 |
 Library Directories Contact Us |
|
|
 |
||||||||
|
||||
|
|
|||
|
Brendan Kennedy: Rethinking the Common Narrative of Thanksgiving Brendan Kennedy JD'13, president of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) at Suffolk Law, offers his opinion on the recent visit of pan-tribal indigenous drum and dance group Urban Thunder, urging students to rethink what he calls “the common narrative” of Thanksgiving:
The common narrative is that there was a meal among pilgrims and the Wampanoag at Plymouth, and that is why we have Thanksgiving.Unfortunately, this narrative is limited, and many jump from Thanksgiving to "Dances with Wolves" without first seeing what actually happened at Plymouth almost 400 years ago.As lawyers, we should acknowledge a few things that are significant about Thanksgiving – it was the culmination of events that began with a treaty.Essentially, they needed each other.The Wampanoag had been decimated by disease and were vulnerable to attacks from surrounding tribes.The pilgrims were similarly vulnerable because they struggled to survive in a land that remained foreign to them.As a result, both sides entered into a treaty that would ensure their mutual security, and served as the beginning of a binding relationship. In reality, the pilgrims reneged on this treaty when it suited them, and King Philip's War raged as a result.It was this war, which posed a very real threat to the survival of Europeans in the New World that crystallized the fear among white people of Indian peoples in New England, and led to the enslavement, execution or subjugation of those Indigenous Peoples left standing. For students at a law school in Massachusetts, there are plenty of examples in contemporary law, politics and culture that should encourage you to think about what it means to be an indigenous person in the Commonwealth, and around the country.Recent displays of cultural appropriation in popular culture should raise questions for all of us.Specifically, No Doubt released a music video that objectifies and trivializes the sexuality of native peoples, Victoria's Secret sent a woman down their runway in bedazzled underwear and an "Indian head-dress," Urban Outfitters released a line of "Navajo" underwear, Paul Frank used indigenous iconography to sell a new line of clothing, and the Gap put the slogan "Manifest Destiny" on a t-shirt.Then, once they are taken to task in the media, the companies apologize for offending anyone. Instead of using indigenous culture to market a brand or promote a band's new single, prominent entertainers and designers could use their visibility to promote the egregious rates of violence against native women living on reservations—violence that goes unprosecuted.People forget that it wasn't so long ago that David Bowie challenged people to consider indigenous peoples' rights and modernity in the music video for his song Let's Dance, and Paul Simon helped to expose apartheid in South Africa to Americans when his album Graceland came out. So with that in mind, I would like to clarify the pow-wow event: it was not an event to promote NALSA, Urban Thunder, or the school for that matter. It was our intention to catalyze discourse among all of us to think about Indigenous Peoples' rights here in the Commonwealth.While people performed, it was not intended to be just a performance. While we may have been entertained, it was not intended to be just entertainment.This is not going to be a one-off event, and it is going to be something to look out for next year during Native American Heritage Month. One of the greatest things about the Suffolk University Law School Community is its continued support for events such as the pow-wow. As I walk around the school and bump into students and faculty, I am so proud that we are talking about Indigenous issues.The flash-mob pow-wow is just another example of the desire among the student body and the school's faculty to stimulate thought, to invite difficult questions, and to develop deeper understanding of others. As we go home to our families and friends and give thanks for what we have, I ask that we all reflect on the spirit of partnership that was manifested years ago at Plymouth.The meal that was shared between two cultures at a time of great uncertainty and sacrifice is something that we often forget when we visit the supermarket, filling our baskets with holiday foods.We were all reminded last Thursday that the voices and dances of Indigenous Peoples are still here in the Commonwealth, and sometimes it is nice to be reminded of that, even if it is a surprise. |
|
|
|
For the second time in as many years, Urban Thunder, a pan-tribal Indigenous group filled the halls of Suffolk University Law School with Native voices.As president of the law school's Native American Law Students Association (NALSA), it was my intention to stimulate critical thought among students and faculty during Native American Heritage Month, and I believe that the flash-mob pow-wow achieved this goal.While we may have been entertained, I also hoped that indigenous peoples' voices in the law school building a week before Thanksgiving would elicit questions among the student body.NALSA hopes that the element of surprise stimulated the minds of students, asking you to question yourselves and each other.More importantly, I would like everyone to pause before the turkey is carved this Thanksgiving, and think about the event being commemorated.
