Celebrations for Thanksgiving are approaching, and many people are excited for the parades, feasting, and time with family and friends. Many of us were taught in our school days that the holiday began when the pilgrims of Plymouth Massachusetts held a feast with their Native American friends. As the story stands, in 1620 the Native Americans assisted the pilgrims in learning how to survive the new world. When the pilgrims had learned to stand on their own two feet, they held the famous feast, known today as Thanksgiving, in 1621.
The tribe referred to in the tales is the Wampanoag. The Wampanoag is the overarching tribal name for several tribes, recognized federally today as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. Also residing in present day Massachusetts and recognized by the Commonwealth are the Chappaquiddick, Herring Pond, Assawompsett-Nemasket Band, and Pocasset Wampanoag tribes. One way to understand their tribal dynamic is that each of these tribes is like a state, and the greater whole of them can be paralleled to the United States.
Ninety native people and the remaining fifty or so surviving members of the Mayflower colonists attended this great feast. It lasted for three days and featured a variety of meat and vegetable dishes. Unfortunately, the peace did not last. As settlers continued pouring in, the Native Americans lost land, food stores, and much more to the diseases and weapons of Europeans. By 1675 the Wampanoags were at war with the colonists.
They were the first of many tribes to be affected by the European colonialism. The horrors endured by Native American Tribes during the founding of the United States are still coming out. Due to this many people have called into question whether or not the holiday should remain in practice.
For those who wish to learn more about the United States' dealings with the Indigenous populations, the Miller Academic Resource Center has an Indigenous people's display located outside the elevator on the second floor in honor of national Native American Heritage Month. You can also find more out here.
In addition, if you would like to learn more about the history of the Indigenous Tribes located in the Midwest, or anywhere around the world, you can follow this link to a map of Native-Land and the history, customs, languages, and treaties of these people.
This year let us honor the tradition of Thanksgiving by learning more about Indigenous Tribes to work on developing real relationships with them.
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