4.13: How To Center Indigenous Peoples During Thanksgiving

I made my “Untold Story of Thanksgiving” episode to help me — and hopefully you — understand the true, accurate history. As I think about the episode, I think it does a good job at correcting the history, but it still centers on the colonizers. Because of that, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can better make Indigenous Peoples the center of our conversations and learning around Thanksgiving, and I knew just the right person to turn to to help me. On this week’s episode, my dear friend Jalynne Geddes joins me to help unpack what we can do to center Indigenous Peoples. Jalynne is Nehiyaw from the Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation and is the creator behind the Nehiyanahk Creations on Instagram, where she shares her work as an activist both through words and through her beautiful beadwork.  In this episode, you’ll learn more about how our Indigenous brothers and sisters feel about Thanksgiving, how to center them during this time and how we can teach our kids about this as well. I hope by the end of this you have a clear understanding of what you can do in your family to decanter colonizers and instead give your focus to Indigenous Peoples this Thanksgiving.   Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced In The Episode  First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 3: “The Untold Story of Thanksgiving” Jalynne Geddes’ Instagram @nehiyanahk_creations Mark Ruffalo’s land acknowledgement at the Emmy’s   Want to teach help your kids center Indigenous Peoples this Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is coming up, and it's our chance to teach our kids the true history of Thanksgiving. Drop your email here to get some ideas of how to center Indigenous Peoples sent straight to your inbox.   Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN