"A few days ago my 4th grade daughter came home with a 20 question "Thanksgiving Quiz" very disappointed at her failing grade. We looked it over and noticed not one question about Indians, a topic she knows well. But I quickly noticed that there were two questions about football. "How many football games are played between Thursday and Sunday? And "What pro football team always plays on Thanksgiving?" At a loss, she had kept both blank and was marked wrong.

There are, in fact, two Thanksgivings in rough torn opposition, I told her. There is first the U.S. imperial tradition in which American Indian history is swept under the banquet table so that the feasts of turkey, football and shopping can be thoroughly enjoyed. All three are tied, fittingly, to accumulation and war. This year brings news that K-Mart and other top retailers opened on Thanksgiving Day itself. Meanwhile Walmart, Target and other top retailers are going for the "holiday jugular" in their competition for consumers, encouraging folks to preview websites on Thanksgiving Day to prepare for the Black Friday siege.

The other Thanksgiving is being born in the Indian resurgence of the last forty years, culminating in some dramatic leaps in the 21st century. In 2004 the ($100 million) National Museum of the American Indian opened along Smithsonian row just across from the Capital, Their main message is not "we seek justice, " but "we are still here." The Museum should be required for all visitors to DC."

Get the Story:
Brian McKenna: Giving Thanks to America's Indians (CounterPunch 11/24)

Related Stories:
Tim Giago: Thanksgiving - A holiday of the imagination (11/22)