Hi everyone! I sincerely hope this email finds you and your loved ones well.. it's been a challenging last couple of weeks, that's for sure. But, on the bright side, it is Native American Heritage Month!
I've been spending the last couple of weeks talking and engaging with people from different tribes and communities - it's been so refreshing and informative. I've learned so much from my fellow Natives. I'm creating a short video with snippets of those conversations. This video, I think, will help you and others understand the idea behind the documentary even more! The video is just in the final stages of the edit, so I am set to launch the video along with a website just for this project by Monday, Nov. 30th - the last day of Native American Heritage Month. In launching on the last day of the month, I hope that the conversation around Native Americans continue and that it wasn't just for the month of November that we were educating ourselves.
Speaking of educating - I've been reading up on the Wampanoag tribe and their history. Thanksgiving day is tomorrow and I felt the need to truly understand the history behind the holiday. It saddens me to admit that I never knew the true history behind the holiday in full detail.. I knew the story of the pilgrims and the Indians but never bothered to learn more about it. Thankfully though, I am able to learn from my fellow Natives, whose ancestors were some of the first to be in contact with the colonizers over 400 years ago. I thought I'd share some of the resources, sharing is caring after all!
A good starting point to learn about the Wampanoag and the true history behind thanksgiving is to read this article - https://time.com/5911943/thanksgiving-wampanoag/
another good resource is a podcast by, All My Relations - ThanksTaking or Thanksgiving? This podcast was very informative and brought on Wampanoag scholars to tell this story, which I think is so important.
With that, I hope you do a little research on your own and learn more about the holiday we all celebrate in one way or another. And that you continue to be an ally to all Indigenous Peoples around the world.
The project is coming along, slowly but surely. Thank you for contributing and believing in this project!
Sending all my best to you and yours during this weird holiday season, I pray you stay safe and vigilant in all things.
Your friend,
Megan