Thread: SKINS uncovers truth of Thanksgiving

SKINS uncovers truth of Thanksgiving


By JOSH MOODY Hub Staff Writer | Posted: Saturday, November 23, 2013 6:30 am


KEARNEY — Thanksgiving traditions include family gatherings, to expressions of gratitude, gorging
on turkey and pumpkin pie, football, Black Friday and myths, a University of Nebraska at Kearney
organization says.


The Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations will talk about what Thanksgiving is about in its
presentation “The Truth About Thanksgiving” at 6 p.m. Monday at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area.
“It’s not really a fairy tale story,” said SKINS President Andy Becerra, a junior education major from
Lexington. “It was really brutal.”


Becerra said that Thanksgiving has as many myths as it does traditions and that the violent history
shared by the pilgrims and Native Americans is often forgotten. Becerra believes Thanksgiving has
departed from the actual giving of thanks to a focus on rampant consumerism.


“We’re not trying to ruin the holiday. We’re just trying to show what really did happen and why we
should be truly thankful for what we do have,” Becerra said.


“The purpose of the event is to promote Native American heritage,” said SKINS Treasurer Stephany
Tejada, a sophomore business administration major from Grand Island. “It’s an eye-opener to see what
we are truly celebrating.”


Tejada said she, too, thinks Thanksgiving has departed from its origins with recent traditions such as
Thanksgiving Day football and Black Friday.


“Some stores are open on Thanksgiving Day and workers have to be there instead of being with their
family,” Tejada said. “Year by year, it gets worse. The stores start opening earlier and earlier. The time
to be thankful with your family is pretty much gone now. People are more concentrated on the
shopping, the holiday coming up, getting the sales.”


UNK professor Jeanne Stolzer, who teaches in the family studies and interior design department, said
there is much rich history surrounding Thanksgiving, but much of it has been forgotten or largely
ignored.


“We’re going to have a discussion about the native peoples,” said Stolzer, who described the event as
an open forum in which she will give a short presentation.


“I don’t want this to just be a lecture where people are quiet and docile. I want them to start some
topics and be engaged,” she said. Stolzer said she is interested in what the audience members think and
know and what their experiences have been.In addition to the open forum and presentation there will be skits and snacks provided by SKINS.

Transportation to the event will be provided.
email to:
josh.moody@kearneyhub.com

http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local...9bb2963f4.html

SKINS aim to raise awareness of Native American culture

NOVEMBER 25, 2013 BY GOTTULATMLEAVE A COMMENT

Jaime Lopes of Gibbon, left, is blindfolded and led on The Trail of Tears Walk by Daniel Alarcon of Schuyler. The event was part of Native American Heritage Month activities hosted this month by the Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations organization at UNK. (Photo by Adrianna Tarin/UNK News)

By ADRIANNA TARIN
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations (SKINS) members at UNK are bringing Native American cultural awareness to Kearney and campus residents.
Already this month, members of SKINS hosted The Trail of Tears Walk and The Truth About Thanksgiving as part of their annual celebration aimed at teaching University of Nebraska at Kearney students, faculty, staff and Kearney residents about Native American culture.
The series of events ends with the Native American Heritage Month Closing Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Monday (December 2) in the Nebraskan Student Union’s Ponderosa Room.
The ceremony is free and open to the public and features a performance by Dallas Chief Eagle II, a recognized master of the Lakota hoop dance. Chief Eagle is a member of the Rosebud Lakota Nation and K-12 art teacher with a master’s degree in guidance counseling and personnel services. He worked as an artist-in-residence and mentor to other dancers through his Hoop Dance Society on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

DALLAS CHIEF EAGLE II

“We met Chief Eagle when we went to Pine Ridge this summer,” said SKINS President Andy Becerra. “We stayed with his family and got to participate in sacred rituals such as the sweat lodge and Sundance. We learned a lot and it was an eye-opening experience.”
Four members of SKINS and two advisers — Juan Guzman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Monica Mueller, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs — went on the trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with a group of graduate students led by psychology professor David Hof.
Because of the group’s work to bring awareness of Native American culture to the community, SKINS won the Office of Multicultural Affairs Student Organization of the Year for 2012-13. The group continued its community and campus presence with The Trail of Tears Walk and The Truth About Thanksgiving events.
“At The Truth About Thanksgiving we get a guest speaker to facilitate discussion about how we learn about Thanksgiving versus what actually happened in history,” Becerra said. “We’ve come to realize that it wasn’t just a nice dinner between Native Americans and the pilgrims.”
The Trail of Tears Walk took place at Cottonmill Park, where SKINS members re-enacted and retold the strife Native Americans went through on the Trail of Tears more than 170 years ago. Native American Heritage Month also included The Native Games, where student teams competed in a month-long series of challenges.
Becerra recently learned how SKINS started at UNK and the significance behind what its members strive to do.
“A Native American girl was attending UNK after many people in her life told her she would never even make it to college,” Becerra said. “Before she graduated, she started the group. Many of us relate to her story because many of us come from different, yet similar backgrounds. So we’ve tried to keep her dreams alive.”
Native American Heritage Month Closing Ceremony
Time, Date: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 2
Place: UNK Nebraskan Student Union, Ponderosa Room
Performance: Dallas Chief Eagle II, master of the Lakota hoop dance.
Sponsors: Office of Multicultural Affairs, Division of Student Affairs, Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations

-30-Source: Andy Becerra, 308.865.8127, becerraa2@lopers.unk.edu
Writer: Adrianna Tarin, 308.865.8454, tarinay@lopers.unk.edu

TAGGED WITH: ANDY BECERRA, DALLAS CHIEF EAGLE II, STUDENT KOUNCIL OF INTERTRIBAL NATIONS, TRAIL OF TEARS WALK, TRUTH ABOUT THANKSGIVING

http://unknews.unk.edu/2013/11/25/sk...rican-culture/

http://unknews.unk.edu/2013/11/25/sk...rican-culture/

Interesting. I had no idea that any of the Plains tribes had any association with the original Thanksgiving of the Eastern Tribes. I don't think they did, so just because they are "Native American", from the Plains does not make them experts.

I know who the president of this organization is and he's hispanic. I'm pretty sure that both of his parents were born in Mexico.

Originally Posted by Mayday

I know who the president of this organization is and he's hispanic. I'm pretty sure that both of his parents were born in Mexico.

That explains his confusion. The natives tribe of Mexico have nothing to do with the East Coast of the United States or it's history. I just hate it when these activist claim to be something in in order to manipulate the conversation.

If they don't lke our Thanksgiving, they can go back to Mexico and celebrate Cinco d Mayo.