The History Of Thanksgiving

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Last Updated on November 28, 2024

Thanksgiving is amongst the most popular holidays observed across the United States because of the periodically expressed thankfulness, meetings with friends and families, and expectation of traditional meals. However, the history of Thanksgiving, and especially Native Americans’ involvement in its development, is often distorted or misrepresented at best and simplified at worst. To learn what Native Americans did, their role, and the Wampanoag people who met the Pilgrims give colors to the true story behind Thanksgiving Day. Focusing on Native American participation, this article discusses Thanksgiving’s roots – their practices, policy, and consequences.

Table of Contents

The Setting
The Wampanoag People
The First Thanksgiving
The Myth
During Our Moden Time

The Setting

The Arrival of the Pilgrims and Early Relations

In 1620, stranded English Pilgrims landed in the US at the rocks of Plymouth. They failed to expect the rigors of winter, the shortage of food that came with the climate, and the rugged terrains. European sicknesses from explorers and fishermen had already killed off many different tribes along the northeast coast, including the Wampanoags, before the Pilgrims arrived. Chief Massasoit and the Wampanoag people suffered significantly smaller populations due to these epidemics.

Thus, when the Pilgrims arrived, the Wampanoag watched them with a certain degree of apprehension. The two groups gradually began to step toward each other, and they had to start a relationship as they needed each other. The Pilgrims relied on knowledge of the environment to survive while cooperating with the colonists, which was how the Wampanoag sought to survive as the influx of Europeans to America continued.

the History of Thanksgiving in modern time

The Wampanoag People

Generosity and Diplomacy

Wampanoag people supported the Pilgrims in most aspects of their early life in the Plymouth colony. Squanto, Tisquantum, and the Wampanoag understood the Pilgrims’ plight and, for this reason, proceeded to explain and demonstrate how to grow corn and how to use fish to enrich the soil, native American crops, and wildlife. Squanto, a native Wampanoag who had learned English from living in England, was particularly adept at translating ideas between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag.

Another helpful activity in the relations between the American Indians and the Pilgrims was diplomating to ally with both parties. This alliance was expected to protect the two groups, especially in regional fights with other Native tribes. The Wampanoag thought they could quickly negotiate safely by joining forces with the Pilgrims, but this would eventually have a few unforeseen consequences.

The First Thanksgiving

A Shared Harvest Celebration

The year 1621 was also fruitful for the pilgrims; they invited the Native Americans in that region known as Wampanoag to a three-day feast to celebrate. This event is sometimes called the ‘First Thanksgiving,’ although the term did not seem to be used then. Feasting and harvest festivals were a normal part of the Wampanoag society even before the white man came to their shores.

Almost ninety Wampanoag with Massasoit and warriors and fifty Pilgrims participated in the event. The menu likely included a blend of foods shared by both groups: meat, especially venison, fish, wild birds, corn, pumpkins, and beans. Thus, though the meeting celebrated normalcy and solidarity, it was not the start of a series of annual conferences. However, it was a different occasion provoked by the condition, mutual admiration, and the desire for no confrontations.

Native American Perspectives on Thanksgiving

Although today’s myths of Thanksgiving are associated with the ideas of gratefulness and family, Native populations have many thoughts regarding them. Thanksgiving for Wampanoag people and other Indigenous people is a marker of the time that history advanced to develop colonization, suffering, forced diaspora, and warfare. Some Indigenous people consider Thanksgiving to be a National Day of Mourning, which is similar to the other near-inaugural day showing acknowledgment of the growing loss of territory and life that accompanied colonization by European settlers.

Since 1970, Native Americans have observed the National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to support the Indigenous peoples’ struggle. For them, Thanksgiving is a chance to convey the historical truth and tell what colonialism is rather than being conspiratorial, thus making people aware.

The Myth

Dispelling Myths About the First Thanksgiving

Indeed, there are many myths associated with the Thanksgiving celebration, which barely mention Native Americans. The first myth that must be dispelled is that the Pilgrims and Native Americans were good friends. It was, for some time, a friendly relationship, but in fact, it was a tenuous one at that. These conflicts include the issue of land and resources and different perceptions of life and governance, and these brought about confrontations like the King Philip War of 1675, where the Wampanoag and other native communities waged war against the colonial forces.

The third myth is that the first Thanksgiving is an official holiday or religious event. Instead, it was a feast of Thanksgiving based on the Wampanoag’s cycle of joyful events and, to a certain extent, on Pilgrims’ practices. While the idea of the harvest festival had a long history, the idea of Thanksgiving as a national holiday only really emerged much later, primarily thanks to the efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, who campaigned for the country to have a dedicated Thanksgiving day in the 19th century.

Legacy of the Wampanoag and Thanksgiving

The Wampanoag people and many of their descendants still suffer from the effects of Thanksgiving. The negative impact of colonialism commonly brought inconvenience and suffering to the native people, while the Wampanoag people retained and are now seeking to take back the right to tell their part in the story of Thanksgiving. Today, Wampanoag people pass out information about themselves and their culture, history, and role in the so-called Thanksgiving.

The modern celebration of Thanksgiving Day in the Plymouth area occasionally invites representatives of the Wampanoag Nation to give an account of historical facts about their people and forebears. Transcendent: This changing story ensures that Americans learn about the different and continuing struggles of Native Tribes and the need to appreciate Indigenous Peoples’ opinions.

Reimagining Thanksgiving with Respect and Awareness

Most recently, there became a concern about respecting the Native Americans and their perspectives towards Thanksgiving. Some schools, communities, and families have even started to embrace the history of the Wampanoag people and the truth of Indigenous peoples’ experiences on Thanksgiving. As for education, there are more and more discussions on the actual historical perspective of Thanksgiving Day. Therefore, students have a better picture of Native Americans and their tradition of Thanksgiving Day.

Erasing Thanksgiving is as easy as recognizing the land one is on, being informed about local Indian tribes, and donating to Native Americans. These steps promote respect as a way of handling the holiday; hence, it becomes a time for honoring the feeling of thankfulness.

During Our Moden Time

Native American Contributions and Thanksgiving Celebrations

Native Americans continue to play a role in creating the Thanksgiving story. Indigenous people mobilize Thanksgiving to celebrate their Native cultures and heritage through cultural performances, educational events, and advocacy for Indigenous rights. Most Native families enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with their favorite native dishes mixed with those from the American Thanksgiving celebration.

Some events, such as the National Day of Mourning or Indigenous celebrations in towns and cities, involve Native peoples standing in remembrance of Native American resistance. These events enable the community and other people in general to gain an insight into Native American history and the difficulties they face in the present.

Why Native American Perspectives Matter Today

People need to appreciate the view of Native Americans towards the celebration of Thanksgiving to have a detailed narrative history. Valuing the efforts of the Wampanoag people and acknowledging the struggles faced by Native people helped gain a deeper understanding of the celebration. Native Americans have an enjoyable, multifaceted, and important history and background, making them an undeniable part of American traditions. Thanksgiving, therefore, can be an opportunity to recognize and respect Indigenous people’s culture and history, both past and present.

A Thanksgiving of Reflection and Respect

Thanksgiving has a great historical background, traditions to follow, and even a lot of things to symbolize. However, having learned the use and abuses of the New World mammoth power by Europeans and how this event has gradually transformed into a festival of family and Thanksgiving, knowing that the hosts involved, especially the Wampanoag Indians, are out rightly erased from this historical record is quite sad. Basing our understanding on them shows that the indigenous peoples’ cultural enrichment, gifts, and strength are worth embracing this holiday because of.

In modern society, where groups of people are informed about Native Americans and the bitter truth about this so-called Thanksgiving, it acts as an opportunity to both give thanks and look back. To change how Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, it is possible to listen to the Native Americans’ history and accept a more comprehensive portrayal of Thanksgiving history.