The Advising and Career Services Book and Film Club is pleased to share videos, podcasts, and stories to help the advising and career services communities further understand the experience of Indigenous students, settler-colonialism, and Indigenization efforts in higher education.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the history and contributions of Native People. As you celebrate your Thanksgiving holiday, please consider exploring the resources below to deepen your understanding of the historical significance of Thanksgiving as told through Indigenous stories and perspectives.

Decolonizing Thanksgiving

*The Indians who joined the mistrustful Pilgrims, Wampanoag tradition suggests, were honoring a mutual-defense pact.*

The Invention of Thanksgiving:

Massacre, myths, and the making of a great November holiday

Illustration by Rui Tenreiro

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The Myth of Thanksgiving: Native American Perspectives on the Pilgrims

Inspired by the 2015 film The Pilgrims, American Experience presents a special discussion sharing Native American perspectives on the arrival of European settlers in New England 400 years ago. The conversation will examine the experiences of Native populations at the time of the settlers’ arrival, what is actually known about the first Thanksgiving, and how native tribes see themselves in today’s construction of the United States.

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Art: Kernel of Knowledge by Ernesto Yerena Montejano, inspired by Nephi Craig. Image courtesy of the artist

How to Decolonize Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Learn from chef Nephi Craig, a member of the White mountain Apache tribe, how to identify foods that are indigenous to the Americas and ask yourself, “What do these ingredients mean to me?”

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ThanksTaking or Thanksgiving?

(a podcast) By Matika Wilbur & Adrienne Keene

This episode talks with Wampanoag scholars Paula Peters and Linda Coombs, who tell us the real story of Thanksgiving, from an Indigenous Perspective.

Our Children’s Shared Future

Native American Heritage Month: 10 Children’s Books by Native Writers

Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools

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Cristina Parente | Omar Poler | Emily Dickmann | Becky Smith| Eric Schueffner