Every year, the buildup to Thanksgiving entails a host of different events: bringing out the pumpkin decorations, shopping for pie ingredients and attending kindergarteners’ Thanksgiving programs. I have a vivid memory of preparing for one of those programs by cutting feathers out of a piece of red-colored construction paper, gluing them to a brown strip of paper and placing the finished product around my head. Other classmates made black “pilgrim hats” with a little yellow square as the buckle on the hat. It was fun and exciting to take a break from boring school and get ready for the holiday season. But looking back on it, there was something distinctly wrong about these simple holiday activities.

Of course it wasn’t intentional, but our paper crafts were taking an entire culture that we knew nothing about and cramming it into a poorly-made feathered headband. The clothing that we were imitating held deep cultural significance which we had never been taught, as well as alluding back to a history behind Thanksgiving, which has been sugarcoated and smoothed over throughout the centuries.

While stereotyping and cultural appropriation was common when I was younger, I now see the opposite occurring. People are so afraid of being offensive that they erase all discussion of different cultures. This whiplash overcorrection left me confused and wondering what was appropriate to talk about and what wasn’t. Naturally, we should stop the cultural appropriation that occurs when people try to celebrate the holidays by dressing up as Native Americans. But we shouldn’t erase culture. Instead, we should increase education and awareness by putting in the effort to learn about Native culture and the true history behind Thanksgiving.

Not every school is going to change its curriculum to include crucial cultural education, but taking five minutes to find a reliable website on Google and read about Native American culture and what Thanksgiving truly means can make a world of difference. You might think it’s not your problem or not relevant to your life. However, this kind of thinking only perpetuates ignorance and misinformation. It is our problem. It is our responsibility. And it’s time for us to start taking charge of defining the line between insensitivity and appreciation.

Instead of increasing cultural appropriation or perpetuating ignorance by avoiding crucial cultures entirely, we should be focusing on creating an awareness of culture throughout this holiday season. Of course there will always be problems. While the colorful paper constructions of our younger years may be gone, the nescience behind them still exists. Eradicating misunderstanding isn’t easy, but as we work to build greater cultural awareness, we can improve countless Thanksgivings to come.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Allison Washburn at [email protected].