Thangs Taken: rethinking thanksgiving is an annual cultural arts event that brings artists, activists and communities together to explore the complex history of Thanksgiving and to acknowledge the legacy of U.S. colonialism and genocide against Native Americans.
From 2006 to 2016, Thangs Taken was produced and hosted by Ariel Luckey with guidance from and in collaboration with Corrina Gould, Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, at La Peña Cultural Center in Huchiun/Berkeley, California. Thangs Taken has featured live music, dance, film, spoken word poetry, comedy, theater and visual art installations from Native and non-Native artists. Grounded in grassroots activism, Thangs Taken has also featured leaders from local social and environmental justice organizations to provide information on current campaigns and concrete ways to take action in the community. With the arts at the center, people from diverse backgrounds gather to engage in critical dialogue and to stand in the power of our collective ability to create a world based in peace and justice that we can truly be thankful for.
Read the new Oaklandside article ‘Thangs Taken’ takes on the truth behind Thanksgiving.
A Conversation with Corrina Gould
This video was made for Thangs Taken: Rethinking Thanksgiving 2023 in Huchiun Ohlone Territory (Berkeley, CA) that challenges the colonial narrative of “Thanksgiving” by celebrating native resistance through art, music, dance, ancestral knowledge and oral storytelling.
Visit Sogorea Te' Land Trust to learn how to get involved, sign up for their newsletter, volunteer, and pay your Shuumi land tax.
rethinking thanksgiving
Featuring excerpts from Thangs Taken 2013, this highlights reel features Corrina Gould (Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation), artist and scholar Hartman Deetz (Wampanoag), singer songwriter Bear Fox (Mohawk), comedy troupe The 1491’s, Puerto Rican emcee Rico Pabon and many more.
“What’s wrong with white people?”
On November 24th, 2013, at the 6th Annual Thangs Taken, Ariel Luckey offered this analysis of the dynamics of white colonization in the United States through a critical engagement with the mythology and meaning of Thanksgiving.
