Native American Heritage Day 2021

Book written from an indigenous peoples perspective: “Histories of Native American An Indigenous People’s History of the United States” by Roxann Dunbar-Ortiz (there is a young person’s version, as well)

national day of mourning should be included

As a centennial western state, this should be ubiquitous!

Again needs more than a day. Needs every day

This day needs to be made more well known. I didn't even know that we had such a day until I read this piece. Instead of emphasizing Black Fri. as much as the media and advertisers do, start including more info. on the new media about this day. We as a nation have screwed over Native Americans for way too long and are still doing so. It's time to recognize the contributions that Native Americans have and are making and stop treating them as second class citizens.

It should be Native American Week from BEFORE thanksgiving to the day after, but this is what we have. On Thanksgiving, the historical thing I am most grateful for is that Native Americans were better people than the European invaders.

To anyone interested in such barely relevant material, I have updated and added an addendum to my post on the religious views the Founding Fathers held: https://www.causes.com/comments/1509906 The view that "Our Exceptional Nation was based on the Bible, and no other rtelegious (sic) text" is totally erroneous. In general bear in mind that the founding of America was during the "Age of Enlightenment" and that "Deism" was a major influence on the religious views of the intelligent and well educated founders. To over simplify, "Deism" was (and is) a theological position that defines the natural world and man's relationship to God through the application of Enlightenment ideals such as reason, rationality, and order. Thus, some may perceive a link from Aristotle to Aquinas to Deism. Evangelical Extremists like other in the far right keep trying to legitimize themselves by claiming others with prestige agree with their twisted views. Like gaslighting, this works with those lacking curiosity and intellectual integrity and rigor.

In response to yet another off the rails and off topic post. What Religious Views Did The Founding Fathers Hold, If Any? We’ve addressed this issue at least three times since I have joined Causes, but perhaps it is good to review it again. The notion that our country’s roots are explicitly Christian is not precisely correct but not wholly incorrect. Many old-timers like myself learned this in high school in the 60s and 70s. Is it no longer taught? Was it where we went to school, or when we went to school? Have such facts been eliminated from the curriculum? Are the Evangelical Extremists just trying to gaslight the country? (BTW - I will admit to taking an advanced placement type HS American History course and becoming fascinated by Benjamin Franklin for many years and might have retained a bit more than my classmates. Anyway….) Twenty-first Century Conservatives do not bother to validate their opinions even though it has never been easier to do so. These Cons. cherry-pick some ideas that remotely conform to their prejudiced mindset and then regurgitate it thinking that everyone already believes it or will agree with their ignorant view and will blithely repeat it. I don't get it, but it’s at the foundation of the current political divide. "Stupid Is As Stupid Does.” Whatever. I found an article to share on the topic of the spiritual beliefs of the founders from 2008 to consider, and perhaps it will prompt further reading. I provide a little bit about Deism (it’s definitely not Christianity). Next, I include a book synopsis of the three main categories of religious/spiritual beliefs of the Founders, and, finally, a bit about my my favorite founder, Ben Franklin. Subsequent to posting the article I found some material published about Franklin's religious beliefs relatively recently. I added something about them in an addedum. "The Founding Fathers’ Religious Wisdom" SYNOPSIS: “Many of the founding fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Monroe—practiced a faith called **Deism**. ... If the founders were dogmatic about anything, it was the belief that a person's faith should not be intruded upon by government and that religious doctrine should not be written into governance. Jan 8, 2008” In recent years, we have been told by a variety of conservatives that America’s founding fathers established the country under Christian doctrine—that we are a “Christian nation” and should operate accordingly. This notion—that our country’s roots are explicitly Christian—is both foolish and wrong, for it devalues the Christian faith and disrespects the genius of the founding fathers. Christianity does not need to be endorsed by law or some fantasized re-interpretation of the Constitution in order to have meaning in people’s lives. Let’s face it. Will Christianity be seriously jeopardized if its followers learn that only one of the 56 founding fathers was a member of the clergy? Will their faith be dashed if they discover that James Madison objected to chaplains opening the proceedings of Congress with prayer? And more recently, will people ignore the Bible if the Ten Commandments aren’t posted in courtrooms or if the nativity scene in town squares shares space with a menorah? When people say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” at Wal-Mart, are they attacking Jesus? For Christians secure in their faith, the answer to all these questions should be a resounding “no.” Read the rest @ "The Founding Fathers’ Religious Wisdom - Center for American Progress" By Nicholas Rathod https://americanprogress.org/article/the-founding-fathers-religious-wisdom/ So, no, the Founders were not proponents of a proto-Christian Taliban. What is “Deism”? Short Answer: Since the 17th century and during the Age of Enlightenment, especially in 18th-century England and France, various Western philosophers and theologians formulated a critical rejection of the religious texts belonging to the many institutionalized religions and began to appeal only to truths that they felt could be established by reason alone as the exclusive source of divine knowledge. Such philosophers and theologians were called "Deists", and the philosophical/theological position that they advocated is called "Deism". Deism as a distinct philosophical and intellectual movement declined towards the end of the 18th century. Some of its tenets continued to live on as part of other intellectual movements, like Unitarianism, and it continues to have advocates today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism? Deism rejects the Bible as the "word of God." It is definitely Not Christ Centric. It is Not Clergy Centric. It is not taken to belief in miraculous events. It is not Authoritarian. It is Most Certainly not Evangelistic. Also see The Influence and Legacy of Deism in Eighteenth Century America https://scholarship.rollins.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=mls Wikipedia provides a synopsis of a book called "The Faiths of the Founding Fathers" which provides a more nuanced and is more likely a more correct view: The main thesis of the book, found on page 134, is that the U.S. Founding Fathers fell into three religious categories: 1. The smallest group, founders who had left their Judeo-Christian heritages and become adherents of the Enlightenment intellectual movement "Deism". These figures included Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen. 2. The founders who remained practicing Christians. They retained a supernaturalist world view, a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, and an adherence to the teachings of their denomination. These founders included Patrick Henry, John Jay, and Samuel Adams. Holmes also finds that most of the wives and daughters of the founders fell into this category. 3. The largest group consisted of founders who retained Christian loyalties and practice but were influenced by Deism. They believed in little or none of the miracles and supernaturalism inherent in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Holmes finds a spectrum of such Deistic Christians among the founders, ranging from John Adams and George Washington on the conservative right to Benjamin Franklin and James Monroe on the skeptical left. Here is my Creed," Franklin wrote to Stiles. "I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we render to him, is doing Good to his other Children. That the Soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this ... As for Jesus of Nazareth ... I think the system of Morals and Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw ... but I have ... some Doubts to his Divinity; though' it is a Question I do not dogmatism upon, having never studied it, and think it is needless to busy myself with it now, where I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble." The narrative was classic Franklin, witty and to the point. Religion was worthless unless it promoted virtuous behavior. Jesus was the greatest moral teacher who ever lived, but he was not God. Influence Magazine | The American Faith of Benjamin Franklin https://influencemagazine.com/Reviews/The-American-Faith-of-Benjamin-Franklin “Thomas S. Kidd helps us better understand Franklin’s faith, which as much as American evangelicals love Franklin, was not our own.” See "Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father." Thomas S. Kidd Yale University Press; Illustrated edition (May 23, 2017)

This is the first I’ve heard of this day.

This is Thanksgiving to God Almighty. Only Christian, or Jewish God (the same Creator God) can fulfill this position. Our Exceptional Nation was based on the Bible, and no other rtelegious text.

I agree with Brian Perry (citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma), the day after Thanksgiving was probably a poor choice considering that it will always be associated with Black Friday, thus decreasing the recognition/attention.

As a government, you really could care less. You want to pay illegals more and give them more respect than you ever gave them. How dare you and…Shame on all of you.

It’s important to know the true history regarding Native American culture, rather than blindly believe what we’ve been told. Their history can be traced back to before the English settlers first arrived in Virginia. Because of that, we as a nation need to recognize their contributions to this country and honor their culture.

It’s about time

Barak! Really? Designating Native American Heritage Day as the day _after_ Thanksgiving? Were you going out of your way to be intentionally demeaning? I can't believe it!! Jeez! We need a National Holiday in August. (This was my thought process when I first heard the Native American Heritage Day announcement. It was a head-scratcher. Anyway, the commemoration never really caught on.)

More of this please

Just like all the other white wash coverup groups! Whether black, brown, Chinese, Asian or native Americans the white republicans want to rewrite history to make them feel better. We as a country need to face the past so we can move to the future. Either that, you will repeat and live in the past.

Yes we need to know the true history of our Natives Americans. At the same time Native Americans need to be proud of their heritage, just like everyone else needs to be proud of their heritage and enjoy a day or month of recognition.

If we are to single out any nationality, the Native American Indians are the most deserving as they were here long before we were and treated the earth and wildlife with respect and did not use more than they needed and put good use to what they did use. They did not abuse and pollute the land and were healthier and much wiser for it. If people want to keep up with the known lie of global warming (besides the natural global warming which has been occurring since the ice age), we should follow their teachings and lifestyles.

If we really want to honor Native Americans we would make an effort to find out what has happened to the 6,000+ Native American women and girls who have gone missing in the past 3 years. We would honor their sacred lands and respect the treaties that were made with them. We would stop polluting their waters and running oil pipelines through their lands.