November 24, 2022

Quieted Mind: The Thanksgiving Address

16 minutes

For those of us in the United States, the autumn holidays can also be seen as Colonization season, with the dominant culture celebrating occasions like Columbus Day and Thanksgiving, both of which have direct ties to settler colonialism and the suffering of Indigenous people. In this edition of The Quieted Mind, James leads us in a recitation of the Haundenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. Despite the title, this address has no connection to the North American Thanksgiving holidays. It is an invocation recited at the opening and closing of religious and cultural meetings among people of the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations). In reciting it, the Haudenosaunee express and reaffirm their gratitude for life, the world around them, and the interconnectedness of all things. Join with us in honoring the Haundenosaunee people and decolonizing our understanding of Thanksgiving as we feed and nourish seeds of love and gratitude.

Referenced In This Episode:
Haundenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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Music by The Wakeup Call and '86 Aerostar