When people think of holidays in November, the first that comes to mind is Thanksgiving. The First Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 after a successful harvest of crops. However, what is often dismissed at this time of year, where we celebrate the harvest that allowed the Pilgrims to continue to grow, is that there were people here before the Mayflower arrived. November is Native American Heritage Month. Indigenous people have inhabited North America for thousands of years. Just as Columbus Day is now widely known as Indigenous People’s Day, November should serve as a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people in addition to the Thanksgiving holiday. I also urge you to remember that the land we walk on, where we study, and where we go to sleep wasn’t always ours, and it wasn’t peacefully gifted over. The city of Orange, where Chapman University resides, was historically inhabited by the Tongva people. This land was theirs. 

This Land was Theirs 2019 bibliography