The National Day of Mourning is an annual demonstration, held on the fourth Thursday in November, that aims to educate the public about Native Americans in the United States, notably the Wampanoag and other tribes of the Eastern United States; dispel myths surrounding the Thanksgiving story in the United States; and raise awareness toward historical and ongoing struggles facing Native American tribes. The first National Day of Mourning demonstration was held in 1970 after Frank "Wamsutta" James's speaking invitation was rescinded from a Massachusetts Thanksgiving Day celebration commemorating the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. James instead delivered his speech on Cole's Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts next to a statue of Ousamequin, where he described Native American perspectives on the Thanksgiving celebrations. The gathering became an annual event organized by the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) and coincides with both Thanksgiving Day in the United States and with Unthanksgiving Day, an annual ceremony held on Alcatraz Island in California.

History

thumb|Frank "Wamsutta" James ([[Aquinnah Wampanoag, 1923–2001)]]

Frank "Wamsutta" James' speech cancelled

In the fall of 1970, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts held a commemorative Thanksgiving celebration on the 350th anniversary of the first landing of the Mayflower. The event's organizers, including Governor Francis Sargent, invited Frank James to speak at the event. James, who had taken the native name Wamsutta after the former Wampanoag leader of the same name, was the leader of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (then unrecognized by the United States government) and president of the Federated Eastern Indian League.

The event's organizers requested to review James' speech in advance of the event. Once it had been reviewed, James was informed that he would not be permitted to give the speech as written. Of particular dispute was James's depiction of the winter of 1620-21, in which Pilgrims scavenged corn and beans found in burial grounds in a desperate bid to fend off starvation; James had planned to use his speech to accuse the Pilgrims of grave robbing and theft. An alternate speech, written by the event's public relations team, was provided to him. A representative from the Department of Commerce and Development explained to James that

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| <big>"...the theme of the anniversary celebration is brotherhood and anything inflammatory would have been out of place."</big> <br>Representative for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, November 1970

|} According to a recollection from Tall Oak, who continues to participate in modern National Days of Mourning, the event organizers anticipated that James's accusations would have been rejected by most of those in attendance, had he been allowed to issue them: "we can’t allow you to read that (be)cause 90% of the people would walk out." Frank James' son Roland Moonanum James continued to be involved in the event until his death in December 2020, and Frank's granddaughter Kisha James helps organize it in her role as UAINE youth coordinator. Mahtowin Munro has been co-leader since the 1990s.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rally was held both in-person and virtually, and over 1600 people tuned in to the livestream and more than 20,000 to the online video.

References

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Further reading

  • "Frank James (Wamsutta, 1923–2001) National Day of Mourning," in Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England edited by Siobhan Senior (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014), 455–458.
  • United American Indians of New England: Official site
  • Full text of Frank Wamsutta James' 1970 speech
  • SmokeSygnals National Day of Mourning informational video
  • Photos: National Day of Mourning 2022