It’s not all about the turkey ….
If you are reading this newsletter, you most likely celebrated Thanksgiving in some fashion this past weekend. You may have spent time with family and friends, relaxing and enjoying your choice of fabulous food. Maybe you went for a hike. Thanksgiving, after all, is a Canadian custom dating back to 1578 when the English explorer, Martin Frobisher, came upon the land we now know as Canada while searching for a Northern passage to the Orient. That land though was already home to Indigenous Peoples; and Thanksgiving is not necessarily a time of celebration for those living in Canada today.
“It's common for young Indigenous people to feel some discomfort toward Thanksgiving, said Jacqueline Romanow, who is Métis from the Red River Settlement area and chairs the Indigenous studies department at the University of Winnipeg. It supports the myth that this land was discovered. It creates this idea that the Indigenous people here just simply handed over everything to the new sort of arrivals, that there was no conflict, and that it was a very peaceful and happy encounter — which, in fact, is the exact opposite of what happened," she said. [1]
It is important for us to be respectful in our multicultural society and acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving; and even if they do, it may not be in the same way, with the same traditions. A quick Google search revealed there are at least 15 cultures around the world recognizing their day of thanks in different ways and on different days. In Germany, the equivalent of Thanksgiving is 'Erntedankfest' (“harvest festival of thanks”), a religious holiday celebrated on the first Sunday in October. [2]
It’s important to remember that even within our own communities there are people who cannot afford Thanksgiving dinner. This doesn’t mean that those of us that can afford to celebrate should feel guilty. We should though, feel blessed. We should be thankful.
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