"Un-Thanksgiving Day"

For those of you who have never heard of this phrase before, please allow us to explain what this day is to our tribal people and ancestors. To us, it is "Un-Thanksgiving Day", also known as The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony, an annual event that has been held on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay since 1975 to honor the indigenous peoples of the Americas and promote their rights and place otherwise discounted by the people of our land for too long, especially the government!

The Alcatraz ceremony commemorates the protest event of 1969, where the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement (ARPM) occupied the island. You see,in 1969, a number of Native American members of the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement group Indians of All Tribes (IAT) occupied the island of Alcatraz, under the terms of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie that allocated surplus government land to Native Americans. The occupation lasted for 19 months, from November 20, 1969 to June 11, 1971 and one of our own personal elder council's were a notable part of it, Mr. John Trudell.

But during the Alcatraz occupation, hundreds of Native Americans joined the movement to speak out for their rights. This was part of a heavy period of Indian activism and protest at a time when the civil rights movement in the United States amongst minorities was at an all-time high across the land. The American Indian Movement (AIM) inspired by the occupation, led other protests, the first on Thanksgiving in 1970 when they painted Plymouth Rock red.

The ceremony commemorates the survival of Native American peoples following the settlement of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, which led to enormous economic and cultural losses among the indigenous from disease, warfare and social disruption. Several thousand indigenous people and spectators travel to Alcatraz Island every year for this ceremony, where groups dance before sunrise, to honor their ancestors, while other groups demonstrate other aspects of their cultures and heritage and speak out for the rights of their people. It is a symbol of both struggle and hope.

We remind everyone wherever you are, the eloquent words of Andrea Carmen (Yaqui Nation), International Indian Treaty Council director back as she welcomed everyone to the gathering back in 2014, which still rings true today "The stars above this morning represent the spirit of our ancestors, and they guide us. We are reminded by our ancestors to be strong and to stand up and resist. Today we are in a country that celebrates genocide and slavery on this day. Yet we are here, sending our prayers to indigenous people throughout the world, to scatter the seeds of resistance, like a new beginning, to make a new world. We stand in solidarity and we are stronger together.”

This year's highlights Featured: Ohlone Welcome, Spirit Drum, Special Honoring for Dennis Banks, Pomo and Aztec dancers, Participants from the Walk for Salmon, updates from the Taino People of Boriken (Puerto Rico), and other special presenters. Here is a link to a short video of this morning's gathering out at "The Rock", we hope you enjoy it.: https://www.facebook.com/nane.alejandrez.7/videos/1977774509137136/

This is not the standard Alcatraz Island tour and all areas with the exception of where the ceremony takes place was closed and inaccessible to the general public. The ticket booth opened at 3:00AM this morning but word is that all 4,400 spots were sold out 90 days Beforehand (something ya might wanna keep in mind for next year if you want to attend) The boats began departing from legendary "Pier 33" approximately every 15 minutes from 4:15AM through until 6:00AM. Guests were encouraged to purchase and print their tickets on the website but said tickets could also be purchased by having called 415.981.7625 (ROCK) or from the ticket booth at Pier 33 in person at Alcatraz Landing. The general admission was $14.00 per person but children under 5 years of age are free. For those who didn't make it this year,might wanna hang onto this information for next year... just a suggestion.

The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), founded in 1974, is the annual coordinator for the event as they are a local organization of Indigenous Peoples working for human rights, environmental justice and self-determination for Indigenous Peoples. Visit them online at: www.TreatyCouncil.org if you would like to know more or work with them on this or future endeavors.

As always, we Thank you for your time, interest, contribution and continued support. Blessings to you all, ad stay tuned if you would Please.