Our Mentors & Alliance Partners

Thanksgiving Address

The Thanksgiving Address has ancient roots dating back over one-thousand years to the formation of the Great Law of Peace by a man/legend known as the “Peacemaker.”

We use the spirit of this address to thank and honor all those who contributed or assisted us along our path. The words are not ours, they are owned by the Haudenosaunee people, also known as the Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca & Tuscarora). They have modified and share a version for a general audience.

Copyright 1993 Six Nations Indian Museum. Copies of this can be obtained.

Thanksgiving Address Fund
c/o Tracking Project
PO Box 266
Corrales, New Mexico 87048
USA

A word about Cultural Appropriation and the Ethics of a Good Life

None of the information that we share on this website is really ours. Our American Culture is vast, diverse, and inovative, but it stands on the shoulders of many wisdom traditions. These traditions have melded into ours and they are what makes it so rich. Take for example our cuisine. Fried Chicken (Scottish invention), Pizza (modified from Italy, Hot Dogs (German/Austrian)…most folks identify these dishes as “American Food” but they come from other traditions.

This is much different from Cultural Appropration. One definition is, “Adopting customs, practices, ideas, or other elements of a particular people, community, or society inappropriately, or without proper acknowledgment.” This practice is usually done by a dominant group of people or culture, appropriating elements of a minority group.

Some aspects of cultural appropriation

Context: It typically occurs when a dominant culture takes from a marginalized group that has historically been oppressed, turning their culture into a “trendy accessory.”

History: Cultural appropriation has existed since one culture “warred” or dominated another but it has been defined and has come to prominence during the latter half of the 20th Century.

As we formed the Red Thread R&B Alliance Curriculum, we built it on what we believed to be useful and sacred from many traditions. We talked to many people as we could in the spirit of openness and respect. While we are proud of our work, we most likely made some omissions. We apologize if we have and welcome feedback in this area.

Our list of mentors and partners are included below but there are few individuals who, either by their example of kind words, were particularly helpful in teaching us not only to respect all cultures but each other. Some are old in age but young in heart, others young in age but wise in heart. Umbutu!