24 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Native Americans in Wichita say Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday when people eat and celebrate. It’s also an opportunity.
They say this time of year, it’s important to reflect on America’s past with indigenous people while recognizing native communities as active parts of the present.
Thanksgiving can be a time to educate people on overlooked indigenous history.
“I think the biggest thing especially this time of year, especially this time in history, a lot of people… are becoming more aware of that history,” said Dal Domebo, Wichita Public Schools Native American Education Program Director.
Classroom presentations on indigenous history are met with curiosity, according to Domebo.
“The kids are always very receptive to it and so are the teachers,” Domebo said. “Especially this time of year, especially those kinds of presentations, they have a lot of questions.”
More questions are good, said Domebo, because they indicate people want to learn more.
Part of the purpose of the presentations is to bring native Americans into conversations involving the present day.
“One of the biggest misconceptions especially when I go and speak is that our history is always taught in past tense as if we are gone,” Domebo said. “We’re not gone. We’re still here.”
Indigenous people want their story to be told in a fair and accurate way, according to Domebo… even the parts that may be uncomfortable to discuss.
“Our history is very much American history, and you can’t toss that aside and wish it away into the cornfields so to speak,”