November 18, 2004

You might think that Indians won't be in a party mood come Turkey Day.

After all, given the historical record of how the "founders" of this country treated the first peoples of this land, it does not take much cultural sensitivity to understand why some Indians don't celebrate Thanksgiving.

But there are those (myself included) who choose to find something to be thankful about during this season.

We are still here.

After wiping out whole tribes or rounding up the rest of us like cattle onto reservation land, the federal government believed it would only be a matter of time before Indians -- as a race, as nations of people -- would soon disappear from the geographical and political landscape.

The government enacted policies designed to terminate tribal systems and to assimilate Indians into the racial melting pot, such as sending young Indian people to boarding schools so they could learn to be like the white man. Throughout the boarding school era, original tongues were banned, buckskin dresses had to be traded in for cotton skirts and starched white shirts and braided hair was trimmed down into buzz cuts.

But the goal of taking the Indian out of the Indian proved to be futile.

Today, despite the worst poverty rates among all population groups, despite staggering statistics that reveal how Indian country continues to be devastated by poor health care and a lack of education and employment opportunities, Indians still cling to their ancient ways, rituals, languages and tribal values.

Yes, many Indian people enjoy getting ensnared in the trappings of a consumer and pop-culture society. But many Indians manage to return to their place, their identity that is rooted in tribal, traditional ways of being.

This Thanksgiving there will be plenty of turkey, cranberries and pie passed around the tables in many Indian homes. But above the roar of the football crowds, away from the sights and sounds of parades, you can bet that within the hearts of many Native Americans there will be a grand sense of gratitude.

Indians will be thankful that we have not just survived -- we have held onto a lifeline of tribal identity.

That's something to be cherished and passed on to the next generation.

Mark Anthony Rolo is a member of the Bad River Band of Ojibwe in Wisconsin. He can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.