Unthanksgiving Day

Unthanksgiving Day, observed on November 26, invites people to look beyond the familiar Thanksgiving story and reflect on the history and lasting experiences of Native American communities. The observance recognizes Indigenous peoples, honors their cultures and resilience, and encourages greater awareness of the effects of colonization and the displacement of Native lands and communities.

Rather than focusing on a traditional holiday narrative, Unthanksgiving Day creates space for learning, remembrance, and respectful conversation. People may mark the day by exploring Indigenous history, listening to Native voices, supporting Indigenous-led organizations, or considering how gratitude can be connected with truth, justice, and respect.

Unthanksgiving Day, observed on November 26, is an Indigenous-led observance that challenges the conventional story of Thanksgiving. Rather than presenting the holiday as an uncomplicated celebration of cooperation between European settlers and Native peoples, it calls attention to the dispossession, broken treaties, violence, forced assimilation, and cultural suppression experienced by Indigenous communities in the United States.

The observance is closely associated with Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay and the 1969–1971 occupation of the former federal prison by Indians of All Tribes. The occupation asserted that the island should be returned to Indigenous people under treaty principles and became a highly visible expression of Native sovereignty and self-determination. Although the occupation ended in 1971, Alcatraz continued to serve as an important site of remembrance, political organizing, and cultural renewal. Unthanksgiving gatherings developed from that legacy and became associated with sunrise ceremonies, speeches, prayers, and public education.

Over time, Unthanksgiving Day evolved beyond a protest against the traditional Thanksgiving narrative into a broader commemoration of Indigenous survival and resistance. Participants honor ancestors, remember historic injustices, and emphasize the continuing presence of Native nations. The event also provides an opportunity to discuss contemporary issues such as treaty rights, land protection, environmental justice, language preservation, and the revitalization of Indigenous traditions.

Its cultural significance lies in offering an alternative perspective on a widely celebrated national holiday. Unthanksgiving Day does not simply reject gratitude; it asks what historical realities are omitted when Thanksgiving is portrayed only as a harmonious founding story. Observed on November 26, it encourages reflection, respect for Indigenous sovereignty, and greater understanding of Native histories and living cultures.