ORIENTATION FOR 2007 NATIONAL DAY OF
MOURNING
WHAT
IS NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING?
An
annual tradition since 1970, Day of Mourning is a solemn, spiritual and highly
political day. Many of us fast from sundown the day before through the
afternoon of that day (and have a social after Day of Mourning so that
participants in DOM can break their fasts). We are mourning our ancestors and
the genocide of our peoples and the theft of our lands. NDOM is a day when we
mourn, but we also feel our strength in political action. Over the years,
participants in Day of Mourning have buried Plymouth Rock a number of times,
boarded the Mayflower replica, and placed ku klux klan sheets on the statue of
William Bradford, etc.
WHEN
AND WHERE IS DAY OF MOURNING?
Thursday,
November 22, 2007 (U.S. "thanksgiving" day) at Cole's Hill, Plymouth,
Massachusetts, 12 noon SHARP. Cole's Hill is the hill above Plymouth Rock in
the Plymouth historic waterfront area.
WILL
THERE BE A MARCH?
There
will be a march through the historic district of Plymouth. Plymouth has agreed, as part of the
settlement of 10/19/98, that UAINE may march on Day of Mourning without the
need for a permit as long as we give the town advance notice.
PROGRAM: Although we very much welcome our non-Native
supporters to stand with us, it is a day when only Native people speak about
our history and the struggles that are taking place throughout the Americas.
Speakers will be by invitation only. This year's NDOM is once again dedicated
to our brother Leonard Peltier.
SOCIAL: We hope there will be a pot-luck social held after the
National Day of Mourning speak-out and march this year. Please check back to the website
to confirm. We anticipate that the hall may not be large enough to seat everyone at once. We may
have to do two seatings. Preference for the first seating will be given to
Elders, young children and their mother/caretaker, pregnant women, Disabled
people, and people who have traveled a long distance to join National Day of
Mourning. Please respect our culture and our wish to ensure that these guests
will be the first to be able to sit and eat. With this understanding in mind,
please bring non-alcoholic beverages, desserts, fresh fruit & vegetables,
and pre-cooked items (turkeys, hams, stuffing, vegetables, casseroles, rice
& beans, etc.) that can be easily re-warmed at the social hall prior to the
social. Thank you.
TRANSPORTATION: Limited carpool
transportation may be available from Boston. Contact the Boston International
Action Center at (617) 522-6626.
There is transportation available from
New York City via the International Action Center. Call Marie Jay at 212-633-6646 or Marie Runyon at 212-666-6783 for more information.
Directions: National Day of Mourning is held by the statue of
Massasoit at Cole's Hill. Cole's Hill is the hill rising above Plymouth Rock on
the Plymouth waterfront. If you need directions, use Water
Street and Leyden Street in Plymouth, MA as your destination at
mapquest.com. That will bring you to within a few hundred feet of Plymouth Rock
and Cole's Hill. You can probably find a place to park down on Water Street.
Donations: Monetary donations are gratefully accepted. Please make checks payable to the Metacom Education Project and mail to
Metacom Education Project/UAINE at 284 Amory Street, Boston, MA 02130.