While most of us spent our Thanksgiving going around the table and sharing what we’re thankful for, others celebrated Thanksgiving a different way this year. Hosts of the variety show “Thanks But No Thanksgiving,” spent the weekend before Thanksgiving sharing their Native perspectives on the holiday through the medium they know best, comedy.

Despite the chilly weather Friday night, attendees quickly filled the basement level theater of Union Hall in Brooklyn to see a show that was described as an “antidote to the settler nonsense that is Thanksgiving.” Guests were greeted with an opening interpretive, albeit comedic, dance to “Crawling” by Linkin Park by hosts Tai Leclare, Brian Bahe, and Dash Turner. While the side splitting performances of the night held the overarching theme of demolishing Thanksgiving, the hosts took their time to share their own unique comedic voices.

This is the show’s second installation, after the previous version of the show, titled “No Pilgrims! A Native American Variety Show,” was held at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater around the same time last year.

Co-host Tai Leclaire, a writer, actor, and comedian, began his acting and comedic career growing up on a Reservation. Leclaire, who is of the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq tribes, recounts playing the Grinch in a Christmas production at 11 years old as the start to his performing career. In addition to his raunchy line-up of jokes that night, Leclaire also played the character of Christopher Columbus, handing out store-bought bottles of spices to the crowd.

A featured guest of the night was Washington, D.C. based comedienne and lawyer Gigi Modrich. Modrich’s set touched on being a Native woman of Jicarilla Apache and Croatian descent. The variety aspect of the show was also emulated through a short animated film by Joey Clift titled, “Telling People You're Native American When You're Not Native Is A Lot Like Telling A Bear You're A Bear When You're Not A Bear.” The show also featured a sketch video that parodied the presidential nominee with self-proclaimed Native ancestry Elizabeth Warren.

Host Dash Turner hopes to have the show continue to share his unique experiences as well as Native points of view. Turner’s set touched on his experiences as a gay, Native person of the Yurok tribe, living in New York City. Turner sees Thanksgiving as an excuse for many to cosplay as Native, but acknowledges that the culture surrounding Thanksgiving is beginning to change. “There is a growing cultural awareness that the grassroots efforts to change culture can have an effect,” says Turner.

The hosts have no plans in letting the show die down, “We hope to make it a regular show, even quarterly or seasonal,” says co-host Brian Bahe. Bahe, who is of the Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Navajo tribes, also hopes they can continue to play on the variety aspect of the show. “We hope to see more Native stand ups, and more short film, sketch, and videos.”

Share this Story