History is Full of Lies
Title: On Tribal Grounds: No Thanks (History is Full of Lies)
Subject: Thanksgiving and HIStory
Created: 2019
Medium: Graphic Design
Software: Adobe Illustrator CS6
Dimensions: 36″x48″
Articles
“The result of his research was a massive tome that pointed out all the distortions and falsehoods taught in US history classes.
Like Howard Zinn famously did before him, Loewen shattered myths around Christopher Columbus, the first Thanksgiving, the Civil War, Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, American labor history, and the roots of racial inequalities. The problem, Loewen argued, was our impulse to turn historical events and figures into “moral examples,” which usually involved whitewashing the past in order to reinforce a familiar story about American greatness.
Lies My Teacher Told Me was recently republished, so I reached out to Loewen to talk about what has changed, what lies we still tell ourselves, and how he thinks about historical truth in the age of “alternative facts.””
– Vox, The biggest lie we still teach in American history classes
“‘Thanksgiving‘ did not begin as a great loving relationship between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag, Pequot and Narragansett people. In fact, in October of 1621 when the ‘pilgrim’ survivors of their first winter in Turtle Island sat down to share the first unofficial ‘Thanksgiving’ meal, the Indians who were there were not even invited! There was no turkey, squash, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie. A few days before this alleged feast took place, a company of ‘pilgrims’ led by Miles Standish actively sought the head of a local Indian leader, and an 11 foot high wall was erected around the entire Plymouth settlement for the very purpose of keeping Indians out. Officially, the holiday we know as ‘Thanksgiving’ actually came into existence in the year 1637. Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed this first official day of Thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the return of the colony’s men who had arrived safely from what is now Mystic, Connecticut. They had gone there to participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot men, women and children, and Mr. Winthrop decided to dedicate an official day of thanksgiving complete with a feast to ‘give thanks’ for their great ‘victory’.”
– Black Youth Project, The Lies History Tells Part 1: Happy Thanksgiving?
Download the 8.5″x11″ print (.pdf), On Tribal Grounds: No Thanks (History is Full of Lies.
Download the 8.5″x11″ print (.pdf), On Tribal Grounds: No Thanks (History is Full of Lies ALT.
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Alternative Version
On Tribal Grounds
On Tribal Grounds is a series of artworks by Ihanktonwan Dakota artist David Bernie that addresses issues faced by Native American and First Nations communities when non-Native people access Reservations and Reserves.
Creative Commons License
On Tribal Grounds: No Thanks (History is Full of Lies © 2019 by David Bernie is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
. You may download, share, and post the images under the condition that the works are attributed to the artist.
