1621–2021: Updating Our Thanksgiving Story
What are your early memories of Thanksgiving?
Thinking back to the ten-year old me, I remember my grandmother staying up all night cooking not 1 or 2, but 3 turkeys to feed her clan. I remember the chopping of her cleaver against the woodblock as she prepared vegetables along with her specialty — poached chicken (because three turkeys — weren’t enough) — and the low drone of one football game after another on the TV (Uncle Yen was a big fan). That year, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving first aired.
At school, we made toilet roll Pilgrims, and I learned about John Bradford, Myles Standish, Squanto, and the Mayflower Compact. My classmates and I all learned the same story about the Puritans (aka Pilgrims) escaping religious persecution and seeking a new home where they could live free. We heard of the arduous Atlantic crossing, the landing at Plymouth Rock, and the friendly Indians, who, with the help of Squanto, helped the Pilgrims thrive. According to the story, the Pilgrims hosted their Indian friends at a feast — marking the first Thanksgiving celebration.
My 4th-grade teacher, Miss Scott, taught us the Thanksgiving anthem, “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing,” for our holiday concert. I still remember all of the lyrics along with the third stanza refrain -
As I reflect on these memories, several questions arise for me:
1. How is that I am able to remember these details, especially these lyrics, after a half century, and not remember where I left my keys just moments ago?
2. How many modern-day Miss Scotts are still teaching “We Gather Together” in public schools today?
3. When and how will we, as a society, update our Thanksgiving story?
Setting aside questions 1 and 2 for another missive, I can offer some perspective for question 3.
At twenty, I did not celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Instead, I spent the day at the Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony on Alcatraz Island (shhh, my parents still think I was studying for finals). To this day, thousands of people journey across the Bay before dawn on Thanksgiving Day to commemorate the 1969–1971 peaceful occupation of Alcatraz Island by student organizers from Indians of All Tribes. This occupation marked the birth of the Red Power movement.
It was on that Thanksgiving that I learned a different story. Millions of Indigenous People from hundreds of different tribal groups were enslaved, decimated, and displaced by European colonizers and settlers. Their language, culture, and children were taken away. Treaties were made and broken. These were lessons I did not learn in public school. How could I reconcile these facts with what I had previously known to be true?
Upon further research into the Thanksgiving story more, I discovered more facts that Miss Scott and her fellow teachers omitted:
- The relationship between the Europeans and the Wampanoag dates back to the mid-1500’s, nearly one hundred years before the arrival of the Mayflower.
- Tisquantum (aka Squanto) was enslaved in 1614 and taken to England and Spain before returning home. Because he could speak English, Tisquantum played a key role in the negotiation between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.
- Of the 102 original passengers on the Mayflower, only 53 lived to participate in the feast associated with Thanksgiving. Of the survivors, only two were women.
- The Wampanoag were not invited to the first feast. Ousamequin (aka “Chief” Massasoit) showed up with 100 warriors in response to gunshots being fired. They eventually agreed to join the three-day feast.
- Within one generation after that feast, the majority of the Wampanoag People were dead or enslaved. Of the 69 Wampanoag tribal communities that existed in New England during the 1600’s, only three are still here today.
- President Lincoln created the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863, to give gratitude to the Union soldiers. He made no reference to the Pilgrims nor the Wampanoag people.
- The Pilgrim story did not become associated with Thanksgiving until the late 19th century, with the rise of immigration and end of the Indian Wars in the U.S. A nostalgic retelling of White Protestantism living in harmony with Native people suited the political needs of the time.
I found myself torn with returning to the time capsule of Thanksgiving back home with my family — the football games, multiple turkeys, and Charlie Brown. I wanted to tell them about the other Thanksgiving stories that I had come to know, but didn’t want to burst their bubble and spoil their holiday. I face this dilemma every November, and wonder whether others feel the same? Each year, I align the the many myths and truths that accompany this season with my commitment to equity, justice and healing in these ways:
1. Read about, and share the Thanksgiving story from the Wampanoag perspective. Many of us only know the Thanksgiving story from the Pilgrims’ perspective. I make it a point to share this Indigenous perspective with any and all who would will listen.
2. Make a contribution to local Indigenous organizations and causes. If you are not of Native American descent in the U.S. and Canada, you are living on stolen land. Offer reparation by donating to local Indigenous organizations and causes. Every year, I pay an annual Shuumi Land Tax to help rematriate the land. I invite my Bay Area neighbors to do the same.
3. Learn about and advocate for the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). While the tragic story of Gabby Petito gained international attention in recent months, the 5,295 Indigenous women(78% were girls and teens) were reported missing in 2020 did not receive a fraction of attention. This epidemic has been rampant in Native communities for hundreds of years.
4. Learn about and share the legacy of slavery among Indigenous People. In addition to the enslavement of people of African descent, millions of Indigenous People were subjected to slavery in North America and South America.
5. Hold governments and the churches accountable for the legacy of Indian Boarding Schools. In recent months, the remains of 7310 unidentified children were found on the grounds of former boarding schools in Canada, a tragic legacy of the forced removal of Native children from their families to facilities run by Christian churches. A similar program was enacted in the U.S. for over 150 years. In June 2021, Interior Secretary Haaland called for a similar investigation.
6. Celebrate Indigenous accomplishments. Native people are finally getting the power, voice, and recognition they deserve. In the political arena alone, we celebrate Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo); Director of the National Parks Service Chuck Sams (Cayuse and Walla Walla), along with five congress people, and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (Cherokee).
This year marks 400 years since that legendary first Thanksgiving feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag People. If that is the historical basis of your Thanksgiving story, it is time to update your files. Please take some time in the coming weeks to check out the resources below.
We have been on quite a journey as a people and a country to make things right with our First Nations relations. There is much to hope for, and much to grieve, heal, and learn. Please join me, as we take our next steps down a path toward reparation and restoration.
Before then, give yourself tomorrow for respite and renewal. Whether you choose to be alone or in community — be kind to yourself and to others. Take time to appreciate the mere fact that you made it through some tough times. In this moment, I give thanks for you, and the gifts you bring to make a difference for good.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
The Story of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Myths and What We Should Be Teaching Kids — Smithsonian
The Real Story of The First Thanksgiving — Cape Cod Times
How the Traditional Thanksgiving Feast has Evolved — National Geographic
Lincoln Proclaims Official Thanksgiving Holiday — History.com
Restorative Justice through Donations and Land Taxes
Sogorea ‘Te Land Trust (SF Bay Area/Ohlone Land)
Honor Tax (Humboldt County, CA/Wiyot Land)
Real Rent Duwamish (Seattle, WA/Duwamish Land)
Manna Hatta Fund (New York, NY/Munsee Lanape Land)
Honor Native Land Tax (Albuquerque, NM/Tiwa Land)
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
How States are Addressing the Missing Indigenous Women Crisis — US News
The Enslavement of Indigenous People
The Forgotten Slavery of our Ancestors (Video)
The Other Slavery: The Untold Story of Indian Enslavement in America (Book)
Indigenous Children in Residential School
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
Communities plan to search for more Indigenous children’s remains in Canada — NPR
