3 Things to Know About Thanksgiving

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian has me on their mailing list, and so I get direct information sometimes.  Interestingly (to me anyway), I already knew all three of the facts – what I didn’t know was that November is Native American Heritage month  And now it’s already more than half over.

I suspect everyone who comes here already knows the three facts too.  But it’s still a good time to remember them:

FACT: Yes, there was a feast. For the Wampanoag people who first encountered English settlers at Plymouth, giving daily thanks for nature’s gifts was a vitally important tradition. Today they are often portrayed as nameless generic “Indians” who gathered as supporting players. The truth is they played a lead role in this historic encounter. Explorers meticulously detailed their travels and first experiences with Indigenous people, and the written account of one “Thanksgiving” feast, merely a footnote in a journal, became a symbol of cordiality between Natives and Pilgrims. Of course, those initial interactions were rarely without conflict. Over 200 years later, the first official proclamation of a national Thanksgiving holiday was made by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

FACT: Complex and sophisticated civilizations predate the founding of America. Tribal coalitions and governing bodies were in place long before the English colonies were established. The Wampanoag, like hundreds of other tribes in northern America, were far from “wild savages”, but were a sophisticated society who had long occupied the region for thousands of years. The story and depictions around Thanksgiving are told from the perspective of the Pilgrims, and that Eurocentric view has become widely accepted as fact. One of the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving is by learning about the Native peoples of America—their traditions and ways of life—before and after European colonization.

FACT: Stereotypes persist and remain harmful, even today. The Americans exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian explores how negative depictions of Native Americans permeate our society—from commercial brands to classic western films. While we celebrate the name changes like that of the Washington Football Team, our work is not done. It’s imperative to continue these conversations, especially around Thanksgiving, to help people educate themselves and unlearn the myths about Native communities.

This Thanksgiving, although we are not out of the woods yet, we have a lot to be thankful for.  May that continue and increase for the rest of the holiday season, and in the New Year.

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Of course it isn’t Thanksgiving without food -some kind of food -wrapped up in history (or maybe myth, or both) and traditions.  So what do you say to a couple of recipes from the National Museum of the Holocaust’s files?

Apple Tart – and – Green pea Soup

Walnut Cream Cake (which is even gluten free)

And of course each one has a story.