really address the issues. That would be too much work. It is far easier to complain. What do you PC people intend to teach your children about anything?

Did the protestors actually have signs as one poster wrote? If so, the arguments against the parents really hold no water. But maybe that is not PC reporting.

PC people are ruining their children. I don't consider someone who wants to teach the truth to their children and instill a sense of always seeking knowledge to be PC. What you PC people are is nothing less than mental and cultural terrorists. And you are the real reason the school administrators are under fire. Don't blame the parents. And lets be real. If you don't like the celebration, where is your drive to get the national holiday repealed?

The PC people should take some time and help integrate the age appropriate facts about Native Americans into the Thanksgiving celebration and the build up to it. Get off your rears, shut your mouth and be part of the solution - not the problem.

The PC people are the same kind of people who screamed about the reservation policies (yes, there were Native American supports even in the "barbaric old days of colonial America" ) and then sat around and did absolutely nothing.

Native Americans should be proud and should be able to be proud. Where is the vast media coverage for Nation American Heritage Month - November - like we see in February for another dedicated month? Protest about that.

Use what opportunities exist to promote positive feelings between peoples at the earliest age possible. Save the poison for later.

You PC people are like Hollywood sets - you have no substance. You are just shallow facades.

[Christy Mather]

This is a ridiculous story... people are outraged that children are dressing up like "indians"? Really. The parents think it's "demeaning" and "stereotyping" for native americans... why is there's no beef about dressing as pilgrims (even though - in my humble opinion THAT too is a stereotype portrayal)? WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO? I mean talk about ignorance! the WHOLE idea is to "give credit where credit is due" - Honey, if it weren't for the "indians" none of the pilgrims would have made it through the winter... but if you want to delete that bit of history - go ahead - I think it's amazing how people just shoot themselves in the foot (!)... Depicting the "indians" is so RIGHT! Native American's should be SO PROUD of their honorable ancestors for the way they gave unselfishly to saves lives!! But, no. these people would prefer us all just dress up like "pilgrims" and pretend there were no indians... would THAT really make them feel better?

[Thom]

What non-stereotypical outfit do they think they should wear instead? Casino owner?

[A listener]

What you had was about 8 people trying to impose their will on over a hundred. I'm glad parents let their children dress up and hope they kept them out of school today to make the school suffer for bowing to the will of a few miscreants.

[John Adams]

This is what is wrong with America! Any and ALL small protestors or organizations are granted thier wishes, as our system rewards the action of the few over the will of the many. This is how America is rotting from within!

We have lost our sense of identity and purpose. Just because America is the one country in the world made up entirely of foreigners doesn't mean that we don't have a history to be proud of. Nationalism and pride in our nation is no longer taught in our PUBLIC schools and most people are too frightened to speak up.

Theses protestors of the Thanksgiving celebrations will be rewarded as this has become the norm in our once great nation. We are failing ourselves and, our children and soon enough America will be like Rome....Vanished!

[R]

Virtually everyone on both sides of this issue are idiots. The initial complainers, the people sending threatening emails, the school board that caved in cowardly fear, the anti-PC people who see no harm in objectifying a race of people, the pro-PC people who preach tolerance and diversity, as long as it is done their way.

Seriously, all of them, and most of the people who have commented above, need to get a life. Don't we have more significant things to be concerned about, and more importantly, other things to be thankful for?

[karen]

Seems like if your strategy for raising a concern is to launch a full frontal assault on a beloved tradition and to call those who participate in it Nazi's and Slaveholders, you've pretty much flushed your chance of getting a fair hearing down the toilet.

This reminds me of all the school Halloween costume celebrations that have been axed because right wing Christian parents call them Satanic.

[Clint Bradford]

Paraphrasing what was told to Jack Nicholson in the final scene of Chinatown, "Forget it, Jake, it's Claremont..." I lived and worked in Claremont in the 1960s and 1970s (and a student at Condit, too). This story doesn't surprise me in the slightest: Claremont has always been run by those who are over-educated and under-smart. I am waiting to hear when the offended, esteemed UCR professor will be volunteering to assist teachers in classroom sessions on her heritage. Surely HELPING our teachers is a more valuable use of time than whining to the school board.

[A proud Canadian]

As a Canadian following this story, I am incredulous at how much the average American despises those who are well-educated and who have enough courage and selflessness to question meaningless, factually inaccurate and often offensive traditions. This mother who started the protest had nothing to gain. She simply didn't like the fact that young children are being taught to perpetuate (with public tax dollars) an inaccurate, silly myth. Thanksgiving can easily be celebrated without the moronic stereotypes.
Mr. Obama forgot one thing:...Americans cling to their guns and religion AND TRADITION!

[Milica Bar]

No matter what, people who violently reacted and tried to hurt the school and the "complaining kid" are wrong. First, the complaint was peaceful commenting, and second, no violence is ever justified as a response.

This violent response from pro-costume people tells us how deeply ingrained these stereotyped and demeaning beliefs are and how detrimental they are. Did any Native American help make accurate costumes, did any Native American talk about their version of Thanksgiving? Why was it ok to violently attack the Native kid today? Modern Americans need to get into the habit of giving full credit and respect to the Native culture, land and people. We live on their land that we took away.

Modern Americans do need to accept that fact that their ancestors committed genocide on Native Americans, and that abuse and subjugation are still continuing.

Native territories have the most evidence of HIV, addiction problems, diabetes, poverty, and such; Natives are still persecuted and their land is still being taken away - for it contains uranium, gold, and other "goodies".

The best thing that modern Americans can do is acknowledge that this is going on within the very boundaries of this country and deal with it. It is very hypocritical to go around the world "fixing democracy and eradicating persecution" when this very country is doing that very same thing within its own boundaries... even to the kids in school.

Rather shameful portrayal of modern Americans, isn't it. Paints a very self centered, ignorant, and violent picture. Since in other ways this country is moving on, like gay marriages and not-lilly-white president, perhaps it is time that we mature and start paying attention to other matters that require honesty and consideration and respect, and live up to it.

[Jesstice]

I am always surprised (and honestly, disgusted) when I see people protest the principle of politcal correctness. How, in our great tradition of progressive minds and heralded thinkers, have we landed on the conclusion that ignorance is the "wave of the future?"
America can't always be what it WAS. That is its beauty; the ability to change once the err of our ways is shown to us.
Its interesting that no one has mentioned that the video featured WHITE parents in poorly configured and hugely stereotypical indian get-ups yelling their white point of views about native american history AT native americans!!!

The obvious fact needed to quell this debate is that those protesting the costumes were speaking against the true offenses to their unique cultural perspective. In contrast, the opposition of defiant parents threw their efforts behind silencing the truth and halting a narrative that is not theirs to halt (instead of taking the opportunity to further educate their children about the truth of american history).
Its not about any "pc" campiagn or liberal agenda. Its about doing the right thing. Its about the truth. Its about not accepting MISINFORMATION when the correct information is accessible.
IMHO, I think its a disgrace that we are actually debating the validity of primary source education versus costumes and hackneyed stereotypes.

p.s. why is it bad to be smart?
(Posted by: Uh Ooo. | November 25, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Why does it not surprise me that the only parents opposed to this are college professors?)

someone? anyone?... bueller?

[Some perspective]

Despite the disdain for historians expressed here, this op-ed piece talks about our Thanksgiving tradition. Apparently, it dates from the mid-19th C., around the time of the Civil War.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-jacoby26-2008nov26,0,7558652.story

[HUNK]

Im Native American, and I know who some of these people are , they are young minds eager to make a statement, and they have that professor leading the way, its really sad because I have always felt that the silly little paper indian head dress & Pilgrim outfit was hilarious, and it showed that Non-Native American people are really naive, when it comes to respect, and it was and always should remind us that those kind of people are better off living in La-La land of happy Indians & Pilgrims, because they're not worthy of being taught respect for us I'd rather have them as an enemy that cant be trusted. Now you young natives need to wake up and realize that this sort of protest only helps who?...no one is free, land isn't returned to us, we still have reservation poverty, some children are cold and freezing, elders need help, and you guys are all off on this pointless crusade and in the middle are 5 year old children who dont understand. Michelle you need to stop your embarrassing us real Natives...If you can remember AIM of the seventies, then you should fight the fights they did...stop this petty attack on children, maybe you should protest those morons at KFI 640am .....

[Pat]

My sincere thanks to Prof. Raheja for addressing this sensitive subject. Several years ago I participated in a parents multi-cultural advisory committee to the School Board and Superintendent of Schools in a State Capitol. I became aware of how insensitive some of us citizens can be to others. We just don't think or we mistakenly think that we have the right. Thanksgiving is not a Native American celebration for it means the taking away of their land and life style. For schools to portray this as a positive occurance is extremely insensitive and dishonest. The same can be said about the Christmas focus which doesn't belong in schools or government. Schools, teachers, and parents would do better with their energies to focus on respect for others, non-violent conflict resolution, and learning about appreciating other cultures. Perhaps then we can live in a peaceful society.

[OldRedJoe]

No more fun of ANY KIND!

Dean Wormer

[TK]

It's time for those of us who have any integrity at all to take stand in unity. The intimidating & bashing going on is not about the dress anymore....it's about the CHILDREN! We are all related. Creator made us all, not just us injuns.

We've already lived our lives. It's time we stand up for all the children & make indigenous studies in grades K-12 a reality in every state. Contact your state's rep at: www.congress.org.

Are some of you waiting until the children start dying again!? Come on sisters & brothers! I plead to you to please unite for the safety of our youth & for truth in education before more end up massacred over ignorance, & the feeling as though what happens to one does not affect us all. It truly does. We are intertwined in this web of life.

Thanks for all you do in the name of the children!

[Michael]

Well it appears we are at it again. So when do we get rid of all the holidays because they offend someone! Lincoln already got axed and now it's presidents day, Easter got axed in the 70's because it was a religious holiday, next will be Columbus day and Thanksgiving because they offend the Native Americans, and Christmas will be soon to follow because it's too secular or because of the pedifile figurehead (Santa having the kids sit on his lap - just wait I'm sure it's coming).
What happened to the nation of tolerance? What happened to just letting things be fun and not making it out as a "Disgracing us" campaign, what happened to letting children be children and keeping these protests out of Kindergarten?
I think we all need to take a chill pill and get along (instead of being so divisive) and let the children play - maybe we should all take our lesson from them.

[eerietown]

It is clear to me that the less somebody knows about something, the more confident they feel talking about it. Those on this blog are obviously not teachers, have no idea the way curriculum is written and delivered, and no knowledge of what children today need as far as education goes. Parading around in nonsensical, ridiculous, and babyish costumes sends those children back to toddlerhood. Young people today are not as foolish as their own poor misguided parents. They are 21st Century individuals whose greatest challenge will definitely be facing the ignorance of their parents as they try to become technologically advanced, internationally -attuned, and creative solution-makers. Those parents need to get out of the way of their poor children's education: they are foolish for dressing themselves up like fanatics and idiots degrading the dignity of their own poor minor children who have no choice but to love and admire these clowns. It is no small thing that a Doctor of Education and many educated leaders--the people who run our schools thankfully and not parents who think a costume is an education--know state curriculum better than any of those posting. All of you who want to stop their children from becoming civil, intelligent, and prosperous--you will answer to them as they grow up and remember the day you embarrassed them with paper costumes like some overgrown bully. It is so sad that those parents resist and resist their own children's betterment. It makes me sad imagining the way these kids feel when they ask their parents, "why can't we dress up?" Instead of teaching those children that life is complex and that we can learn new information from discussions like this they probably told them, "don't pay any attention to that at all." Lesson 1 to their children: don't think. Lesson 2: thinking is a waste of time. Lesson 3: professors and teachers and superintendents are all worthless. Lesson 4: you are just a child and cannot think for yourself. What the child gains from this. Outcome 1: instead of thinking, I wear a paper cut out costume. Outcome 2: I should never use my mind to think about problems Outcome 3: Thinking and asking questions is a waste of time and upsets my parents. Outcome 4: Teachers and schools are wrong; why listen to them?.
Costumed parents--when your child begins to have difficulties with reading comprehension, critical analysis, writing, algebra (all the skills that require cognitive growth), what will you do? Tell them to dress up in costumes.
THINK AGAIN. Let that become a family tradition. Don't consider yourselves experts on early childhood education. Love your children and let that parental love help you to overcome your ignorance and pave the way for your poor offspring. Just because you are ignorant, you don't have to force your children to defy educational leaders, professors, and historical findings. After all, don't you want your children to get college degrees and respect learned people such as professors? Reading and learning are not dangerous activities. Sadly enough, children have to rely for food, clothing, shelter, and love on adults who care nothing for their children's cognitive development, critical thinking, and decision-making in light of new information. When you costumed parents need us educators to help your children become educated, what hypocrisies you will have to swallow after conducting yourselves the way you have. You all need a time out. I also grew up in a small town and know the type of people these costumed fools are....they never quite got enough of their own childhood fun so they use their children as conduits to get more self-satisfying attention for themselves. Take your children to libraries, museums, expose them to research, professors, history. They will grow to appreciate that and forgive your temporary lapse of maturity. Perhaps seeing you READ once in a while will redeem the day you wore a foolish outfit when you took them to school. Ouch, poor little boys and girls. That must be painful.

[MA]

I'm also a resident of Claremont. What annoys me are the complaints from people who claim to be disgusted by the---GASP!! HORROR! --liberal professor types in Claremont.

For crying out loud, it's a college town. What did you expect--that there wouldn't be any liberal professors in a liberal college town? There are lots of other places in Southern California where there are no liberals or intellectuals as far as the eye can see. Why not move there?

If you're not from Claremont, frankly, this is none of your beeswax--you're just using this as an excuse to whine about so-called PC. If you are from Claremont, why doesn't everybody use the nice long weekend to cool down, and then resolve to handle this issue better next year?

[Bob F.]

What mext!!!!!!! Here we have another professor trying her darndest to tell other people what is or isn't their right as citizens... Salue the flag, pledge of allegiance, star spangled banner, god,...this teacher needs a lesson in tolerance. I am an old man, fought for my country in WWII, and maybe it would be wrong to admit as a boy I played cowboys & indians and yes, dressed in homemade costumes on Hallow'en, as indians and various other ethnic costumes...but it was people like us that made this country what it is...my advice to the teacher is simple..... teach your subject and forget about trying to impose your will on other....... if it wasn't for people like me, you wouldn't have the rights we fought for...Get a life!!!!!!!

[Thunder Falcon]

Sometimes one of the most difficult things about being an Indian, is having an opinion, especially when it directly conflicts with those coming from your own people. This would be a good example.

Now, I don’t deny there is a sad, dark history that comes with Thanksgiving, and it was this history that protestors took issue with. There were also a number of concerns around the children’s tribal dress depicting Native Americans as cartoonish stereotypes. But like it or not, most times small children are first introduced to Native American history, through Thanksgiving. And at the tender ages of five or six, you don’t throw the genocide of that history at them unless you intend to give the poor darlings nightmares. That and one has to consider that as a teacher or parent, when you introduce a new culture to a child, you have to deliver it in a way a child will actually understand. This is where concepts like Big Bird, Sponge Bob and yes, the occasional Indian and Pilgrim costume comes into play. And it’s for this practical reason, that I thought allegations of racism and genocide on protesting banners, to be both overly harsh and terribly inappropriate.

Of course, I do know how a lot of us feel, because I’ve felt it too. As a Native Americans, we sometimes feel outside the window of American life, looking into a world where there doesn’t seem to be a place for us. And it hurts to be forgotten in such a way, for so long.

Considering this often painful reality, I’m not going have any objections, when teachers and parents attempt to devise various, perhaps mildly nefarious means, to introduce their children to our culture. We just need to NOT take such playful exercises, so personally. Besides, what’s the harm in letting some little kids have fun with a feather or two, especially if it means they learn a little something about us. Maybe a better solution to the controversy, would have been to invite a few Real Indians to the Claremont School Feast, so the children could see the difference between the real thing and dress up. Perhaps in doing so, they could’ve brought a deeper understanding to our various tribes and traditions.

After all, what we celebrate at Thanksgiving, IS NOT the dark history that saw the genocide of Native American peoples. Instead, we give honor to the hope that we can rise above that dark history, to share and express a genuine acceptance of all people, regardless of race, culture, religion or lifestyle. And if we can achieve that, then we really will have something to be thankful for.

With that in mind, Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving. TF

[A proud Canadian]

To Michael and anyone who thinks like him:

Keeping in mind that I am also a typical "white Christian" type, please try to step away from your righteous anger and consider some facts.

1) People will always be free to observe any holiday and practice any traditions they wish (no matter how foolish or inaccurate or offensive) in the privacy of their own homes. No one is protesting that.

2) This situation happened in a school. Schools are funded by public tax dollars, therefore they have to be accountable for whether that money is spent wisely. Schools are required to teach children facts; not fiction. As everyone knows (hopefully!) the "Pilgrim/Indian" is a highly sanitized version of some very ugly facts about American history. It is also offensive to many Native Americans, who are likewise paying their tax dollars for these schools.

3) Children only care about fun and happiness and getting along. They don't care about whether or not they play "Pilgrim/Indian" unless their parents are teaching them to care about it!

[luv2teach]

I work in Claremont's school district, a wonderful, integrated, varied district. Each school is unique unto itself, including the two schools in question. Dr. Cash has been a wonderful addition to our district and has worked very hard for the families and teachers in order to created the best learning environment possible. He is very supportive and I am sure he had a difficult time making the decision to eliminate the costumes.

Regardless of the protests and media attention, regardless of what outsiders may think of Claremont and its school district, I maintain that it is one of the best. I have taught here for the past 12 years, at a smaller school than Condit and Mountain View. I have learned that no matter what you do, someone will not be happy. No matter how you teach, plan, discipline, manage or conference, someone will find fault with your method. This was a no-win situation.

Don't lump all of Claremont with a small situation made bigger by media attention. Within the city, it was really limited to these two schools. My site hardly new what had really been going on.

By the way, several classes at my school were visited by two Native Americans who came to celebrate their culture and ceremonies with our classes, who then ate together. I didn't see any costumes, but I don't think that had been part of the plan anyway.

[justadad]

ONE PARENT WAS IN PROTEST OF THIS EVENT. We should not teach 5 year olds about genocide and racism at this age.

[melvin weinwright]

These people who have nothing better to do than ruin a beautiful celebration are truly sick. Did your mother not breast feed you? Last one picked for the team? Take your hatred and self loathing and put it where the sun don't shine.

[Maria-D]

Lesson for kids: How PC Politics Can Spoil a Good Time 101

Why is it so awful for everyday Americans to actually feel united for a day and give thanks, rather than be divided into their assigned groups with big government as the arbitrator of who gets what?? Many Americans are descendents of both sides. We are a blended people now.

This protest over costumes and authenticity and screaming "racism" and "genocide" misses the point and sadly teaches the children affected a simple message that today's Native Americans are unforgiving, oversensitive, racist and intolerant, if not outright crazy, not exactly what the esteemed lady professor had in mind.

Yes, many Native Americans were wiped out due to the malfeasance of the white man, but the pilgrims at the Thanksgiving dinner were celebrating, not killing anyone. Genocide is an issue that will be for Almighty God alone--to whom we give thanks today, for all our blessings--to judge.

No, life is not fair and never has been. Despite that, life can still be appreciated, enjoyed and celebrated. We have MUCH to be thankful for in this Nation, and those negative killjoys who always see the dark side of the moon and refuse to let go of the past need to get a life. Learn from the past, yes, but those lessons are not meant to ruin the present and the future for our children.

I sincerely wish the children and their parents on both sides of this issue a wonderful, Happy Thanksgiving today.

[Target_4_corporate_hostility]

At least this person has the courage to stand up for what she believes. To all the pro-costume people: Do some reading and some research on the lies and genocide perpetrated by the United States government on the native peoples in order to rob them of their most valuable asset, their land. Then, when you can make an informed decision, you may not be so quick to condemn this woman. When you see how shamefully the native peoples were treated, you will not be so proud to don your construction paper costumes and parade around like naive fools!
OK, this subject is too heavy for five year olds but it is your duty as parents to moderate this information and present it in a suitable context for young minds! It is racist! Maybe you should reflect on your own cultural indoctrination and not perpetuate the myths to your children!

[Justadad]

I offended as well. No one celebrate' my culture. I don’t like the color green, but I have to wear green on ST. P. day, if I don't I get pinched. Why do we celebrate Cinco d mayo and talk about it in school? Why do we celebrate Black history month? Why don’t the schools teach about Chinese new years? Why don't they teach about the Armenian Genocide? Why don't they teach about what Christmas is about? I guess we should all stop teaching history.

[Jerry Croyden]

Are you kidding me?

I could not disagree more with Ms. Raheja, but I respect her right to articulate her point of view. However, I do not support Ms. Raheja using elementary schools as her personal bully pulpit. Ms. Raheja's propagandizing aside, I feel the real villains in this story are the CUSD school board and the district superintendent.

I get it. Native Americans were oft times cheated out of their land and crushed under the boot of the US cavalry. The kids will learn about this dark chapter in our history soon enough. Does Ms. Raheja explain exactly how school children dressing up as Pilgrims and Native Americans is demeaning? (Making comparisons to slavery and Nazis doesn't cut it. Analogy is a weak form of argument.) While she is trying to make a case for the kids' tradition being truly demeaning, she might include information concerning the Native American tribes that practiced slavery and torture. Oh, yes, and theft was a valued part of the culture of many other tribes. Perhaps a positive image of Native Americans like the Thanksgiving story is not so demeaning after all.

What next? No Halloween decorations in school because we might offend Wicca-Americans? Take old "Flipper" reruns off TV so as not to excite the sensibilities of aquatic-Americans? No, the solution is for the school board and the superintendent to interject some common sense into this situation. I would certainly allow Ms. Raheja's voice to be heard, but it cannot be the loudest voice in the school district's ear.

Moral courage is a crucial part of effective leadership. The superintendent and the board desperately need a healthy dose...

Oops! I referred to the board and the superintendent as "villains." I retract that statement hoping I did not insult any living descendants of Snydley Whiplash.

[lsm]

The story celebrated by the pro-costume commentators is one in which a minority group that had rebelled against authority ("pilgrims") is sheltered and welcomed by a majority, more powerful group ("indians"). Another great story in America is that it is a country that celebrates independent thinking and free speech. How sad, then, that those raising war whoops in their insitence on the old way of celebrating this holiday are not open to listening to a mother-- and yes, a minority voice in this case -- who started this conversation by suggesting an open forum to discuss alternative ways to mark the holiday (not to abolish it). I hope the conversation does, indeed, continue -- without name calling and violence, but with some humility and gratitude.

[Jun 'Uk'um]

Much of America's understanding of the early relationship between the Indian and the European is conveyed through the story of Thanksgiving. Proclaimed a holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, this fairy tale of a feast was allowed to exist in the American imagination pretty much untouched until 1970, the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. That is when Frank B. James, president of the Federated Eastern Indian League, prepared a speech for a Plymouth banquet that exposed the Pilgrims for having committed, among other crimes, the robbery of the graves of the Wampanoags.
He wrote:

"We welcomed you, the white man, with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end; that before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a free people.
"

But white Massachusetts officials told him he could not deliver such a speech and offered to write him another. Instead, James declined to speak, and on Thanksgiving Day hundreds of Indians from around the country came to protest. It was the first National Day of Mourning, a day to mark the losses Native Americans suffered as the early settlers prospered. This true story of "Thanksgiving" is what whites did not want Mr. James to tell.

What Really Happened in Plymouth in 1621?

According to a single-paragraph account in the writings of one Pilgrim, a harvest feast did take place in Plymouth in 1621, probably in mid-October, but the Indians who attended were not even invited. Though it later became known as "Thanksgiving," the Pilgrims never called it that. And amidst the imagery of a picnic of interracial harmony is some of the most terrifying bloodshed in New World history.

The Pilgrim crop had failed miserably that year, but the agricultural expertise of the Indians had produced twenty acres of corn, without which the Pilgrims would have surely perished. The Indians often brought food to the Pilgrims, who came from England ridiculously unprepared to survive and hence relied almost exclusively on handouts from the overly generous Indians-thus making the Pilgrims the western hemisphere's first class of welfare recipients. The Pilgrims invited the Indian sachem Massasoit to their feast, and it was Massasoit, engaging in the tribal tradition of equal sharing, who then invited ninety or more of his Indian brothers and sisters-to the annoyance of the 50 or so ungrateful Europeans. No turkey, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie was served; they likely ate duck or geese and the venison from the 5 deer brought by Massasoit. In fact, most, if notall, of the food was most likely brought and prepared by the Indians, whose 10,000-year familiarity with the cuisine of the region had kept the whites alive up to that point.

The Pilgrims wore no black hats or buckled shoes-these were the silly inventions of artists hundreds of years since that time. These lower-class Englishmen wore brightly colored clothing, with one of their church leaders recording among his possessions "1 paire of greene drawers." Contrary to the fabricated lore of storytellers generations since, no Pilgrims prayed at the meal, and the supposed good cheer and fellowship must have dissipated quickly once the Pilgrims brandished their weaponry in a primitive display of intimidation. What's more, the Pilgrims consumed a good deal of home brew. In fact, each Pilgrim drank at least a half gallon of beer a day, which they preferred even to water. This daily inebriation led their governor, William Bradford, to comment on his people's "notorious sin," which included their "drunkenness and uncleanliness" and rampant "sodomy"...

The Pilgrims of Plymouth, The Original Scalpers

Contrary to popular mythology the Pilgrims were no friends to the local Indians. They were engaged in a ruthless war of extermination against their hosts, even as they falsely posed as friends. Just days before the alleged Thanksgiving love-fest, a company of Pilgrims led by Myles Standish actively sought to chop off the head of a local chief. They deliberately caused a rivalry between two friendly Indians, pitting one against the other in an attempt to obtain "better intelligence and make them both more diligent." An 11-foot-high wall was erected around the entire settlement for the purpose of keeping the Indians out.

Any Indian who came within the vicinity of the Pilgrim settlement was subject to robbery, enslavement, or even murder. The Pilgrims further advertised their evil intentions and white racial hostility, when they mounted five cannons on a hill around their settlement, constructed a platform for artillery, and then organized their soldiers into four companies-all in preparation for the military destruction of their friends the Indians.

Pilgrim Myles Standish eventually got his bloody prize. He went to the Indians, pretended to be a trader, then beheaded an Indian man named Wituwamat. He brought the head to Plymouth, where it was displayed on a wooden spike for many years, according to Gary B. Nash, "as a symbol of white power." Standish had the Indian man's young brother hanged from the rafters for good measure. From that time on, the whites were known to the Indians of Massachusetts by the name "Wotowquenange," which in their tongue meant cutthroats and stabbers.

Who Were the "Savages"?

The myth of the fierce, ruthless Indian savage lusting after the blood of innocent Europeans must be vigorously dispelled at this point. In actuality, the historical record shows that the very opposite was true.

Once the European settlements stabilized, the whites turned on their hosts in a brutal way. The once amicable relationship was breeched again and again by the whites, who lusted over the riches of Indian land. A combination of the Pilgrims' demonization of the Indians, the concocted mythology of Eurocentric historians, and standard Hollywood propaganda has served to paint the gentle Indian as a tomahawk-swinging savage endlessly on the warpath, lusting for the blood of the God-fearing whites.

But the Pilgrims' own testimony obliterates that fallacy.
The Indians engaged each other in military contests from time to time, but the causes of "war," the methods, and the resulting damage differed profoundly from the European variety:

o Indian "wars" were largely symbolic and were about honor, not about territory or extermination.

o "Wars" were fought as domestic correction for a specific act and were ended when correction was achieved. Such action might better be described as internal policing. The conquest or destruction of whole territories was a European concept.

o Indian "wars" were often engaged in by family groups, not by whole tribal groups, and would involve only the family members.

o A lengthy negotiation was engaged in between the aggrieved parties before escalation to physical confrontation would be sanctioned. Surprise attacks were unknown to the Indians.

o It was regarded as evidence of bravery for a man to go into "battle" carrying no weapon that would do any harm at a distance-not even bows and arrows. The bravest act in war in some Indian cultures was to touch their adversary and escape before he could do physical harm.

o The targeting of non-combatants like women, children, and the elderly was never contemplated. Indians expressed shock and repugnance when the Europeans told, and then showed, them that they considered women and children fair game in their style of warfare.

o A major Indian "war" might end with less than a dozen casualties on both sides. Often, when the arrows had been expended the "war" would be halted. The European practice of wiping out whole nations in bloody massacres was incomprehensible to the Indian.

According to one scholar, "The most notable feature of Indian warfare was its relative innocuity." European observers of Indian wars often expressed surprise at how little harm they actually inflicted. "Their wars are far less bloody and devouring than the cruel wars of Europe," commented settler Roger Williams in 1643. Even Puritan warmonger and professional soldier Capt. John Mason scoffed at Indian warfare: "[Their] feeble manner...did hardly deserve the name of fighting." Fellow warmonger John Underhill spoke of the Narragansetts, after having spent a day "burning and spoiling" their country: "no Indians would come near us, but run from us, as the deer from the dogs." He concluded that the Indians might fight seven years and not kill seven men. Their fighting style, he wrote, "is more for pastime, than to conquer and subdue enemies.
"

All this describes a people for whom war is a deeply regrettable last resort. An agrarian people, the American Indians had devised a civilization that provided dozens of options all designed to avoid conflict--the very opposite of Europeans, for whom all-out war, a ferocious bloodlust, and systematic genocide are their apparent life force. Thomas Jefferson--who himself advocated the physical extermination of the American Indian--said of Europe, "They [Europeans] are nations of eternal war. All their energies are expended in the destruction of labor, property and lives of their people.
"

Puritan Holocaust

By the mid 1630s, a new group of 700 even holier Europeans calling themselves Puritans had arrived on 11 ships and settled in Boston-which only served to accelerate the brutality against the Indians.

In one incident around 1637, a force of whites trapped some seven hundred Pequot Indians, mostly women, children, and the elderly, near the mouth of the Mystic River. Englishman John Mason attacked the Indian camp with "fire, sword, blunderbuss, and tomahawk.
" Only a handful escaped and few prisoners were taken-to the apparent delight of the Europeans:

To see them frying in the fire, and the streams of their blood quenching the same, and the stench was horrible; but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave praise thereof to God.

This event marked the first actual Thanksgiving. In just 10 years 12,000 whites had invaded New England, and as their numbers grew they pressed for all-out extermination of the Indian. Euro-diseases had reduced the population of the Massachusett nation from over 24,000 to less than 750; meanwhile, the number of European settlers in Massachusetts rose to more than 20,000 by 1646.

By 1675, the Massachusetts Englishmen were in a full-scale war with the great Indian chief of the Wampanoags, Metacomet. Renamed "King Philip" by the white man, Metacomet watched the steady erosion of the lifestyle and culture of his people as European-imposed laws and values engulfed them.

In 1671, the white man had ordered Metacomet to come to Plymouth to enforce upon him a new treaty, which included the humiliating rule that he could no longer sell his own land without prior approval from whites. They also demanded that he turn in his community's firearms. Marked for extermination by the merciless power of a distant king and his ruthless subjects, Metacomet retaliated in 1675 with raids on several isolated frontier towns. Eventually, the Indians attacked 52 of the 90 New England towns, destroying 13 of them. The Englishmen ultimately regrouped, and after much bloodletting defeated the great Indian nation, just half a century after their arrival on Massachusetts soil.
Historian Douglas Edward Leach describes the bitter end:

The ruthless executions, the cruel sentences...were all aimed at the same goal-unchallengeable white supremacy in southern New England. That the program succeeded is convincingly demonstrated by the almost complete docility of the local native ever since.

When Captain Benjamin Church tracked down and murdered Metacomet in 1676, his body was quartered and parts were "left for the wolves." The great Indian chief's hands were cut off and sent to Boston and his head went to Plymouth, where it was set upon a pole on the real first "day of public Thanksgiving for the beginning of revenge upon the enemy." Metacomet's nine-year-old son was destined for execution because, the whites reasoned, the offspring of the devil must pay for the sins of their father. The child was instead shipped to the Caribbean to spend his life in slavery.

As the Holocaust continued, several official Thanksgiving Days were proclaimed. Governor Joseph Dudley declared in 1704 a "General Thanksgiving"-not in celebration of the brotherhood of man-but for [God's] infinite Goodness to extend His Favors...In defeating and disappointing... the Expeditions of the Enemy [Indians] against us, And the good Success given us against them, by delivering so many of them into our hands...

Just two years later one could reap a ££50 reward in Massachusetts for the scalp of an Indian-demonstrating that the practice of scalping was a European tradition. According to one scholar, "Hunting redskins became...a popular sport in New England, especially since prisoners were worth good money..."

Before anyone starts looking for rope to string me up with, let me say that I don't want thanksgiving outlawed. This holiday is now a time to spend with family and loved ones and that is important, but so is telling the truth.

[You Got To Laugh]

Why isn't anyone complaining about all the poor innocent trees that were murdered to make cardbaord cut outs for these children's costumes? Where are the Vegans complaining about all the Turkeys murdered so these children could eat their dead flesh....WOW...as the Wicked Witch of the West said, ..."What a World, What a World!"...Now get back to your miserable lives folks....and remember ONLY 27 MORE SHOPPING DAYS UNTIL HOLIDAY!

[Vernon Clayson]

Has anyone confirmed that this professor who claims she's a Seneca is actually a Seneca or if she is just another Ward Churchill Indian wannabe.
I've brought this to the attention of the Seneca Nation, perhaps she can explain her Seneca story to them. They have strict membership rules and do not take pretense lightly.

[cythera]

Anyone who supports these grotesque costumes is a racist. As the comments here make plain, they KNOW they are racists and they CHERISH their racism and they RESENT when anyone would dare call them on it or take it away from them or challenge their right to teach their children their own deep-seated evil.

[cythera]

Listen to the white racists scream when anyone dares to try to take their racism away from them or even call them on it.

[SB]

An Open Letter to Professor Raheja:

Dear Professor Raheja,

I admire your courage and fortitude in trying to confront racist stereotypes, and I support you wholeheartedly in this endeavor. We can no longer remain complacent and hide behind the veil of “tradition” that perpetuates hatred and racism and implants them on impressionable minds. What is seemingly innocuous and harmless “fun” is a hurtful, demeaning, and damaging depiction of native tribes. It elides the histories of oppression and decimation not to mention the diversity of the many tribes as it packages it up in a singular monolithic, commodified image. The costumes portray an image frozen in time and invoke colonial rhetoric that represent the native as backward, barbaric, and savage. It is no wonder you refuse to allow your child to be subjected to this putatively “fun” and “harmless” “tradition.” I thank you and applaud you for opening up this dialogue to help end ignorant and myopic views, and I ask that you remain tenacious in this fight. More important, I want to tell you that you do not stand alone.

Yours in Solidarity,

SB

[Ackusar]

"Columbus was lost when we found him,
Now guess who called us 'Indian'?
The Pilgrims were dying when they arrived,
You know who helped them to survive...
We are the exploited." [Reservationfire: "Exploited"]
America was founded on the blood of the Indigenous Nations, the theft of our land, the destruction of our traditional way of life, the desecration of all we hold sacred and dear to our hearts, forced assimmilation into the dominant culture and the official policy of "Kill the Indian, save the man." And all of this in the Holy Name of God. What else can you expect?!

[esr]

It would be ok with me to let kids dress in that garb on the condition that my kids can dress as a Nazi and a rabbi eating at the dinner table in harmony just before the Nazis got mean.

[O'odham]

I remember dressing up in 1st grade. I wanted to be a pilgrim, because from what my nieve point of view was at the time, that was the better thing to be. Funny thing was, though, I'm Indian. And I think if I would have been taught accurately, I might have though the pilgrim was so "better"