It is sad to see Native Americans reduce to playing the victim card to get sympathy. Instilling guilt in others is no substitute for pride in your history and culture. Worse that people invent historical atrocities to do this.
The Eastern tribes were not slaughtered within weeks of the pilgrims’ arrival. It would be odd if they had been since you’d have to explain why those same tribes were there 40 years later. Nor did the Conquistadors slaughter the pueblo Indians in enmass. In fact the Spanish and French in particular were fairly respectful of the native peoples. They married into native families and made alliances with various tribes. In New Spain, Nauhautl, the language of the Aztec empire, was an official language for documents and testimony for 100 years after the conquest. Sure the peasants were treated badly, but it was no different than how they were treated by Native rulers and the Spanish ended the gruesome practice of human sacrifice.
Indians in the New World died in large numbers of disease, something over which the Europeans had no control and no knowledge. In fact, lots of Europeans in the New World died of the same diseases only there were less of them.
What happened was part peaceful interaction and part conquest. Yes, the New World was ultimately conquered by the Europeans (with help from Native allies in many cases). There were fewer Indians and they did not have the economies to sustain long-term wars. It was a war they lost. But they were hardly hapless pacificist victims. That view of Indians is demeaning and wrong. And what happened was not genocide.
It is really too bad that a happy and good tradition like Thanksgiving has to be turned into a political football to benefit professional grievance mongers. And on a list dedicated to Catholicism no less. Wallowing in the alledged victimhood of one’s ancestors cheapens their memory and is not spiritually healthy.
jb
These historical facts were not stated in order to play the victim card,nor to gain any
sympathy.
After reading untruths written above, we wrote this in order to state actual historical
information so as to educate.
These facts are not invented, like the so-called “stories” invented within the history
book’s fed to us in most all public school’s since early 1900’s.
FYI:
caffeinedestiny.com/tigiving.html
Code:
[rumela.com/events/thanks_origin.htm](http://www.rumela.com/events/thanks_origin.htm)
The Conquistador’s not only slaughtered thousands of Pueblo tribal Indians,tribal
Peope’s in California, and Florida, but also throughout Mexico, South America.
They also made many into imprisoned slaves to build their empire’s, and dig for
gold. This is absolute factual information that can be read for yourself in various
historical documents, and scientific journals.
Genocide was practiced then and now.
Only before the 20th century lovely blankets were “gifted” to our Peoples in B.C Canada by the loving Europeans, that were purposefully infected with smallpox. These blankets were received happily prior to hundreds, upon thousands dying of that disease.
Native American women have been encouraged by the hundreds of thousands from the
early 1900’s to this day to have hysterectomy’s, or their tubes cut, even if they were/are
childless, and disease free.
**
We are not grievance mongers. We are highly educated people, with PHD’s in law and
Native American Studies that only wished to share the WHOLE TRUTH about this
particular holiday.
Our intention was not to cause unhappiness with the people who enjoy this day of
feasting, but to put our truthful “two-cents” added to the pot, period.
Before you point a finger of accusation of saying we are stating untruths, you should
educate yourself with factual, and actual truths in regards to Native American History.
At least we did not resort to name-calling, defamation of character, and slander ever in these forums. **
