Thangs Taken, Rethinking Thanksgiving, La Pena Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA | Nov 23, 2025

Location: La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705
Date: Nov 23, 2025 – 5pm

Thangs Taken, Rethinking Thanksgiving, La Pena Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA

An evening dedicated to art, music, and storytelling that focuses on Native resistance while commemorating a decade of the Shuumi Land Tax.

Now in its 18th year, Thangs Taken: Rethinking Thanksgiving persistently challenges and redefines the colonial narrative surrounding “thanksgiving” by emphasizing Native resistance through various forms of expression, including art, music, dance, ancestral wisdom, and oral storytelling.

Led by Indigenous organizers, this annual event functions as both a source of healing and a platform for movement building, creating a space for reflection, healing, and collective action. It unites Native culture bearers, activists, and allies to advocate for land rematriation and Indigenous sovereignty on both local and global scales.

Grounded in the conviction that rematriation is vital not only for justice but also for our shared future, Thangs Taken continues to intertwine art, ceremony, and activism as instruments for transformation.

As part of the larger network of Indigenous traditions and activism in the Bay Area, which includes the Alcatraz Indigenous Peoples’ Sunrise Ceremony, Thangs Taken serves as a potent reminder of resistance, resurgence, and the ongoing potential of #LandBack.

This event is family-friendly and welcomes all who wish to participate in truth-telling, solidarity, and community healing.

Details regarding speakers, artists, and performers will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

All proceeds will be directed to the Indigenous organizers of this gathering.

Are you interested in volunteering for this event?
Sign up to be a volunteer: https://signup.com/go/FdZokzn

Celebrating 10 Years of the Shuumi Land Tax
This year also signifies a significant milestone: the 10th anniversary of the Shuumi Land Tax, a voluntary rematriation initiative spearheaded by Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. The initial public announcement of the Shuumi Land Tax occurred at Thangs Taken 2015, officially launching Sogorea Té Land Trust’s website and this visionary endeavor to return land to Indigenous stewardship.

Presented by La Peña Cultural Center and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust

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