We will reveal the new look and new products January 2017! This little friend of ours will give you a taste of things to come.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
New Site Coming Soon
Working on revamping Terrestrials as my husband, Damon the Piscean Blacksmith, is coming on board and working with me!
We will reveal the new look and new products January 2017! This little friend of ours will give you a taste of things to come.
We will reveal the new look and new products January 2017! This little friend of ours will give you a taste of things to come.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Thanksgiving: Unmasking the Pilgrim Narrative
As we enter into the month of November, in the United States we are inundated with the beginning of the Holiday consumerism season with commercials, store displays, radio ads, people on roadsides flipping signs, and more all about Thanksgiving.
I didn't think much about it before - I saw it as a day full of family obligations, food preparation and eating, a parade on television, and the pre-Christmas stress starter. Now that I am a parent, I find myself thinking hard about holidays, family traditions, national traditions, and why it is we do what we do all in preparations for that fateful day when my son will ask me "Why?" - Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
With this in mind, I was intrigued when I read some of the following articles. Please be sure to read them even if you are busy, save them for later and actually read and think about some of these things. I'll wait here for when you're done ;)
Tell Kids the Truth About Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Broadbent for Scary Mommy
Happy Thanksgiving? by Galina Krasskova for Pantheos
Thanksgiving – Gratitude, Family, & Citizenship – Apaturia by Cara Shulz
What the three articles have in common is a message that has been on my mind a lot lately - How can we celebrate holidays that further racism against Native Americans? With all the conflict at Standing Rock, this has been on the minds of many within my circle.
How will I explain Thanksgiving to my son, when the time comes that he is more interested in the Why behind Turkey Day? How will I express Thanksgiving history to him?
I have some time to think about and prepare for this but I know what I will not do - I have no intention of putting a headband on him with a plastic feather, giving him worksheets or story books depicting all Native Americans as the same culture group who all dress like characters out of the Lone Ranger, and who were just dark skin chums with the Pilgrims.
I remember being in a play in 2nd grade depicting the First Thanksgiving. I was a Pilgrim girl who was supposed to act super excited about the invention of popcorn. I was not thrilled about it as I wanted to be an Indian girl but there were no Indian girl parts in the play - only two boy roles. So i pouted over my rag doll and ate popcorn and posed for pictures, saving my budding-feminist arguments for the ride home from school.
It wasn't until later that evening, looking into one of my encyclopedia books, that I realized that the Indians in the play didn't look at all like those in the First Thanksgiving paintings and descriptions. I shared all the discrepancies with my family, who by this time was used to me being a know-it-all and listened without much input. My mother did point out that this was a lot of information to try and share in a twenty minute skit. I was not satisfied. All the stuff I had just read about the actual foods that would have been eaten, the hardships, and the racial tension, was to me far more interesting than trying to pretend to be excited about popcorn.
With this in mind, I will try and share that enthusiasm for Real, Honest information with my son. If he isn't old enough to learn about the genocide of a whole group of people, of the prejudice against them and their cultures that we are still sadly dealing with today - then we will focus on learning about local Native groups, their cultures, their real identities - not ubiquitous teepees and feathered headbands donned while offering a cooked turkey and popcorn.
I didn't think much about it before - I saw it as a day full of family obligations, food preparation and eating, a parade on television, and the pre-Christmas stress starter. Now that I am a parent, I find myself thinking hard about holidays, family traditions, national traditions, and why it is we do what we do all in preparations for that fateful day when my son will ask me "Why?" - Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
With this in mind, I was intrigued when I read some of the following articles. Please be sure to read them even if you are busy, save them for later and actually read and think about some of these things. I'll wait here for when you're done ;)
Tell Kids the Truth About Thanksgiving by Elizabeth Broadbent for Scary Mommy
Happy Thanksgiving? by Galina Krasskova for Pantheos
Thanksgiving – Gratitude, Family, & Citizenship – Apaturia by Cara Shulz
What the three articles have in common is a message that has been on my mind a lot lately - How can we celebrate holidays that further racism against Native Americans? With all the conflict at Standing Rock, this has been on the minds of many within my circle.
How will I explain Thanksgiving to my son, when the time comes that he is more interested in the Why behind Turkey Day? How will I express Thanksgiving history to him?
I have some time to think about and prepare for this but I know what I will not do - I have no intention of putting a headband on him with a plastic feather, giving him worksheets or story books depicting all Native Americans as the same culture group who all dress like characters out of the Lone Ranger, and who were just dark skin chums with the Pilgrims.
I remember being in a play in 2nd grade depicting the First Thanksgiving. I was a Pilgrim girl who was supposed to act super excited about the invention of popcorn. I was not thrilled about it as I wanted to be an Indian girl but there were no Indian girl parts in the play - only two boy roles. So i pouted over my rag doll and ate popcorn and posed for pictures, saving my budding-feminist arguments for the ride home from school.
It wasn't until later that evening, looking into one of my encyclopedia books, that I realized that the Indians in the play didn't look at all like those in the First Thanksgiving paintings and descriptions. I shared all the discrepancies with my family, who by this time was used to me being a know-it-all and listened without much input. My mother did point out that this was a lot of information to try and share in a twenty minute skit. I was not satisfied. All the stuff I had just read about the actual foods that would have been eaten, the hardships, and the racial tension, was to me far more interesting than trying to pretend to be excited about popcorn.
With this in mind, I will try and share that enthusiasm for Real, Honest information with my son. If he isn't old enough to learn about the genocide of a whole group of people, of the prejudice against them and their cultures that we are still sadly dealing with today - then we will focus on learning about local Native groups, their cultures, their real identities - not ubiquitous teepees and feathered headbands donned while offering a cooked turkey and popcorn.
What do you teach your children about Thanksgiving?
Do you have any curriculum, activities, books, or other resources that aren't based on racial stereotypes or a mythological story? Please share them in the comments below!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)