Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
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The dominant society is taught that Masssasoit and the Wampanoag people welcomed the pilgrims and taught them survival skills. Americans are also taught that the Pilgrims invited their Indian friends to attend the first Thanksgiving to celebrate their survival. This is, in fact a lie. Most don't realize what their celebration is about because the truth has been buried. The Wampanoag people have kept a copy of the Thanksgiving Proclamation made by the first governor of the colony. The first Thanksgiving did not occur in 1621 when the pilgrim survivors of the first winter sat down to dinner with their Indian friends. Gov. Winthrop of the Massachusetts proclaimed the first official day of "Thanks Giving and feasting in 1637. He did this to give thanks for the massacre of over 700 Pequot and Wampanoag men, women and children. He also encouraged other colonies to do likewise.

In fact the myth of Thanksgiving Day wasn't born until the late 1860's when the United States President Abraham Lincoln, who ordered the mass hanging of 38 Mdewakanton Dakota peoples, declared the fourth Thursday in November "Thanksgiving Day" as a way to give thanks for preserving the "Union"

The tradition has continued. While many in the dominant society will take turns at their turkey's, members of the American Indian Movement of Florida will conduct a Sunrise to Sunset fast-for the 11th year, at the statue of the colonial invading sea-pirate known as Columbus on Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, FL. We do so to call attention to the ongoing genocidal wars against the Indigenous peoples of this Great Turtle Island. From the Micmac under virulent and vicious attack in Burnt Church, NB for their efforts to feed their families to the Oneida and Seminole whose economic ventures and sovereignty are under direct attack by state and white supremacists. To the unsolved and largely uninvestigated murders of Lakota peoples in South Dakota and Nebraska-in addition to recent hate crime murders of Indian people in Alaska, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New Mexico. The continued theft of the lands of the Western Shoshone and Dine peoples lands. To the continued dumping of America's nuclear and toxic garbage on the lands of the Dakota, Apache, and California Indian Nations in addition to so many others. To the continued defacto approved robbing of Indian graves, to the degradation of Indigenous peoples cultures and spiritualities to the basic denial of our human, civil, natural, treaty, sovereign, and spiritual rights throughout the Western Hemisphere. The genocide the so called Pilgrims, who in reality were the criminals of Europe, inflicted upon the Wampanoag and Pequot peoples continues 379 years later.

Since 1970 the American Indian Movement has held National Day of Mourning Activities throughout the US. Florida AIM combined with Native American Land Struggles in holding such a Day of Mourning from 1986-1990 at the steps of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. In 1990 Florida AIM moved the site to the steps of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee and has fasted annually since then. This year due to the insanity of honoring Columbus's death ships in Tampa, Florida AIM will hold its annual Day of Mourning Sunrise to Sunset fast at the statue of Christopher Columbus in Tampa, FL.

In the year 2000 we will focus our attention on the continued unabated desecration of Indigenous burial sites in Florida, the unjust imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, and a call for an investigation into the 1973-1979 reign of terror on Pine Ridge and all hate crime murders of Indians since that time.

Join us in this day of Mourning for the millions of Indigenous ancestors who have been murdered since Columbus and his death ships came and killed Arawak, Taino and Lubycion peoples. In recognition of all who have been murdered since the coming of Columbus, In recognition of the true patriots from Teshunka Wetko, and Golgotha to Richard Oaks, Pedro Bissonette, Jeanette Bissonette and Leroy Jackson. In recognition of those who continue the struggle from Clyde Bellecourt, John Trudell, and Rigoberta Menchu to those whose names we don't know. We ask that you join us in this struggle for the future by participating in the Day of Mourning and fasting in acknowledgment of the past, and present and the struggle for the future.