Native American Authors and the National Day of Mourning
This post is dedicated to honor Native American voices. We start by discussing what is National Mourning Day. It is a day to reflect on the painful history of Native American communities and honor their resilience. Thanksgiving is a holiday that many people celebrate with family, food, and gratitude. However, for some, Thanksgiving isn’t simply a cheerful holiday. It’s also a reminder of a difficult history. For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving brings painful memories. It recalls the hard times their ancestors faced after Europeans came to America. The traditional Thanksgiving story often overlooks the full history of what happened to Indigenous people.
In this post, we’ll explore Thanksgiving from a different perspective. We’ll look at the real history behind Thanksgiving, and why the holiday can be painful for Indigenous communities. By doing this, we can show respect for Native voices. We’ll also highlight works of literature by Native American authors. We can respect all by learning this history and honoring Indigenous voices. Then, we can celebrate Thanksgiving.
Contents
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The Real History of Thanksgiving
Most of us learn that Thanksgiving started with a peaceful meal between the Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. But there’s more to the story than just sharing food. The Pilgrims were a group of English settlers who came to North America to start a new life. They settled in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. After a difficult winter, many Pilgrims had died from hunger and cold. The Wampanoag people had lived on this land for thousands of years. They helped the Pilgrims survive by teaching them to grow corn and find food.
In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag shared a feast to celebrate the harvest, and this meal is often called the “First Thanksgiving.” However, the peace between the Pilgrims and Native Americans did not last. More settlers arrived from Europe, taking over Native lands and spreading new diseases. This led to great hardship, loss of land, and many lives lost among Native communities.
For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not a joyful holiday. Instead, it is a reminder of the struggles and painful history that followed the arrival of Europeans. Today, some Native people observe Thanksgiving as a National Day of Mourning. This day honors their ancestors and acknowledges the challenges Indigenous communities still face. This history gives a new perspective on Thanksgiving. It calls for both celebration and remembrance.
What is the National Day of Mourning?
For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not a day of celebration but a reminder of a painful history. Since 1970, some Native communities have observed Thanksgiving as the National Day of Mourning. This day is dedicated to remembering and honoring the ancestors who suffered and died as a result of European colonization. It is also a day to recognize the ongoing challenges that Indigenous communities face today. Respecting Native perspectives means acknowledging their history and honoring their stories with truth and care.
Each year, Native people and supporters gather in Plymouth, Massachusetts, near where the Pilgrims first settled, for a day of remembrance. They hold ceremonies, give speeches, and observe moments of silence to honor Indigenous ancestors and reflect on the impact of colonization. The National Day of Mourning serves as a counter-narrative to the traditional Thanksgiving story, bringing attention to the loss of land, culture, and lives that Indigenous communities have endured.
The National Day of Mourning is also a time for strength and unity. Participants use this day to call for justice, raise awareness about issues affecting Native communities, and celebrate the resilience and survival of Indigenous cultures. By observing the National Day of Mourning, Native people and their allies work to ensure that history is remembered truthfully and that Native voices are respected.
Native American Authors and Their Stories
Books by Native American writers offer a window into Indigenous experiences, culture, and resilience. Celebrating Native literature preserves Indigenous stories for future generations. There are many Native American authors who share important stories about their history, culture, and experiences. These writers offer powerful perspectives that help us understand Native life, past and present. Here are a few well-known Native American authors and their works:
1. Louise Erdrich
Notable Work: The Round House
Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and is one of the most celebrated Native American authors today. Her book The Round House tells the story of a young Native boy seeking justice after his mother is attacked. Through her stories, Erdrich sheds light on family, tradition, and the struggles that Native people face, especially on reservations.
2. Joy Harjo
Notable Work: An American Sunrise
Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, was the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States. Her poetry collection An American Sunrise reflects on her ancestors, land, and the resilience of Native people. Harjo’s work is known for blending history, spirituality, and the natural world. She uses poetry to honor Native stories and voices.
3. Sherman Alexie
Notable Work: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie is a Spokane-Coeur d’Alene writer whose book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian follows a young Native boy trying to find his identity while navigating life on and off the reservation. Through humor and honesty, Alexie explores what it means to be Native in a modern world. His work connects readers to the daily realities and challenges faced by Native youth today. He also wrote the film Smoke Signals (1998) which we will get to in a bit.
4. Tommy Orange
Notable Work: There There
Tommy Orange, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, wrote There There, a novel about twelve Native people traveling to a powwow in Oakland, California. Each character has a different story, but together, they show the complexity of Native identity and urban Native life. Orange’s work speaks to the importance of community and the mix of joy and hardship within Native experiences.
5. Robin Wall Kimmerer
Notable Work: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer, a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is both a botanist and a writer. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she combines her scientific knowledge with her Indigenous heritage to explore the relationship between people and nature. Her book inspires readers to value and protect the planet, emphasizing gratitude and reverence for nature.
Native American Characters in Movies and TV Shows
Movies and TV shows are powerful ways to share Native stories and showcase Indigenous characters. Here are some films and shows that feature Native American characters, each offering a unique look into Native experiences, culture, and history.
Smoke Signals (1998)
Smoke Signals is one of the first films written, directed, and acted by Native Americans. Based on a story by Sherman Alexie, the movie follows two young Coeur d’Alene men, Victor and Thomas, on a road trip to retrieve Victor’s father’s ashes. Through humor and heartfelt moments, Smoke Signals explores family, identity, and friendship while breaking stereotypes of Native American life.
Reservation Dogs (2021–present)
This TV series, created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, follows four Native teens living on a reservation in Oklahoma. They dream of leaving their small town for California, but along the way, they deal with challenges, loss, and community ties. Reservation Dogs is celebrated for its humor and realism, and it’s groundbreaking in featuring an all-Native writers’ room and cast. The show presents modern Native life, mixing everyday struggles with humor and heart.
Wind River (2017)
Wind River is a crime thriller about the investigation of a young Native woman’s murder on a reservation in Wyoming. Although the main characters are not Native, the film sheds light on issues facing Indigenous communities, particularly the high rates of violence against Native women. The movie highlights the need for justice and awareness while providing a serious, respectful look at life on a reservation.
The Revenant (2015)
Set in the 1820s, The Revenant follows frontiersman Hugh Glass as he survives a brutal bear attack and seeks revenge against those who left him for dead. The movie includes the Arikara and Pawnee tribes, offering insight into Native life and relationships with settlers and trappers. While the story isn’t centered on Native characters, their presence is an important part of the historical context, showing their resilience and culture during a difficult period.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
This HBO film is based on the book of the same name, documenting the history of Native American resistance against the U.S. government’s policies in the late 1800s. It follows three main characters, including Sitting Bull, a Lakota chief, and Charles Eastman, a Native doctor. The film portrays the events leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre, offering a powerful and tragic look at Indigenous history and resilience.
Longmire (2012–2017)
Longmire is a crime drama series about a Wyoming sheriff who often works with Native American characters, including Henry Standing Bear, played by Lou Diamond Phillips. Henry is a Cheyenne bar owner and the sheriff’s close friend, and the show often highlights reservation issues, tribal police, and the challenges faced by Native communities. Longmire presents Native American characters as central to the story, providing a respectful look at reservation life.
Common Themes and Symbolism in Native American Stories
Native American stories, whether told through books, movies, or TV shows, often carry powerful themes and symbols that reflect Indigenous culture, history, and values. Here are some common themes and symbols that show up in Native storytelling.
– Connection to Land and Nature
The relationship between Native people and the land is deeply spiritual and symbolic. In works like Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, nature isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a teacher, a healer, and a part of everyday life. The land, animals, and plants are often seen as family, providing life and guidance. This connection to nature also appears in The Revenant, where survival in the wilderness highlights the respect for nature’s power and beauty. Native stories remind us that taking care of the earth is part of taking care of ourselves.
– Identity and Cultural Survival
Many Native American stories explore the struggle to maintain cultural identity in a world that often overlooks or misunderstands Indigenous traditions. There There by Tommy Orange, for example, examines what it means to be Native in an urban setting, highlighting the complexity of Native identity in modern America. Similarly, Reservation Dogs focuses on young Native characters who navigate both traditional and modern influences. These stories reflect the importance of cultural survival, showing how Native people hold onto their heritage while adapting to contemporary challenges.
– Family and Community Bonds
Family and community are central to Native storytelling, often serving as the main source of strength for characters. In The Round House by Louise Erdrich, the family’s bond helps them face a painful situation together. Movies like Smoke Signals also highlight friendships and family connections, as Victor and Thomas rely on each other while dealing with loss and identity. These stories show that family isn’t always about blood but about the support, love, and connection within a community.
– Resilience and Resistance
Resilience is a key theme in Native stories, reflecting the strength of Indigenous people in the face of hardship. In Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the tragic history of Native resistance against displacement highlights this resilience. The characters in Longmire and Wind River face personal and community struggles but continue to fight for justice and respect. Native stories often emphasize that resilience is about holding onto dignity and hope, even in challenging times. Not just survival.
– The Impact of Historical Trauma
Many Native stories address the lasting effects of colonization, forced relocation, and cultural loss. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz openly addresses these historical traumas, explaining how past events continue to affect Native communities today. This theme is also present in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which explores the emotional and cultural losses endured by Native Americans. Through these stories, we see how history influences the present, making it important to acknowledge and understand these experiences.
– Spirituality and the Sacred
Spirituality is deeply rooted in Native stories, often appearing through symbols like animals, dreams, and rituals. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Junior experiences visions that reflect his inner struggles and hopes. Animals often have symbolic meanings, representing guidance, strength, or protection. Spirituality is not separate from everyday life in Native stories. It’s woven into how characters understand the world.
– Humor as Healing
Humor is a powerful tool in Native storytelling, used to cope with pain and hardship. Reservation Dogs balances serious themes with humor, showing how laughter helps the characters face their struggles. Smoke Signals also uses humor to explore friendship and family, adding a lightness to complex topics. Native stories use humor as a way to cope and grow stronger, not just for entertainment.
The Western Genre and the Stereotyping of Native Americans
The Western genre has long been a popular way of telling stories about America’s past, but it often tells that story from a one-sided, Eurocentric perspective. For decades, Western films and novels portrayed Native Americans as either hostile enemies or noble savages. These characters were often simplified, villainized, or romanticized to fit the storyline. These portrayals contributed to stereotypes that continue to affect perceptions of Native people today.
“Savages” and the Myth of the “Wild Frontier”
In many classic Westerns, Native Americans were depicted as violent threats to settlers, standing in the way of “progress” or “civilization.” This portrayal justified the displacement and mistreatment of Indigenous people by framing them as antagonists to the white protagonists. Such stereotypes ignored the realities of Native life, culture, and the often brutal impact of colonization on Native communities.
The “Noble Savage” Stereotype
When Westerns did portray Native Americans in a more positive light, they often fell into the “noble savage” trope, which showed Native characters as wise but doomed, mystical yet primitive. These characters were portrayed as in tune with nature but incapable of adapting to the modern world. This romanticized portrayal still dehumanized Native people, reducing them to symbols rather than full, complex individuals.
The Lack of Native Voices and Perspectives
Classic Westerns rarely, if ever, included Native voices. Native characters were typically written, directed, and acted by non-Natives, meaning that the stories came from an outsider’s perspective. This led to inaccurate and harmful depictions of Native cultures and reinforced the idea that Native people were merely part of the American landscape, rather than its original inhabitants.
Changing Perspectives in Modern Westerns
Some modern Westerns and films inspired by the genre, such as Smoke Signals or The Revenant, have attempted to portray Native people with more complexity and respect. There has also been a recent push for Native filmmakers to tell their own stories, bringing new perspectives and authenticity to the genre. These changes show the importance of Indigenous voices in reshaping the Western narrative, moving beyond harmful stereotypes to honor Native experiences.
Honorable Mentions: More Powerful Works by Native American Authors
If you’re interested in reading more Native American literature, here are some other powerful works by Indigenous authors that tell important, engaging, and sometimes chilling stories:
1. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
This horror novel follows four Native American friends who are haunted by a disturbing event from their past. The story combines elements of supernatural horror with themes of cultural identity, survival, and the consequences of breaking with tradition. Jones, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, uses horror to explore the unique experiences and struggles of Native life in a modern world.
2. Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
This crime thriller centers on Virgil Wounded Horse, a vigilante on a South Dakota reservation who seeks justice when the law fails. Weiden, a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, combines suspense with social commentary on reservation life, justice, and the opioid crisis affecting Native communities. The novel is both gripping and insightful, offering readers a look at the challenges of contemporary Native life.
3. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday
A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, House Made of Dawn tells the story of Abel, a young Native American man who struggles with identity and belonging after returning from war. Momaday, of Kiowa descent, explores themes of alienation, tradition, and healing, using rich imagery and Native oral storytelling traditions. This novel is often considered a foundational work of Native American literature.
4. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
This novel introduces the lives of two interconnected Native American families living on a reservation in North Dakota. Erdrich explores themes of love, family, and survival, capturing the experiences and resilience of Native families over several generations. Love Medicine is celebrated for its deep character development and emotional storytelling.
5. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
This fantasy novel blends Native folklore with a post-apocalyptic setting, following Maggie Hoskie, a Diné (Navajo) monster hunter. Roanhorse draws on Navajo mythology to create a rich world filled with gods, monsters, and cultural traditions. This novel offers a fresh take on the fantasy genre, blending Indigenous culture with action and adventure.
6. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Ceremony is a classic novel that follows Tayo, a young Native American World War II veteran who returns home to his reservation in New Mexico. Through a journey of healing and self-discovery, Tayo reconnects with his Pueblo heritage. Silko’s work explores themes of trauma, tradition, and the power of storytelling as a means of healing and preserving identity.
7. Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
In this memoir, Mailhot, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, shares her personal experiences with mental health, love, and survival. Heart Berries is a raw, powerful exploration of resilience, generational trauma, and healing. It’s an intimate look into one woman’s journey, offering a voice that is both poetic and brutally honest.
Meeting an Anishinaabe Filmmaker
In 2023, I left the Tribeca Film Festival with an open mind. I wanted to start producing movies and help bring small filmmakers to the big screen. One day, while browsing crowdfunding websites, I found a short film in the making and decided to fund it. However, it was challenging to find the right, intriguing project, so I eventually gave up and stuck with the one short film I had found.
One day at work, while procrastinating on Instagram, I swiped through some IG stories and paused on one that caught my attention. A friend had shared the profile of a Native American filmmaker from NYU who was raising funds for his next short film. His name was Ishkwaazie Shane McSauby. He was hosting an event in Bushwick, Brooklyn to showcase his previous short films, along with other artists displaying their work.
One film that stood out to me that Shane directed was Happy Thanksgiving, a dark comedy about a young Native man who takes the holiday way too seriously and personally. It felt almost forbidden to laugh at some scenes, but it left a big impression on me.
After the showcase, everyone had a chance to meet each other, and I got to talk with Shane. We discovered we had similar interests in film, and I swear we could have kept talking forever. I then asked him about the new film he was raising money for. That project was The Beguiling, a horror film about unexpected events taking place between two Indigenous people. The concept blew me away—I couldn’t remember seeing a horror film focused on Indigenous characters before. I helped fund the remainder of his budget and became an executive producer on his short film.
The Beguiling went on to be selected at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was nominated for the IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Film. From what I was told, the film was a hit, although unfortunately, I couldn’t be there to see it for myself. Still, I’ve never felt prouder of Shane. He’s a filmmaker of immense talent and deserves this recognition. He is a filmmaker of the future—keep your eyes out for him.
If you’re curious to see what he has done, check out Ishkwaazhe’s Vimeo page.
Sources
1. The Real History of Thanksgiving
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian – This museum provides a thorough overview of the true history of Thanksgiving, examining the 1621 harvest meal and its aftermath, along with Native perspectives on the holiday.
National Museum of the American Indian – Thanksgiving
Plimoth Patuxet Museums – This museum offers a look at the history of the 1621 feast and provides both Pilgrim and Wampanoag perspectives.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums – Thanksgiving
History.com – This site gives an accessible summary of Thanksgiving’s origins, myths, and how it evolved into a national holiday.
History.com – Thanksgiving History
2. National Day of Mourning
United American Indians of New England (UAINE) – This organization initiated the National Day of Mourning in 1970. Their website includes information about the annual gathering in Plymouth, MA, and the day’s significance.
UAINE – National Day of Mourning
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Perspective – Articles from Indigenous voices, like those from members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, discuss the importance of the National Day of Mourning and how it honors Native ancestors.
3. The Impact of Western Films on Native Representation
“Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian” (Documentary) – This documentary explores Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans, including stereotypes found in Westerns. It provides an insightful look at how Native people have historically been misrepresented in film.
Smithsonian Magazine – Articles on this site examine the legacy of Native American stereotypes in the Western genre and the impact of these portrayals on public perceptions.
4. Native American Literature and Film Resources
American Indian Library Association (AILA) – The AILA provides resources and recommendations for Native American literature and media, helping readers and viewers access authentic Indigenous voices.
American Indian Library Association
“Native American Literature” by Andrew Wiget – This academic work is an essential guide to understanding the themes and history in Native American literature, including traditional stories and modern works.
5. General Indigenous History and Issues
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz – This book offers a comprehensive view of American history from an Indigenous perspective, covering topics like colonization, cultural loss, and resilience.
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) – The NCAI provides factual information on Native American history and current issues, including advocacy and policy affecting Native communities.
