Parents at Odds Over Thanksgiving Costumes

Can't children have fun in a way that *isn't* depending on stereotypes and historical inaccuracy? I thought that avoiding offending others was just basic *manners* - but I guess those have gone out of fashion lately.

Is this another case where a person with a middle eastern name wants to wipe out American History? You decide!

"And I don't see how a traditional costume is demeaning, unless the costume was imposed by outsiders."

Which this actually *was*. The sort of "history" devoted to Native groups in the US is shockingly inaccurate. Different groups are all lumped together into one mish-mash of "nobody really did this".

BTW, the pilgrim costumes are even *less* accurate. Pilgrims! They wore colors! But they didn't wear buckles, that was a Victorian invention.

I'd be just as happy for children to focus on discussing what it means to be thankful before they learn history, and then learning an accurate history instead of a bunch of stereotypes and inaccuraces.

Thank You SKL. I agree totally with what you have posted!

Well said! It seems as though this woman's personal agenda is going to steal a wonderful opportunity for these children to learn cooperation among divergent peoples and acceptance of others' differences. Ironic, actually.

THE REAL PROBLEM is the school board who dosen't have the cahonies to tell that parent to shove it.....

School boards today are the biggest PC pushers ever....

How sad it is that the majority is always kowtowing to the minority. I deeply regret the injustice with which the Native Americans have had to endure. I think that it is a black eye on our American heritage, but unfortunately it is not the only misstep of this country. We will always make mistakes, for we are an imperfect people. This country started out on the right path with the original Thanksgiving. Things went awry in the future. We can't change the past, but we can't dwell on it either. The fact that this Native American woman has become a scholar, shows that improvement is happening even though it might not be enough. Let's let our children be children and enjoy their early education. They can form their own opinions as they mature. Sadly, our nation has suffered, because we gave in to one woman who thought prayer in school was a bad thing. When will it end?

"And is this woman really pushing a larger agenda, e.g., banning Thanksgiving all together, because it reminds some people that the success of the pilgrims didn't bode well for everyone on the continent? If so, should she be able to ruin the holiday party for all the kids in both KG classes just to push a political agenda that has little to do with the kids?"

Didn't bode well? The Puritans, AFTER the local natives helped keep them alive and fed their first two winters, are known to have murdered several hundred Native Americans, even going so far as to decapitate women and children and stick their severed heads on posts around their villages.

And yet, those of us of Native American descent are supposed to what? Feel warm and fuzzy, and cherish and celebrate the fabricated BS that gets played out, year after year, amongst our younger generations?

"Whether purely factual or not, the story enacted by little children is meant to plant the seed of understanding and tolerance in their minds."

So, by Your conclusions, should the Jewish people begin celebrating tolerance amongst their younger generations, by having them dress up as starving, concentration camp uniformed prisoners while others dress up as Nazi SS officers?
I have nothing but sympathy for the Jewish people and the hell they've seen and experienced through the Holocaust, but the fact that people so matter of factly expect Native Americans (and Armenians are another people who seem to get pushed aside) to just deal with it, boggles my mind.
If good ole' american caucassians were suddenly being exterminated en mass, I wonder what their reaction would be when we looked at You and said, "deal with it." Oh, and let's not forget to make Your children dress up as Your peoples murderers to remind You of "tolerance" while we're at it.

"meant to plant the seed of understanding and tolerance" my ass.

"It's a starting point for helping them to later understand why the US was wrong to commit certain acts against Native Americans."

No, a good starting point is to point out, during Thanksgiving, why it's wrong to celebrate it in such manner as is contained within this article. When the children ask, "but why", THERE is the starting point. Not letting them play dress up as a way of covering up a past genocide.

"Parents of Native American kids may want to have a little chat with their kids about how much of the costume party is accurate, but I think it's a bad idea to try to shield them from the way most people understand and celebrate Thanksgiving."

As someone of strong Native American descent, let me tell You, there's a whole hell of a lot of people who refuse to celebrate this "holiday" in the first place, based on what it symbolizes.

Just because You choose to chalk it up to a "political agenda", many of us choose to see Thanksgiving for what it truly is - A reminder of how tolerance (on the Native American's side) was met with nothing but pain, torture and needless murder upon murder.

Why is it such a terrible thing to encourage our children to celebrate the one time in history newcomers to this country ( part of MY heritage) actually showed respect and appreciation for the native Americans ( also part of MY heritage) ?! And if we wanted to delve a little further, why give in to the demands of someone who, from the obvious name, hasn't even been in this country for generations enough to tell us how to celebrate AMERICAN holidays?!

You know what.I don't like pushing my comment's on other peaple, But this has got to stop. If we cannot dress are kids up like pilgams and indians for thanksgiving, Then we need to stop teaching are kids about black history, or the cival wars, And maybe we should stop the news from talking about how many peaple lost there job's, and there homes, and how many peaple go hungry every day in this world .We should teach are kids about the past ,let the learn about how bad others had to live. Let them learn about the injustes that had been handed down on indians, black's, jews, or any other human being's on this planet. Your opinion is just what it is. Your opinion. Don't tell me can't say merry christmas or allow my kids to dress up like indians or pilgram's or slave's, If you don't let are kids see the past for what it was, then they will not be able to make a better future for others. Let them see are mistakes,so they won't do the same. I hope every one has great thanksgiving, and merry christmas, or any other holladay you wish to enjoy. Remember opion's are like but holes. every budy has one.

Let's just keep letting the minorities tell the majority what is right and what is wrong. What a crock of BS. Perhaps that is what her degree is in "BS".

When is this country going to stop bowing to "ones". One doesn't like this and one doesn't like that. I.E. 'under god' in the pledge; prayer in school, commandments in public bldgs. Christmas in now holiday season. In God we trust on money. Why not everybody sue everybody and be done with it.

yeah. The schools should be a little more accurate. My son was told there are NO Native Americans in our area, when he IS Native American. They are also told that the Native Americans of Massachusettes lived in teepees! There is also a lovely statue in town here with a plaque "dedicated to the Indian killers who made this land safe"!

she is getting her 15 minutes of fame. Let her have it and then let us all move on. They are kindergartnres for heavens sake. They are having fun.

the lady needs to get a life. I'm really sick of the PC crap in this country. Kids don't know see that they are being "racist" when they are wearing a costume. How about making a fuss over the pagan tradition of Halloween? That would be the day.

Shame on the mother and shame on the school. The mother should have kept her kid home and her mouth shut if she felt that strong about it. The school should never have deprived the rest of the class because of one loud mouth mother. The mother might have and education but that doesn't mean she's educated. This is just another indication of America getting weaker and believing that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. Get it together America.

The year was 1637.....700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe, gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as Groton, Conn.


While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indians were ordered from the building and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were burned alive in the building.


The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared : "A day of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women and children. For the next 100 years, every "Thanksgiving Day" ordained by a Governor or President was to honor that victory, thanking God that the battle had been won.


Source: Documents of Holland , 13 Volume Colonial Documentary History, letters and reports form colonial officials to their superiors and the King in England and the private papers of Sir William Johnson, British Indian agent for the New York colony for 30 years. Researched by William B.
Newell (Penobscot Tribe) Former Chairman of the University of Connecticut Anthropology Department


Mistakes, Lies & Misconceptions
about American Indian people
The Thanksgiving Myth

once again facts are twisted ,, the mother who "complained" was right, again if it was jews or blacks no one would say they should be quiet, and as to the comment that the pilgrims were so fortunate later ,, hmm i dont see killing, and using germ warfare(small pox infested blankets) as fortianate ,, people curse hitler in one breath n yet act as though the Euro-Americans or so called "blue Bloods" are so great in the next ,, thanks giving is nothing more then the celibration of the whites killing American Indians, yet we dont celibrate the death camps of WW2 or the enslavement of blacks ,, but you still celibrate our ancestors demise through cowardly means.
And to the person who called the mother a non american , she is Seneca that is one of the Native American Tribes so SHE is a real American it is YOU who are not, n maybe you should leave!