For me, Thanksgiving has always been my holiday of choice. It’s a time
when families come together to eat, rejoice, and celebrate the holiday without
the responsibility, and sometimes burden, of foraging into the crowded commercial
world to buy presents.
I like the idea of the Pilgrims gathering together to thank the
Almighty for their survival and also to invite and thank the Native Americans of
the Wampanoag tribe who were helpful in their endeavor. Unfortunately, what we
believe about the Pilgrims isn’t all facts or truth.
They did not come for religious freedom and liberty. In fact, the
Pilgrims were intolerant of other religions and had specific ideas about how to
worship God. They were Separatists who thought the church of the Old World was
corrupt. When they did decide to set sail for America, after living in the
Netherlands for nine years, they were forced to allow strangers to set sail
with them because of financial difficulties. These strangers and the strict
Pilgrims, although not in favor or fond of each other, banded together to enact
the Mayflower Compact, which affirmed in a time of crisis, a monarch’s
authority could be set aside, but the consent of the governed never could be.
It was a ground-breaking document for future generations.
Neither were the Pilgrims allies with all the Indian tribes in the
area. They did make friends with Samoset, a Wampanoag Indian warrior, and later
formed an alliance with his chief, Massasoit. Why? The Pilgrims had lost half their population over the winter from sickness, cold, and lack of proper food.
In turn, the Wampanoag tribe had lost most of its population to an epidemic
brought by European coastal fisherman. Since both groups were vulnerable to
attack or domination by other tribes, the Pilgrims and Wampanoags needed each
other for protection and the security in numbers.
Thanksgiving came about when Tisquantum [Squantum] from the Wampanoags
helped the settlers planted corn, squash, and beans, using fish for fertilizer,
in the spring. The Pilgrims also built more houses, fished the local waters,
and traded with the Native Americans. As fall approached, they gathered to rejoice
together after their first successful harvest was completed.
According to old records, there is no mention of inviting the
Wampanoags to the feast, but Massasoit appeared with ninety men who bagged five
deer to add meat to the meal. They stayed for three days and played games.
When we sit down at our tables this year to eat pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed
potatoes, and all the many delicious foods, we need to thank these tenacious forefathers
for establishing a colony at Providence Harbor, Massachusetts. And let us also give
thanks to Abraham Lincoln who proclaimed Thanksgiving a
national holiday for all to enjoy.
