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Annual protest, held in opposition to Thanksgiving in the Western United States
Unthanksgiving Day
(or
Un-Thanksgiving Day
), also known as
The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony
, is an event held on
Alcatraz Island
in
San Francisco Bay
to honor the indigenous peoples of the Americas and promote their rights.
[1]
It coincides with the
National Day of Mourning
held in
Massachusetts
. The Alcatraz ceremony has been held annually since 1975 to commemorate the protest event of 1969, where the
Alcatraz-Red Power Movement
(ARPM) occupied the island.
[1]
It is organized by the
International Indian Treaty Council
and American Indian Contemporary Arts.
[2]
The event is designed to commemorate the survival of Indian tribes following the
European colonization of the Americas
. Organizers want it to serve in contrast and
counter-celebration
to the traditional American
Thanksgiving
in which the
Pilgrims
shared a meal with the
Wampanoag
tribe.
[3]
Background
[
edit
]
In 1969, a number of Native American members of the
Alcatraz-Red Power Movement
group
Indians of All Tribes
(IAT) occupied the island of Alcatraz, under the terms of the
1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie
that allocated surplus government land to Native Americans. The occupation lasted for 19 months, from November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971. They were visited by members of the
American Indian Movement
(AIM) who, inspired by the occupation, led other protests, the first on
Thanksgiving
in 1970 when they painted
Plymouth Rock
red.
[1]
The latter protest continued as the
National Day of Mourning
. The US government ended the Alcatraz occupation with force. During the occupation, hundreds of Native Americans joined the movement to speak out for their rights. This was part of a heavy period of Indian activism and protest at a time when the
civil rights
movement in the United States amongst minorities was at a height.
[4]
Contemporary observance
[
edit
]
Every year on the date of the United States
Thanksgiving
holiday in November,
[5]
several thousand indigenous people and spectators travel to Alcatraz Island. Groups dance before sunrise, to honor their ancestors, while other groups demonstrate other aspects of their cultures and heritage and speak out for the rights of their people.
[6]
[7]
The celebration is open to the public.
A similar sunrise ceremony at Alcatraz Island is also held on
Indigenous Peoples' Day
.
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Alcatraz is not an island"
.
Public Broadcasting Service
. 2002
. Retrieved
2009-10-16
.
- ^
Cordero, Gabriel (November 25, 2005).
"Unthanksgiving on Alcatraz calls forth American Indians"
.
Oakland Tribune
. Bay Area News Group
. Retrieved
2009-10-19
.
- ^
Strickland, Eliza (November 23, 2005).
"Feast of the Survivors: At Alcatraz Island's Thanksgiving Day, the native spirit lives on"
.
East Bay Express
. Retrieved
2009-10-19
.
- ^
Johnson, Troy (September 29, 1995).
"Introduction: Alcatraz"
.
Indians of North America: Alcatraz
.
California State University, Long Beach
. Archived from
the original
on 2009-10-03
. Retrieved
2009-10-16
.
- ^
Bing, Alison (2007).
San Francisco encounter
. Lonely Planet. p. 23.
ISBN
978-1-74059-855-2
.
- ^
Cordero, Gabriel (November 30, 2005).
"Happy Unthanksgiving Day: 32nd annual Sunrise Gathering honors American Indian Struggle and Heritage"
.
Golden Gate [X]press
. San Francisco State University. Archived from
the original
on 2009-07-22
. Retrieved
2009-10-16
.
- ^
Z, Mickey (2005).
50 American Revolutions You're Not Supposed to Know: Reclaiming American Patriotism
. The Disinformation Company. p. 105.
ISBN
978-1-932857-18-4
.
- ^
"History: Indian Occupation"
.
Alcatraz Cruises
. Retrieved
26 November
2015
.
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