From the Margins to the Center, Vol. XXIX — Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month: The Real Story of the First Thanksgiving
By William Warren, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator, Shaker Heights Schools
The fourth Thursday in the month of November marks the observation of Thanksgiving, an American tradition for over 250 years. As the official start of the holiday season, this is a time many look forward to; breaking bread with loved ones over a delicious meal and spending time with family. In my family, we gather at my aunt’s house for the day; generations of fathers, mothers, grandparents, cousins and uncles catching each other up on current happenings, watching football and playing games. At the dinner table, after the food has been prayed over, we all go around and describe what we’re thankful for — health, family, the privilege of having a place to gather and safe travels being the most popular.
Over the years, history books have taught scores of American schoolchildren that the first Thanksgiving occurred between the Pilgrims and an Indigenous Native Tribe commonly referred to as “the Indians,” who helped the Pilgrims celebrate a successful harvest after arriving in the New World aboard the Mayflower. Indigenous people have long objected to this portrayal, as the history books fail to detail the brutal suffering of natives, known as “The Great Dying.” The Wampanoag Nation did encounter the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621 and their leader, Ousamequin, made contact with them as a political strategy to ensure his people’s survival, and they did teach the Pilgrims how to farm crops like beans and squash.
From the Indigenous peoples perspective, Thanksgiving is a reminder of how European colonization forced their ancestors from their homelands, attempted to strip them of their heritage and how violence and disease systemically eradicated their tribes. The observation of Native American Heritage Month in the same month as Thanksgiving is intentional, so that the story of a time-honored tradition can be told from the voices of native descendants. The Indigenous tribes were not savages who had no sense of community or spirituality; they lived, worshiped and thrived long before Western discovery. As we conclude our celebration of Native American Heritage Month, please take some time to learn the history of Indigenous peoples, one that began long before “the first Thanksgiving.”
Additional Resources
Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving
In Our Words: An Indigenous Story of Thanksgiving
Smithsonian Magazine article-Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective
Editor's note: An error during production of the November 17 eNews led to an incorrect headline for From the Margins to the Center. The correct headline was "Celebrating National Native American Heritage Month." Click here to read Will Warren's interview with Shaker Heights High School Junior Sofijah Sullivan about her Native Indigenous heritage.
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