Time's Sean Sherman, member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe and author of "The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen," suggests an alternate approach to Thanksgiving—one without whitewashed history, but keeping traditions of giving thanks:

The thing is, we do not need the poisonous “pilgrims and Indians” narrative. We do not need that illusion of past unity to actually unite people today. Instead, we can focus simply on values that apply to everybody: togetherness, generosity and gratitude. And we can make the day about what everybody wants to talk and think about anyway: the food.

According to Sherman, Thanksgiving often pays homage to indigenous foods, which he argues is something to be celebrated:

People may not realize it, but what every person in this country shares, and the very history of this nation, has been in front of us the whole time. Most of our Thanksgiving recipes are made with indigenous foods: turkey, corn, beans, pumpkins, maple, wild rice and the like. We should embrace this.

Sherman argues there is room for togetherness in a new age of Thanksgiving:

No matter where you are in North America, you are on indigenous land. And so on this holiday, and any day really, I urge people to explore a deeper connection to what are called “American” foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and to support Native-American growers. There is no need to make Thanksgiving about a false past. It is so much better when it celebrates the beauty of the present.