'Unthanksgiving' celebrated on Alcatraz
By Gloria La Riva
Alcatraz Island, Calif.
In the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 26, some 3,000 Native people
and supporters landed on Alcatraz Island to take part in the
yearly Unthanksgiving Day sunrise gathering celebrating Indian
people's resistance.
Alcatraz is the site of an historic 1969 occupation by
Native warriors--women, men and children--who were protesting
racist and genocidal policies by the U.S. government. Although
the occupation ended after 19 months, the site is still called
Turtle Island by Native people and holds special
significance.
Floyd Red Crow Westerman, American Indian Movement leader
and cultural ambassador, chaired the event. Dennis
Banks--American Indian Movement founder and one of the original
activists in the 1969 takeover--accompanied him.
After the opening prayer, a group of Okinawan drummers
performed.
Then Banks gave a "State of the Indian Nation" address. He
spoke of recent gains by Native people across the United States
over fishing and land rights.
Referring to the November election victory of Proposition 5
in California, Banks said: "Gambling is not our foundation for
who we are. What we're saying is we should be allowed to
achieve economic means on our land. A lot of people--Black,
Asian, Latino, white--stood with us on that question."
He announced a national AIM gathering on March 4-6 to build
and strengthen survival schools and camps for youths.
Powerful Native songs and drumming resonated through the
crowd, as tobacco was passed to everyone. Pomo youths from 6 to
15 years old danced to traditional songs. The Teokalli Aztec
dancers performed a traditional sun dance.
The warriors who participated in the Alcatraz takeover were
honored by being asked to enter the inner circle at the end,
before everyone tossed their tobacco blessing into the sacred
fire.
Present in spirit was Leonard Peltier, who has been held in
federal prison for 22 years. Red Crow said: "We have a brother
who's a political prisoner and the courts refuse to let him
free. He is a perfect example of how the government takes any
one of us away, and none of us is free."
Revolutionary Kwame Ture was honored with a special tribute.
He died Nov. 15 after a battle with cancer. Muniga Lumumba from
All African Peoples Revolutionary Party said, "Like Annie Mae
Aquash, Sitting Bull, Karl Marx, Marcus Garvey, Mao Tse-tung,
we feel Kwame Ture's spirit."
Each year, the Unthanksgiving gathering, sponsored by
International Indian Treaty Council, grows. IITC United Nations
Liaison Tony Gonzales said this year's event was the biggest so
far. Word is spreading, and more people, especially from the
Native community, are participating.
For more information, readers can call International Indian
Treaty Council at 415-641-4482.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page