This Thanksgiving is not only a time to celebrate and give thanks, which are all well and good. We have all been giving out a lot of love today, and it has been worth all the feels and good vibes. The other side of this coin is what this day historically represents.
According to Marcus Dowling from Do Androids Dance, Thanksgiving 2012 marked a day where all First Nation (Mohawk, Cayuga and Nipissing Anishnabe) DJ crew from Ottawa, A Tribe Called Quest played a Moombahton Massive event in Washington, D.C., on a day where the Cowboys played the Redskins in a game ‘America’s team’ plays annually.
Sometimes, real life is just too coincidental to make up, like a Thanksgiving faceoff of cowboys and Indians, backed by the soundtrack of this politically charged pow wow music making trio. Who knows what actually went down on the day that commemorates this day in history. This year, A Tribe Called Red produces something dark and somewhat satyrical, using a vocals from Addam’s Family Values against tribal beats in their track entitled, “Burn Your Village to the Ground.” Watching Christina Ricci in the original scene from the movie uplifts the deeply heavy political undertones. It isn’t just the tryptophan or third piece of pumpkin pie you ate for dessert if you’re listening to this. 
Here is what the guys have to say about it. Check the track. Download it. Give these guys some love and thanks for their brutal honesty and raw, unique sound.
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:blog.nmai.si.edu/main/2013/11/do-…hanksgiving.html
This doesn’t prevent us from “celebrating” in our own way by giving you a new song called Burn Your Village To The Ground.
artwork by Sovereign State: sovereignstate.ca
