THANKSGIVING PDF Lesson Plan
https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/thanksgiving_poster.pdf
Recounting or not correcting this myth effectively says Native American history and perspective does not matter. But if we take a look at the myth, we can see it is just simply history — neither Native American nor Pilgrim.
There are several myths we can correct while preparing the turkey with our mother or father, or while helping our children set the Thanksgiving table:
First, and sadly, turkey, according to historians, was not likely served. Other fowl, like geese or duck, most likely was served, along with five deer provided by the Wampanoags. Additionally, there were no sweet potatoes. These were not grown. But pumpkins, succotash, and Indian corn were served.
Second, the Wampanoags were most likely not invited and simply crashed the harvest feast. The Pilgrims were celebrating their harvest and shooting guns and canons. The Wampanoags most likely responded by sending 90 warriors in response to the gunfire. What they came upon was a feast. The Pilgrims were fearful, as the Wampanoags outnumbered the Pilgrims two to one.
Third, Squanto was not as appreciated by the Pilgrims as we tend to think. Squanto was kidnapped as a boy and sold into slavery in Spain. He learned English so he could get home. Upon his return home, he found his entire village had been killed in battle or by disease brought by the colonists.
Fourth, the feast called Thanksgiving did not happen until 1637, 16 years after that initial harvest feast. The colonists launched an attack on the Pequot Nation after they found a murdered white man in 1636. This bloody massacre killed many and decimated the Pequot Nation. One day after the massacre, the then Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, William B. Newell, wrote that from that day forth it shall be a day of celebration and thanksgiving for subduing the Pequots. He wrote, “For the next 100 years, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor was in honor of the bloody victory, thanking God that the battle had been won.”
Thanksgiving, as we have come to know it, originated from a massacre.
There are more myths we unknowingly reproduce, but these are unsettling truths. Acknowledging the history of the holiday that we cherish is important, as it acknowledges the existence of Native people.
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude. We can be grateful for the correct history. We can take the unsettling feelings and explain to our children, friends, and parents that we don’t need Pilgrim and Indian decorations on our tables. We can tell our children that Native nations continue to thrive and are resilient. We can tell our children that we celebrate Thanksgiving as a day to give thanks for our bounty and not to commemorate the first Thanksgiving.
https://www.parentmap.com/article/a-native-american-perspective-on-the-thanksgiving-story
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