On Thanksgiving Day, I mean, You’re Welcome Day, driving down Bay to Embarcadero, I noticed some headdresses and otherwise garbed Native Americans getting out of a car. Then, even in my car I heard the deep pounding of a drum. It was truly neat, early in the morning on Thanksgiving, to see the crowd, and dancing in front of the Piers (near Pier 23). Sorry for the bad photo- I was running late and couldn’t run across the road. I regret that, as it doesn’t communicate at all the feeling. If you have a link to more, can you send it in the comments?

Read CBS’s article and I think it’s the 36th annual Native American celebration of the occupation of Alcatraz. If you can, check out the movie on the Alcatraz tour (Alcatraz Is Not An Island), or heck, just rent it- though the Alcatraz tour is really good- respected by those in museum circles, I hear. In brief, when Alcatraz was abandoned by the prison system Native Americans took up residence. One of limitations of squatting on Alcatraz was the lack of fresh water and food so lots of people helped shuttle food and water to the island. Since I’m a celebrity stalker, I remember the fact that Benjamin Bratt, the adorable lawyer on a Law & Order, lived on the island briefly.