Native Americans Hold 'Day Of Mourning' In Plymouth

PLYMOUTH, MA — Native American tribes gathered in Plymouth on Thanksgiving for the National Day of Mourning, an annual event to remember the disease and violence brought to the continent when English colonists arrived in the 1600s.

The 2021 Day of Mourning was the 52nd organized by the United American Indians of New England (UAINE). During the event, indigenous people gathered near Cole's Hill to pray and beat drums in memory of those killed and displaced when the Europeans arrived, and in the years since the United States formed.

"Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures," UAINE said of the event. "Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide."

According to the Associated Press, this year's event focused on federal boarding schools where Indigenous children were forced to speak only English and follow Christianity. Similar boarding schools in Canada have drawn renewed outrage recently after the remains of hundreds of children were found in unmarked graves this summer.

The event was livestreamed on YouTube. Organizers estimated about 1,000 people attended the event.