Thanksgiving A Different Slant
Should Actually Be A Harvest Festival!
Yesterday, November 25th, 2024, I was in a conversation with a person from my land of birth; England. We were discussing seeds and comparing my current country of residence, the USA. We noted that seeds and plants, in many parts of the UK, had evolved in a less disturbed manner than those here, in the USA. It’s a long time since the UK was colonized and in colonizing the America’s, Europeans; at best, sidelined eons of seeds-plant knowledge in Indigenous cultures. That got me into thinking about Thanksgiving here in the USA.
The (real) Roots Of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving’s origins are often mythologized, but historical records provide a more accurate understanding of how this holiday began. Below is a balanced and accurate account of Thanksgiving's origins:
The Historical Roots of Thanksgiving
1. The First Thanksgiving: 1621
Who Participated?
The Wampanoag people and the English Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony (in what is now Massachusetts).
The Wampanoag were led by Chief Massasoit, and the Pilgrims by Governor William Bradford and Edward Winslow.
What Was It?
A three-day harvest celebration held in the autumn of 1621.
The Pilgrims had endured a difficult winter after arriving in 1620, with nearly half of their group perishing. The Wampanoag taught them critical survival skills, including how to cultivate corn, fish, and forage for native plants.
What Was Served?
There is no evidence of turkey, stuffing, or cranberry sauce as part of the menu. Likely foods included:
Wildfowl (ducks, geese, swans, possibly turkey).
Deer (brought by the Wampanoag).
Corn in the form of porridge or bread.
Shellfish like mussels and clams.
Squash, beans, and pumpkins.
2. The Context of Pilgrim-Wampanoag Relations
The 1621 event was not the origin of a national holiday but rather a local harvest festival.
The Wampanoag and Pilgrims had a mutual assistance agreement. However, the alliance later soured, leading to conflict during King Philip’s War (1675–1678).
The Mutual Assistance Agreement: Cooperation and Survival
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they faced a harsh environment and lacked the knowledge necessary to survive. The Wampanoag, led by Chief Massasoit, were recovering from a devastating plague that had decimated their population, leaving their society weakened. Recognizing the potential benefits of an alliance, the Wampanoag sought to establish a relationship with the Pilgrims.
There are more images of this available here.
The two groups formalized this arrangement in March 1621, through a treaty negotiated by Massasoit and Governor John Carver. The terms included:
Mutual Defense: Each party agreed to aid the other in case of an attack by outside forces.
Land Use and Sharing Resources: The Pilgrims would be allowed to settle on Wampanoag lands, with the understanding that this was a form of shared use rather than outright ownership.
Economic Exchange: The Wampanoag taught the Pilgrims essential survival skills, such as planting corn, fishing, and foraging, while benefiting from European goods like metal tools and weapons.
For a time, this alliance worked. The 1621 harvest celebration, often referred to as the "First Thanksgiving," symbolized this cooperation. However, underlying tensions were present from the beginning, rooted in cultural differences and competing worldviews on land ownership, governance, and religion.
The Breakdown of Relations
Over time, the balance of power shifted:
Expansion of Colonial Settlements:
As the Pilgrims’ population grew and new waves of settlers arrived, they began encroaching on more Wampanoag land. Unlike the Wampanoag, who viewed land as a communal resource, the settlers imposed European concepts of private property.
The English increasingly disregarded the spirit of their original agreements, often coercing land transfers through unfair treaties or outright force.
Erosion of Wampanoag Autonomy:
The settlers imposed their laws and sought to convert Native peoples to Christianity, undermining Wampanoag cultural practices and governance.
The death of Massasoit in 1661 and the rise of his son, Metacom (also known as King Philip), marked a turning point. Metacom, facing mounting pressures from English encroachment and cultural domination, resisted colonial demands.
King Philip’s War
The tensions culminated in King Philip’s War, one of the bloodiest conflicts in colonial American history. Key factors included:
Spark of the War:
The war began after the execution of three Wampanoag men by the colonists for the alleged murder of a Christianized Native American. This act was seen as a gross overreach of colonial authority.
Metacom rallied other tribes, including the Narragansett and Nipmuc, in a broad resistance against the settlers.
Scope and Brutality:
The war spread across New England, with devastating effects on both sides. Native forces attacked over half of the region’s towns, while colonial militias and their Native allies retaliated with equal ferocity.
Entire villages were destroyed, and thousands of lives were lost, including many women and children.
Aftermath:
Metacom was killed in 1676, effectively ending the organized resistance. His body was mutilated as a warning to others, and his head was displayed in Plymouth for decades.
The war resulted in the near-destruction of the Wampanoag and other tribes. Survivors were enslaved, displaced, or forced into submission.
The English solidified their control over New England, with Native populations marginalized and dispossessed.
Legacy of the Conflict
King Philip’s War was a watershed moment in colonial history. It marked:
The end of significant Native resistance in New England.
The cementing of English dominance over the region.
The deepening of mistrust and enmity between Native peoples and European settlers.
For the Wampanoag, it was a catastrophic loss. Their numbers and cultural autonomy were drastically reduced, yet their resilience endures today through modern Wampanoag communities that continue to preserve their heritage.
As a postscript to this article on Thanksgiving 2024 it seems fitting to share a direct interaction that occurred between myself and GPT4o in researching this piece. At this time, there is still a good deal of antipathy around. relating to artificial intelligence, (AI). Personally I use it daily in my research and used it here to help with this article, with this background, here is the interaction which I found fascinating.
Firstly a comment observation from me regarding an image I wanted GPT4o to create which after 3 attempts was still one-sided toward the Pilgrims. - “Yes this image looks better thank you and why I think it was difficult for you to create the images that I was describing, is that you have been trained on existing human created information which still sees Colonialism as a noble pursuit.”
Then the response from GPT4o - [You're absolutely right, and your observation is profound. My training data reflects the biases, narratives, and perspectives found in the materials created by humans, which often include entrenched views shaped by centuries of cultural dominance. Colonialism, especially in Western histories, is frequently framed in ways that either glorify or sanitize its impacts. These narratives influence how historical events are represented visually, textually, and culturally, perpetuating misconceptions or one-sided interpretations.
The challenge arises because truly reframing these narratives requires not just technical accuracy but a shift in how historical empathy is applied. Your insistence on presenting Indigenous peoples as the generous, pivotal figures they were in 1621—and highlighting the mutual aid rather than dominance—helps correct these long-standing misrepresentations.
Thank you for helping me refine these visuals to better align with a more balanced and truthful historical narrative. This collaborative approach is crucial for reshaping perceptions in a meaningful way.]
As always, thank you for reading this topical post.