Thanksgiving — News — RPM Records

No celebration of Thankstaking would be complete without A Tribe Called Red reminding us what's really at stake and what's really going on.

Just listen to the samples of the 'Thanksgiving address' as told by Wednesday Addams. Listen to the menacing synths. The stomp of the drums. The refusal of Indigenous Peoples to disappear, to die.

Here's what A Tribe Called Red had to say about this gift to us on the most colonial of American holidays:

On this fourth Thursday of November, you might ask yourself: do Indians celebrate Thanksgiving? Well… Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday for Native people. In a way, each day is a day of thanksgiving to the Creator for the original people of Turtle Island. This doesn't mean that we don't enjoy turkey, pie and family as much as the next person, but at the same time the Thanksgiving myth largely shared in mainstream culture perpetuates a one sided view of a complicated history surrounding this holiday. Here’s an informed indigenous view on Thanksgiving.

"And for all these reasons, I have decided...to burn your village to the ground." America, we comin for ya.

DOWNLOAD: A Tribe Called Red - "Burn Your Village to the Ground"

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day 2012, these Dartmouth University students had a message to share to mark the "discovery of Christopher Columbus."

Savage Media, the collective behind the short video published on Oct 7th of this year, is comprised of a group of students attending Dartmouth University. Inspired by sketch comedy collective The 1491s during a visit earlier this year to their school, these students are currently running a fundraising campaign to get their vision realized.

As Colorlines noted, in this inspiring clip, "Native students from Dartmouth College respond to The Spanish Requirement of 1513—in which Spain declared that it was ordained by God to take possession of what is known today as the Americas—with their own 'Requiremento of 2012'.”

We love seeing our young people stand up and represent themselves on our own terms—and for reminding us to celebrate that we are, indeed, still here...and still "savage and alive"!

For more information on their campaign, check them out on Facebook: RealSavageMedia.

For now, we here at RPM hope that everyone on Turtle Island has had an enjoyable, energizing, and family-filled long weekend, and the opportunity to think about what this holiday represents.