Indians mourn Thanksgiving in Plymouth

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — Members of American Indian tribes from around New England gathered Thursday in the town where the Pilgrims settled for a solemn National Day of Mourning observance.

At the noon gathering in downtown Plymouth, participants recalled the disease, racism and oppression that European settlers brought to the continent.

It’s the 48th year that the United American Indians of New England organized the event on Thanksgiving Day.

Moonanum James, a co-leader of the group, said ahead of the meeting that native people have no reason to celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620.

“Today we say ‘no thanks, no giving,’” he said. Along with prayers and public speeches, participants condemned environmental degradation and government restrictions on immigration. They also held a “stomp dance” to symbolically stomp out opioid addiction, which has ravaged many native communities.