On this American Thanksgiving holiday, please enjoy this essay by a Native American, or as Canadians refer, First Nations person, who reminds us that indigenous people in this country are not only to be found on reservations. She concludes her piece with a request of her fellow Americans.

“If I could ask one thing from my non-indigenous fellow Americans when it comes to Thanksgiving, I would ask that you refrain from teaching the romanticized version of the holiday. Read to your children about what it means to be thankful, what it means to heal and be a family. Learn as a family about the tribal nation that is local to where you live. Take time during dinner to recognize whose traditional lands you give thanks on. Take this holiday into your own hands and understand that not every Native will have good feelings about this day, and be accepting of that. We can all choose how we feel about this holiday, but it is always our own choice.“

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