‘Lies, Brutal’: Native Americans Share Feelings About Thanksgiving

The Cut Video gathered a group of Native Americans for several rounds of word association and the truth bombs that were dropped when “Thanksgiving” came up exploded the romanticized myths that some Americans still carry about Turkey Day.

Described as “horror beyond measure” and “brutal,” at least one participant says that she tries to forget the trauma that was inflicted upon her people by focusing on family and football.

Another participant says that the happy myth is all “lies” and she’s absolutely right.

“Thanksgiving is a time when my family gets together to tell stories about our creation myths, and who we were, and who we are, and really what we lost,” she said.

This Thanksgiving holiday, as we sit with the anguish of police brutality that continues to pound our communities, we should also note that Native Americans are, statistically, more likely to be killed by police than any other race or ethnic group.

In a previous episode, the group reacted to the name Christopher Columbus, the violent, thieving slave-owning rapist for whom the United States sees fit to honor despite pushback from Indigenous people and allies.