Plymouth, MA
November 23, 2017
In the U.S., there is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and 9-11 Remembrance Day. There is no day to remember the indigenous people who lost their lives in the colonization of North America. Nor is there a day to remember the victims of the Ma’afa. And—it is debatable if such a day would even be appropriate, given the abject lack of U.S. government remorse or repentance for these duel genocides, and the fact that war against Native people and Black people continue. In the interim, however, Native people decided to establish the National Day of Mourning so that their dead might not be forgotten as the White Supremacist power structure would wish.
Background
Indigenous peoples of North America have long held feasts to give thanks to the Creator. However, they do not accept the Thanksgiving myth as it is written by Europeans. In part, this is due to the fact that a massacre of native people regularly followed the numerous colonist-initiated thanksgiving celebrations held in the area of the United States now called New England.
Among the more well-known of these was the “Thanksgiving” which followed the massacre of Wampanoag (Native American) people and the butchering of their leader Metacomet. Metacomet’s head was hung from the village square by the colonists. Plymouth Colony then called for a day of thanksgiving for their “victory” over the Native people. Horrifyingly, this was the same Metacomet whose father, Massasoit, had just a generation earlier hosted the White settlers who landed near Plymouth Rock, saving them from famine. And—the massacre of the Wampanoag was only one of many such by Whites of the indigenous people.
In 1970, a small group of Native people, calling themselves United American Indians of New England, decided to establish the National Day of Mourning (NDOM). NDOM started out as a small gathering of about 20 people. Today, hundreds of people of every age, race, and walk of life, gather in the annual observance. They meet on Coles’ Hill, across from Plymouth Rock (Plymouth, MA), the putative location of the Pilgrims’ landing. I have attended the gathering with some regularity for years, as I believe it is the only place to be on a day associated with such terrible tragedy and loss of life.
At
the NDOM gathering, there were indigenous people from nations as diverse as
Mayan, Penobscot, Lakota, Dakota, Taino, Pequot, Haudenosanee, and others. There
were Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Latinos, Africans, Caribbeans, and Caucasians.
There were many Black people, including some from the Black Lives Matter (BLM)
movement. Their presence brought to mind the long-standing historical alliance
between Blacks and Indians in their parallel struggles against slavery and
outright extermination. Indians would often hide a runaway slave; African
slaves would help Indians in a variety of ways; and Black and Indian intermarriage
was quite common.
I
was there to represent Jamaat al-Muslimeen and to offer solidarity to the
indigenous people from the Pakistani community (I wore a “Free Dr. Aafia
Siddiqui” teeshirt). Other Muslims of note at the gathering were DC-based
activist Sr. Sumiyeh, who has long championed indigenous rights and was part of
a Muslim solidarity delegation to Standing Rock on “Columbus Day” 2016, at the
height of the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline; Br. Reza, who was part
of the same delegation; and Boston-based activist/ writer Sr. Karina Friedman,
a regular contributor to New Trend.
A
large number of politically-conscious Caucasians, including many labor union
members, participated. The socialist Solidarity Center organized buses to
transport supporters to the event from New York and Boston. To their credit, Caucasians
took a back seat at the event, remaining in a support role. The spirit of
solidarity and internationalism was inspiring.
Perhaps
the best part of the NDOM is that only
Native speakers appear on the dais. No White experts on indigenous affairs,
self-appointed spokespeople, patriarchs, or other non-native solidarity
speakers are permitted to speak. As I observed the dynamic gathering of Native
people and their allies on Coles’ Hill, it occurred to me that Muslims could do
well to emulate this policy. It seems to be a part of our collective self-loathing/
inferiority complex that we perpetually wait--depending on our political
leanings—for either the White Leftists or the sycophantic DHS-approved Muslim
Uncle Toms to speak for us. In either case, the result is a dishonest,
non-authentic representation of the Muslim cause.
The
National Day of Mourning began with a sacred Native American prayer, the
filming of which was prohibited by the organizers. Then began the speeches. Among
the Native speakers were:
Moonanum James,
co-chair of United American Indians of New England (UAINE). He introduced the
program and welcomed the participants. James is one of the original founders of
NDOM. In 1997, he along with 24 others was arrested for having the audacity to
challenge the Thanksgiving myth in Plymouth. His small group of Native
Americans and a few White supporters refused to back down, ultimately forcing
the town to recognize the Native peoples’ right to march on “Thanksgiving Day,”
and to place commemorative plaques and statues—proffering a realistic portrayal
of the savagery of Whites toward Native people—throughout the town.
Mahtowin Munro, a Lakota woman,
who, along with James co-chairs UAINE, spoke with power and eloquence. She drew
parallels between world struggles against colonialism and imperialism,
including those in Latin America, the Muslim world, and Africa. She pointed out
that Native people were targeted by police at even higher rates than Blacks,
and that violence against Native American women was rampant.
Sr. June Sapiel of the
Penobscot Nation spoke. Her son, a water protector, was shot by the authorities
at Standing Rock. As a result of the attack on him (along with other peaceful
protestors at Standing Rock), he is permanently maimed, she said, fighting back
tears. The Penobscots are involved in a struggle--similar to that at Standing
Rock--to protect their water supplies from contamination by multinational
corporations.
Medicine Man Juan Gonzalez, representing
the Council of Maya Elders, delivered a statement describing the world scene
with a deeply internationalist vision. With intense emotion, he also shared his
own observations on the destruction of the Mother Earth.
Vanessa
Inaru Metzli, a Taino Indian from Puerto Rico spoke. She
explained that the Taino were the original people of Puerto Rico, and delved
into the U.S. government’s racist handling of the aftermath of the recent
hurricane there.
Elder Bert Waters, one of the
original founders of the NDOM, read a statement from imprisoned Native American
leader Leonard Peltier.
The tragedy of Leonard Peltier
Many placards at the NDOM draw attention to plight of Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier. Peltier, a leader of the American Indian Movement and a 73-year old grandfather, has been in prison for 40 years for a crime he didn’t commit. He was a leader of the American Indian Movement in the 1970s. In the U.S., Native people who wish to follow their own culture are relegated to reservations which lack arable land, and where multinational corporations dump toxic wastes. There, antiquated (or non-existent) plumbing, dismal job prospects, alcoholism, high rates of infant mortality, suicide, and domestic violence prevail. Indian reservations are administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a wing of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In the 1970s, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was administered by a man named Dick Wilson. Wilson ran the reservation like a feudal lord (rather like Hamid Karzai’s brother ran Kandahar). His “goon squad” was notorious for its heavy-handed tactics against opponents. After numerous deaths under suspicious circumstances, the American Indian Movement came to the reservation to protect the people. Although they were there to protect the interests of the community, and had been called in by that community, they were labeled as outsiders and later even called “terrorists” by the U.S. government. In the climate of fear created by Dick Wilson, two FBI agents came to the reservation and were involved in a shootout with AIM activists and others. In the shootout, the FBI agents were killed, along with an Indian man named Joseph Stuntz. Leonard Peltier was among those charged. Despite a mountain of exculpatory evidence, Leonard was eventually convicted and sentenced to two life terms. It was his case which originally drew me to the Native American struggle. He remains a symbol of U.S. injustice and indignities toward Native people, and an inspiration to many who attend NDOM.
March through Downtown Plymouth
The
rally was followed by a spirited march, replete with Native chanting, drumming,
chants of “Mini wiconi” (“Water is Life”); and slogans calling for the freedom
for Leonard Peltier. The colorful march--from Cole’s Hill, through downtown Plymouth,
and back--passed all the major tourist attractions including Plymouth Rock. It was
in stark contrast with the tourist foot traffic about town. Interestingly, nearly
all the tourists sucking in the Plymouth Rock/ First Thanksgiving myth offered
at various points including at the Rock itself, were White, with a few Asians
adding to their ranks. You can fool some people sometimes..
© 2017 By Nadrat
Siddique
