"THANKSGIVING"
As we know it today
Came after the event below
The year was 1637.....700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe,
gathered for their "Annual Green Corn Dance" in the area that is now known as
Groton, Conn.
While they were gathered in this place of meeting, they were surrounded and
attacked by mercenaries of the English and Dutch. The Indians were ordered
from the building and as they came forth, they were shot down. The rest were
burned alive in the building.
The next day, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared : "A day
of Thanksgiving, thanking God that they had eliminated over 700 men, women
and children. For the next 100 years, every "Thanksgiving Day" ordained by a
Governor or President was to honor that victory, thanking God that the battle
had been won.
Source: Documents of Holland, 13 Volume Colonial Documentary History,
letters and reports form colonial officials to their superiors and the King in
England and the private papers of Sir William Johnson, British Indian agent for
the New York colony for 30 years. Researched by William B. Newell (Penobscot
Tribe) Former Chairman of the University of Connecticut Anthropology
Department.
"Thanksgiving" a National Day of Mourning
An editorial by Publisher/Editor - Terri J Andrews
Never before in the history of America has a subset of this country's
population been so misrepresented, lied about, and viciously condemned and
criticized than the Native American Indians. Our own history books present a censored
and false past that glorifies the "proud, pure and righteous" settlers,
while stereotyping the original inhabitants as wild savages in war bonnets,
running through the forest looking for food and scalping innocent children and
women.
Take a look through a child's history book and you will often note an image
of the pilgrims, colonists and pioneers that include log cabins, the pursuit
of religious freedom and a strong sense of community. Now look for references
to the Native peoples - words such as "primitive", "massacre", "Earth Gods"
and "religious rituals" fill those same pages. Often times, paintings of the
Native Indians hiding behind trees with tomahawks, watching the unsuspecting
Europeans, are wrongly depicted to children.
This is a common thread woven through the fabric of American history - a lie
that ties together a past built on stolen tradition and absent information
retold in books authored by non-Native Americans.
The Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect example of censorship and the
rewriting of truth. A portrait painted of the friendly Indians and the openhearted
pilgrims coming together to feast after a long, sorry winter is accepted and
tolerated by the American community. But this portrait is not correct. The
story is much deeper than that; so much deeper that the Native American Indian
community calls this day - The National Day of Mourning - and stages rallies to
protest the holiday. Their reasons are valid. The true story of Thanksgiving
is not something a country should be proud of.
Pilgrims and the Pure Truth
The Pilgrims of New England, who came to this country in 1620, were not
simple refugees from England fighting against oppression and religious
discrimination. They were political revolutionaries and part of the Puritan movement,
which was considered objectionable and unorthodox by the King of the Church of
England. They were outcasts in their own country, plotting to take over the
government, causing some of the settlers to become fugitives in their own
country.
These Puritan Pilgrims saw themselves as the "chosen elect", from the
Bibles' Book of Revelations and traveled to America to build "The Kingdom of God",
also from Revelations. Strict with the scripture, they considered an enemy of
anyone who did not follow suit. These beliefs were eventually transmitted to
the other colonists, and the Puritan belief system quickly spread across the
New England area.
Plymouth Rock of 1620 - Myth or Fact?
This is from an account of the Pilgrims landing -from the book The American
Tradition. Is it myth or factual?
" After some exploring, the Pilgrims chose the land around Plymouth Harbor
for their settlement. Unfortunately, they arrived in December and were not
prepared for the New England weather. However, they were aided by friendly
Indians, who gave them food and showed them how to grow corn. When warm weather
came, the colonists planted, fished, hunted and prepared themselves for the
next winter. After harvesting their first crop, they and their Indian friends
celebrated the first Thanksgiving. "
Answer - BOTH! The American Tradition account is a mix of myth and fact.
Here's why:
Fact:
1. Yes, the "Pilgrims" did come to America in 1620.
2. Yes they were inapt to care for themselves due to the harshness of the
winter and their lack of stored food and supplies.
3. Yes, they did have a "feast".
Myth:
1. They were NOT met by "friendly" Indians who waved them in from the banks
or welcomed their arrival. The Native people did not trust the whites, having
encountered such foreigners before and suffering severe consequences. The
Natives took pity on the settlers and only a (very) few Native Americans were
actually "friendly" to the newcomers.
2. The Native community did not help the colonists because of a deep
friendship, rather it was a custom of their culture and religion to help those who
were in need.
3. The two groups did NOT come together to celebrate the harvest, as
friends, and rejoice in the "first" Thanksgiving. They were meeting to discuss land
rights.
4. Lastly, it was NOT the first Thanksgiving. An Autumnal harvest and
banquet were a tradition of the Native people - a celebration that was a part of
their culture for centuries.
The REAL story of the "first" Thanksgiving
In December of 1620 a splinter group of England's Puritan movement set
anchor on American soil, a land already inhabited by the Wampanoag Indians. Having
been unprepared for the bitter cold weather, and arriving too late to grow
an adequate food supply, nearly half of the 100 settlers did not survive the
winter.
On March 16th, 1621, a Native Indian from the Saco Tribe of the Abenaki
people named Samoset met the Englishmen for the first time. Samoset spoke
excellent English, as did Squanto, a bilingual Patuxet, both having been taken back
to Europe earlier as slaves. It was these two who served as interpreters
between the colonists and the Wampanoag Indians, who, lead by Chief Massasoit,
were dressed as fierce warriors and outnumbered the settlers.
The Wampanoag already had a long history with the white man. For 100 years
prior to the Pilgrim landing, they had encounters with European fishermen, as
well as those who worked for slave traders. They had witnessed their
communities being raided and their people stolen to be sold into slavery. They did
not trust the newcomers.
But Squanto was an exception. He had lived with the British, after being
captured by an earlier sailing vessel. He had a deep fondness for the Europeans
- particularly that for a British Explorer named John Weymouth, who treated
Squanto like a son.
Chief Massasoit and Samoset arrived at the colony with over 60 men, plus
Squanto, who acted as a mediator between the two parties. Squanto was successful
at making a peaceful agreement, though it is most likely that there was a
great deal of friction between the Native community and the colonists.
The Englishmen felt that the Native peoples were instruments of the devil
because of their spiritual beliefs and trusted only the Christian-baptized
Squanto. The Native people were already non-trusting of the white man, except for
Squanto, who looked at the Europeans as being of "Johns People."
It was Squanto who then moved to the English colony and taught them to hunt,
trap, fish and to cultivate their own crops. He educated them on natural
medicine and living off the land. A beloved friend of the Pilgrims, for if it
wasn't for him, they would not if survived. The Puritan Pilgrims thought of him
as an Instrument of God.
Several months later the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims decided to meet again to
negotiate a land treaty needed by the settlers. They hoped to secure land to
build the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. The Native people agreed to
meet for a 3-day negotiation "conference" Several months later the Wampanoag
and the Pilgrims decided to meet again to negotiate a land treaty needed by the
settlers. They hoped to secure land to build
The peace and land negotiations were successful and the Pilgrims acquired
the rights of land for their people.
In 1622 propaganda started to circulate about this "First Thanksgiving" In
1622 propaganda started to circulate about this "First Thanksgiving"
Mourts Relation, a book written to publicize the so-called "wonderfulness" of
Plymouth, told of the meeting as a friendly feast with the Natives. The
situation was glamorized by the Pilgrims, possibly in an effort to encourage more
Puritans to settle in their area. By stating that the Native community was warm
and open-armed, the ne
The sad, sad truth (what happened next)
What started as a hope for peace between the settlers and the Wampanoag,
ended in the most sad and tragic way. The Pilgrims, once few in number, had now
grown to well over 40,000 and the Native American strength had weakened to
less than 3,000. By 1675, one generation later, tension had grown between the
Europeans and the Native Indians. The Wampanoag called in reinforcements from
other surrounding tribes.
Metacomet, heir and son of Chief Massasoit, became Chief of the Wampanoag
Nation. The English, who referred to Metacomet as King Phillip, started a war
between the two parties when they unjustly tried and convicted three innocent
Wampanoags of murdering an Englishman, John Sassamon, even though it was well
know and accepted that Sassamon's death was truthfully caused by an
accidental fall in a frozen pond.
Metacomet, furious and in despair, sought revenge for the deaths of his
tribesmen by declaring war. The settlers killed another Native man, hence setting
off the beginning of what is now known as "King Phillips War." Many Native
communities throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut rallied with the
Wampanoags, but the power of the English was overpowering. Metacomet moved many of
his people to New York. Sadly, his wife and 9-year-old son were captured and
sold into slavery. Brokenhearted, he returned to his homeland - and was soon
killed.
His death ends the Kings Phillips War and the remaining Wampanoags, and
their allies, were either killed or deported as slaves for thirty shillings each.
This slave trade was so successful that several Puritan ship owners began a
slave-trading business by raiding the coast for Native American Indians and
trading them for black slaves of Africa. The black slaves were then sold to
colonists in the south. Hence, the Pilgrims were one of the founders of the
American-based slave trading industry.
Thanksgiving Today
For many Native American Indians of present day, the traditional
"Thanksgiving" holiday is not recognized as the Pilgrim/Indian day popularized in
children's history books; rather it is a day of sorrow and shame. Sorrow for the
fallen lives of those who were lost so long ago, and shame for living in a
country who honors people who used religion and self-righteousness to condone
murder, treachery and slavery.
For the many in the Native community, "Thanksgiving" is a day to reflect on
what has happened (past and present); to pray to the Creator that more people
will know of the truth and show respect towards the fallen culture; to fast
the body; to protest the commercialization of Thanksgiving; to share their
time with the less fortunate in soup kitchens or shelters; and some take part
in a family meal, honoring the spirit of Chief Massasoit and his initial
charity and intentions of the Wampanoag Indians — who first came to initiate a
peace agreement between them and the newcomers.
Celebrating the spirit of the holiday - without the propaganda that is
attached, is a respectful way to share the day with the Native American people.
Understanding the true historical significance of their contributions to the
day, as well as what the consequences of their efforts led to be, is even more
important. Without the assistance of Squanto, and the agreement for peace
made between the two cultures, I find it unlikely that the settlers would have
lived so well or even lived at all.
The Native people died so that the colony could flourish. They need to be
remembered, respected and mourned. With them - the Native forefathers - is a
much better place to lay your fondness and your thanks.
It is with their spirit of generosity and charity that you should place your
foundation for a true and honest "Thanksgiving. I
Live as though today is all you have, give thanks everyday for what you
have, share your good fortune and knowledge with others in need and never go to
sleep at night ashamed of your deeds.
Additional information at:
_Thanksgiving: The National Day of Mourning_
(http://www.nativevi llage.org/Inspiration-/Thanksgiving%20The%20National%20Day%20of%20Mourning.htm)
(http://www.blackcom mentator.com/207/207_ day_of_mourning_ wampsutta. html)
_The Black Commentator - Thanksgiving: The National Day of Mourning_
(http://www.blackcom mentator.com/207/207_day_of_mourning_ wampsutta. html)
_National Day of Mourning_ (http://www.pilgrimh all.org/daymourn htm)
_“Thanksgiving”- a National Day of Mourning_
(http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/turquoisebutterfly/thanksgiving.html)
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