Amongst gratitude, family, and good food, each Thanksgiving I wonder if I am celebrating a false history and what exactly the true story of "Thanksgiving" entails. This year, I turned to my sister-in-law, Alessandra La Rocca Link, Ph.D, mother of two and a historian with a focus on Native American history, for a better understanding.
Today I am sharing Dr. Link's resources on Thanksgiving's history, children's books by Native authors, and Thanksgiving toolkits for parents, teachers, and everyone.
I highly recommend reading through these articles to better understand our true American history. And keep reading to the end of this post for my insight on where to go from here and Dr. Link's full bio and link to her website.
Thanksgiving History Resources & Toolkits
For a historian's retelling of what really went down on the first "Thanksgiving" and how it came to be the holiday we celebrate today, Dr. Link recommends the above article, posted this week in The New Yorker by Philip Deloria, a mentor of Dr. Link who also reviewed her current book project, The Iron Horse in Indian Country: Native Americans and Railroads in the U.S. West.
In addition, here are a couple posts by Dr. Link on Thanksgiving/Native American Heritage Month:
Included in Dr. Link's second post above is a link to the Archeology Education Clearinghouse's Thanksgiving Initiative that includes tons of resources for parents, teachers, and everyone. Including a printable PDF form for parents to print, fill out, and provide to their children's teachers, Thanksgiving teacher resources, books and activities for students by grade, videos, and more. If you have trouble navigating to this resource, here is a direct link.
And lastly, a toolkit with tons of resources for parents and educators:
This toolkit includes sample letters for parents to provide to teachers, resources for parents and educators, and recommended children's books.
Children's Books by Native American Authors & Illustrators
Top Row: (1) Sweetest Kulu, Board Book // (2) Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, Hardcover Book
Bottom Row: (1) Nibi Emosaawdang The Water Walker, Paperback Book // (2) We Are Water Protectors, Hardcover Book // (3) We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, Hardcover Book // (4) Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, Paperback Book
Where do we go from here?
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” - Søren Kierkegaard
It might not be an overnight change, however, my thoughts are to better educate ourselves on Thanksgiving's history so we can better educate our children. From there, get involved in our children's educational classrooms to work towards socially responsible Thanksgiving teachings, and support and better understand Native People and their culture today.
Dr. Link's Bio
I’m Alessandra, a historian, educator, and writer living in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2018, I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a PhD in history. My research and teaching focus on the cultural and environmental histories of Native North America and the North American West. In 2017-’18 I received a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship for my current book project, The Iron Horse in Indian Country: Native Americans and Railroads in the U.S. West. In 2018-’19 I was the Bill and Rita Clements Fellow for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University. I am currently revising my book manuscript for publication, organizing a public history initiative titled “Railroads in Native America,” and teaching courses in U.S. history at Indiana University-Southeast. I am passionate about reaching broader public audiences through my writing and organizing efforts.
Checkout Dr. Link's website, alessandralink.com for more info on her and to contact her directly with questions, collaborations, and more!
Family photographs by: @shotbysamantha
For more on Motherhood + Style, follow me on Instagram: @thelionsmama
And now you can follow me on the LIKETOKNOW.IT app: @thelionsmama
xx Lauren
Comments