Negative impact of Thanksgiving on indigenous communities

Thanksgiving is often seen as a time for gratitude, family gatherings, and shared meals, but beneath the celebrations lies a history that is far more complex. Many people don’t realize that Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities in numerous, often overlooked ways. The holiday’s traditional stories, school plays, and popular imagery can reinforce harmful stereotypes and erase centuries of Indigenous history. When families gather around the table each year, the narrative that gets repeated frequently ignores the injustices, violence, and cultural loss experienced by Native peoples.

Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities not only through inaccurate retellings of the past but also through ongoing cultural appropriation, commercialization, and the glorification of a mythologized version of early American history. These impacts reveal why many Indigenous people do not view Thanksgiving as a day of celebration but rather as a reminder of trauma, survival, and resistance.

By examining how Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities, we can begin to question the stories we’ve been taught and move toward more respectful, truthful, and inclusive ways of acknowledging the holiday.

Historical Misrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples

Thanksgiving is widely taught as a simple tale of friendship between Pilgrims and Native Americans, but this narrative is a major historical misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples. The popular story reduces complex cultures to a single moment and often portrays Native peoples as passive helpers rather than fully sovereign nations with their own systems of governance, spirituality, and traditions.

The historical misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples becomes particularly harmful when these simplified stories are repeated in classrooms, children’s books, and cultural celebrations. These narratives erase the realities of colonization, including:

• land theft
• forced removal
• epidemics that devastated Native populations
• cultural suppression and assimilation policies

By replacing harsh truths with a feel-good story, Thanksgiving contributes to ongoing misunderstanding and erasure. Recognizing the historical misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples is an essential step toward acknowledging the truth and honoring Indigenous resilience.

Cultural Appropriation and Stereotypes

One of the clearest ways Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities is through cultural appropriation and stereotypes. For decades, schools and media have promoted inaccurate depictions of Native peoples, feathered headdresses, fringed clothing, “peace pipes,” and cartoonish portrayals that have nothing to do with specific tribal cultures.

Cultural appropriation occurs when elements of Indigenous culture, clothing, symbols, language, or sacred practices, are taken and used without permission or understanding. This often turns rich, diverse cultural traditions into props or costumes.

Stereotypes reinforced around Thanksgiving can include:

• the idea that all Indigenous peoples share one culture
• the myth that Native peoples “welcomed” colonizers without resistance
• depictions that freeze Indigenous peoples in the past, ignoring their modern presence and contributions

These stereotypes shape public perceptions and obscure real Indigenous identities. By challenging cultural appropriation and stereotypes, we amplify authentic Indigenous voices and promote a more respectful, informed understanding of Indigenous cultures.

Economic Disparities and Exploitation

The discussion of Thanksgiving rarely acknowledges the deep economic disparities and exploitation that continue to harm Indigenous communities today. These inequities are rooted in centuries of discriminatory policies and broken treaties that stripped many Native nations of land, resources, and economic self-determination.

Economic disparities and exploitation within Indigenous communities can include:

• limited access to quality schools and healthcare
• underfunded tribal services
• high rates of unemployment
• resource extraction by corporations without proper compensation

Many Indigenous lands have been exploited for natural resources—oil, minerals, timber—often without the consent of the communities who hold ancestral ties to them. This economic exploitation leaves tribes with environmental damage and few benefits, while corporations profit.

These long-lasting disparities make it harder for Indigenous peoples to maintain their languages, cultural traditions, and community stability. Understanding this economic context is crucial for anyone working to support Indigenous rights and sovereignty.

Psychological Impact and Trauma

The psychological impact of colonization, forced assimilation, and historical violence continues to affect Indigenous communities today. The trauma is not only historical—it is intergenerational. Children are raised by families who carry memories of boarding schools, broken policies, forced separation, and discrimination.

The psychological impact of these experiences can appear as:

• grief and loss
• anxiety and depression
• disrupted identity formation
• substance misuse
• internalized stereotypes
• intergenerational trauma that shapes community dynamics

Thanksgiving, with its glorified narrative of peace and cooperation, can serve as a painful reminder of injustice. For some Indigenous people, the holiday is a day of mourning, encouraging reflection on ancestors lost and cultures threatened by colonization.

Understanding this psychological impact is essential to supporting healing, promoting cultural revitalization, and recognizing Indigenous resilience.

Environmental Degradation and Land Displacement

Indigenous peoples hold deep spiritual and cultural connections to the land, but environmental degradation and land displacement have threatened these relationships for generations. Industrial development, pollution, and climate change continue to impact Indigenous territories at alarming rates.

Environmental degradation includes:

• contaminated water supplies
• deforestation
• oil pipeline construction on sacred lands
• loss of hunting, fishing, and agricultural rights

Land displacement disrupts not only daily life but also the sacred traditions and cultural teachings rooted in the environment. Thanksgiving, which is often tied to the myth of settlers peacefully settling new lands, obscures the truth of land theft and displacement that still affects tribes today.

Recognizing this reality helps us acknowledge the enduring harm and advocate for environmental justice and Indigenous sovereignty.

Erasure of Indigenous Narratives

Perhaps one of the most damaging effects is the continued erasure of Indigenous narratives. Thanksgiving stories often center settlers, minimizing or ignoring the voices of the people who were most affected by colonization.

The erasure of Indigenous narratives means:

• Indigenous perspectives are not taught in schools
• Native peoples appear only in historical contexts, not in modern life
• holiday celebrations overshadow painful realities
• misinformation becomes normalized

When society continues to overlook Indigenous voices, it reinforces harmful myths and perpetuates misunderstanding. Restoring Indigenous narratives means centering Native voices, learning from tribal historians, and teaching accurate histories to future generations.

The Need for Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness

To build a more inclusive and truthful understanding of Thanksgiving, there is a strong need for cultural sensitivity and awareness. This involves learning from Indigenous voices, not from stereotypes, outdated textbooks, or myths.

Cultural sensitivity and awareness encourage us to:

• learn the real history of Thanksgiving
• honor tribal sovereignty
• support Indigenous-led initiatives
• respect sacred symbols and traditions
• challenge stereotypes when we hear them
• uplift Indigenous authors, artists, and educators

By practicing cultural sensitivity and awareness, we help create a culture of respect and understanding, ensuring that Indigenous narratives are honored rather than erased.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities in ways that are often overlooked, from historical misrepresentation to cultural appropriation, economic exploitation, psychological trauma, and environmental degradation. The holiday’s myths erase Indigenous narratives and normalize false histories that continue to influence generations.

But learning these truths is not about erasing Thanksgiving, it’s about transforming how we understand it. By acknowledging how Thanksgiving harms Indigenous communities, we can choose to celebrate with greater awareness, empathy, and respect. We can uplift Indigenous voices, support tribal nations, and work toward a future that honors truth rather than myth.

In doing so, we not only challenge stereotypes but also help build a more inclusive, accurate, and respectful way to observe Thanksgiving, one that recognizes the strength, resilience, and living cultures of Indigenous peoples.