A Thanksgiving Retrospective: NC’s History with Native Americans

Cherokee natives on the Trail of Tears. Source: Cherokee Wiki

In the wake of Thanksgiving and ahead of a holiday season in which we will continue to feast on classics like turkey and stuffing, macaroni and cheese, yams, and other staple dishes, the truth of what Thanksgiving and its history represent always lies in the shadows. The concept behind Thanksgiving is beautiful; to dedicate a day to express gratitude and to bond over food is a special thing. However, as we go home to celebrate a special holiday, there must be a recognition of how this holiday is a symbol of the failure of the United States towards its indigenous peoples. 

In the journal article, “Reflections On the Anthropology of Sovereignty and Settler Colonialism” by anthropologist Circe Sturm, she asserts that settler societies come to the conclusion “that the ongoing existence of indigenous peoples threatens the new social order: hence, to avoid them making an alternative claim to the land and their own political authority over it, they must be made to disappear. This process of elimination might occur via outright genocide, forced removal, or different forms of coercive cultural, social, and political assimilation.” The process of elimination that Sturm describes has occurred in many nations formed from settler societies, including the United States. 

In North Carolina, there are eight tribes recognized by the state but only one, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is recognized officially by the federal government. Before colonization, there were thirty tribes in North Carolina. How tribes have dwindled and lack representation in North Carolina alone displays the process of elimination that the U.S. has perpetrated against Native Americans for centuries. 

The lack of regard that settler societies, specifically the United States, have for the indigenous groups of the conquered land can be seen in the U.S’s history of violating treaties. In the span of almost a century (1778-1871), the United States made 368 treaties with Native Americans that were coerced, broken, illegitimate, and rarely beneficial or fulfilled for the Native American tribes.

The United State’s history with broken treaties displays a trend that has continued into contemporary times to harm and disregard the wishes, cultures, and safety of Native Americans. Native Americans today endure massive institutional and social disparities that often go unacknowledged or unknown by Americans. These disparities exist within many spheres in American society. For example, food deserts and insecurities are immensely prevalent in Native American communities,  which then lead to health concerns such as obesity in young Native children. Healthcare concerns for this demographic do not end at obesity, as heart disease and cancer occur at elevated rates as well. The prevalent health concerns for Native Americans intertwined with food insecurity, are only a part of the struggles that indigenous groups face in America. In addition to these institutional issues, many Native women face the threat of sex trafficking. Despite the small population size of Native Americans-- 1.3% of the U.S. population-- forty percent of sex-trafficking victims are Native women. The disparities listed are not the only disparities that America’s indigenous face today, nor in the U.S.'s history. 

The institutional injustices that Native Americans endure display that the settler society that was implemented at the country’s founding is still working as it was created to. As we go home to celebrate, we must remember the costs of this celebration and its representation of a gruesome and checkered past. While we eat and express gratitude, it is important to remember that there are also actions we can take to help issues such as food insecurity within Native communities.