Indigenous Peoples of America Parade
Lisa DuBois | NYS, United States
Organization: SDN
Photographer: Lisa DuBois
Organization: SDN
Exhibit Title: Indigenous Peoples of America Parade
Location: NYS, United States
Atsila Firebird Graywolf, an outstanding indigenous woman, envisioned a parade in which the descendants of the ancestors who had tragically perished would march proudly on the very territory where they were killed. This symbolic act would help to heal the wounds of intergenerational suffering.
The indigenous peoples of America parade is overdue. Approximately 90% of the Native population died as a result of legislation enacted by invading forces within 150 years of arrival on a territory that they called the new world. It was a new world to the conquerors, but for the Natives it was their world.
Their primary objective, fueled by their belief in white superiority, was to destroy the indigenous peoples through "physical and cultural genocide."
The lack of awareness regarding this truth can be attributed to its exclusion from history books and people's unwillingness to explore these facts.
In history books, colonists and Natives are depicted enjoying a harvest feast in the woods, which evolved into the Thanksgiving holiday. Everyone in the images appear to be genuinely happy. These misleading images would deeply permeate into the minds of Americans.
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