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The diplomatic event between an Indigenous nation (the Wampanoag) and English settlers in 1621, in a seaside Native town called Patuxet in present-day Massachusetts, has taken dramatic and far-flung turns in the mainstream American version of what became the holiday known as Thanksgiving. 

In the autumn of 1621, Wampanoag Chief Massasoit and a large contingency of Indigenous soldiers engaged in diplomatic meetings with the settlers over a three-day feast that included women and children. Before this contingency of leaders met with the settlers, the People surely held lengthy council meetings, consulted their nation's rules of law in dealing with foreigners, and engaged in consensus-style voting before any action was taken. Determining the intentions of the uninvited English squatters would have been a top priority.

Did you know that the second Monday in October in the United States is Indigenous People's Day?

In 1977, at the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations held in Geneva, Switzerland, a discussion began about a response to the travesty of celebrating Columbus Day and eventually led to the establishment of an Indigenous People's Day. This day is meant to replace Columbus Day and to celebrate the cultures and commemorate the struggles of Native Americans since European colonization.Though many cities in the U.S. celebrate Indigenous People's Day, it has not been made an official national holiday--yet.

Native women of the Indigenous nations on Turtle Island (what is now called the contiguous United States)—along with their sisters around the world—may not often make it onto the front page of the New York Times, but they are nevertheless the center of their nations. Although the stereotype of “Pocahontas-type” Indian women still prevails in mainstream American culture, Indigenous women today hold their nations, traditions, and peoples together, as they have always done. From starting international networks to foundations and collectives to engaging in social activism and political movements to organizing classes and language schools, Indigenous women are active in their communities. They act, petition, march, and pray to protect the Earth Mother from further destruction, and perpetuate their ancient values, practices, and ceremonies through the time-honored traditions of their nations. They write books, music, and produce films. They teach at colleges and work in factories. Native women are everywhere in America—every walk of life, every state in the union, of every political persuasion and religion. Indigenous women may be a relatively hidden demographic in America, but that could not be farther from the reality of Indigenous nations.