The
Thanksgiving Myth: Mistakes, Lies And Misconceptions About
American Indian People
28 November 2010By John Two-Hawks
Let me begin by stating that thousands of years before
the 'official' Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by
Governor Winthrop of the Massachussetts Bay Colony in
1637, North American Indigenous people across the
continent had celebrated seasons of Thanksgiving.
'Thanksgiving' is a very ancient concept to American
Indian nations. The big problem with the American
Thanksgiving holiday is its false association with
American Indian people. The infamous 'Indians and
pilgrims' myth. It is good to celebrate Thanksgiving,
to be thankful for your blessings. It is not good to
distort history, to falsely portray the origin of this
holiday and lie about the truth of its actual
inception. Here are some accurate historical facts
about the true origin of this American holiday that
may interest
you.........................................
'Thanksgiving' did not begin as a great loving
relationship between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag,
Pequot and Narragansett people. In fact, in October of
1621 when the 'pilgrim' survivors of their first
winter in Turtle Island sat down to share the first
unofficial 'Thanksgiving' meal,
the Indians who were there were not even invited!
There was no turkey, squash, cranberry sauce or
pumpkin pie. A few days before this alleged feast took
place, a company of 'pilgrims' led by Miles Standish
actively sought the head of a local Indian leader, and
an 11 foot high wall was erected around the entire
Plymouth settlement for the very purpose of keeping
Indians out! Officially, the holiday we know as
'Thanksgiving' actually came into existence in the
year 1637. Governor Winthrop of the Massachussetts Bay
Colony proclaimed this first official day of
Thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the return of
the colony's men who had arrived safely from what is
now Mystic, Connecticut. They had gone there to
participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot men,
women and children, and Mr. Winthrop decided to
dedicate an official day of thanksgiving complete with
a feast to 'give thanks' for their great 'victory'....
As hard as it may be to conceive, this is the actual
origin of our current Thanksgiving Day holiday. Many
American Indian people these days do not observe this
holiday, for obvious reasons. I see nothing wrong with
gathering with family to give thanks to our Creator
for our blessings and sharing a meal. I do, however,
hope that Americans as a whole will one day
acknowledge the true origin of this holiday, and
remember the pain, loss, and agony of the Indigenous
people who suffered at the hands of the so-called
'pilgrims'. It is my hope that children's plays about
'the first Thanksgiving', complete with Indians and
pilgrims chumming at the dinner table, will someday be
a thing of the past. Why perpetuate a lie? Let us face
the truths of the past, and give thanks that we are
learning to love one another for the rich human
diversity we share.
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