Native Americans and the First Thanksgiving
2021-11-25
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1The Thanksgiving holiday is when Americans try to spend time with family, eat a tasty meal and give thanks for the meaningful things in life.
2This year, the holiday falls on November 25.
3The historical facts of the holiday, however, have long been debated.
4Ramona Peters is a historic preservation officer of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in the state of Massachusetts.
5The Native American group was part of what is said to be the first Thanksgiving in 1621.
6She describes the first Thanksgiving this way:
7In the fall of 1621, early settlers called Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest in the New England area of the present-day United States.
8They celebrated by firing guns and cannons in Plymouth.
9The noise surprised ancestors of the modern-day Wampanoag Nation. So, they went to investigate.
10This is how native people came to be present at the first Thanksgiving, Peters said.
11She added that the time was marked by mistrust and tension.
12The description of the events suggests that paintings showing Native Americans sitting down for a peaceful meal with colonial families is largely a lie.
13The Wampanoag might have shared food with the Pilgrims during their fact-finding mission.
14But they also hunted for food and probably ate very different things than the foods connected with today's Thanksgiving holiday.
15What was actually eaten at that first Thanksgiving was likely much different than the turkey, potatoes and stuffing that many American families eat today.
16That information comes from an expert at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
17"We...know turkey was plentiful in Plymouth Colony, but we don't know for certain that it was served at the meal," Plimoth Plantation's Kate Sheehan told VOA in an email.
18She also believes seafood might have been among the foods served.
19"Mussels, lobster and eel were available as well, and enjoyed by both the English and Wampanoag."
20Plimoth Plantation attempts to copy the Plymouth Colony settlement established by English colonists in the 1600s.
21Modern experts can make educated guesses about what might else have been on the first Thanksgiving table.
22It is likely that many kinds of vegetables and herbs were among the available foods.
23"English gardens probably produced cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, colewort (or collards), parsnips, turnips, beets, onions, radishes, lettuce and spinach, as well as sage, thyme, parsley, marjoram, fennel, anise and dill," Sheehan said.
24"Wampanoag and English women also cultivated beans and squashes, including pumpkins," she added.
25Americans now celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November.
26But historians do not know the date of the very first Thanksgiving.
27"We know it took place over three days sometime between mid-September and early November in 1621, and was considered a harvest celebration following a successful planting of multicolored flint corn, or maize," Sheehan explained.
28It was not until 1863, during the Civil War, that Thanksgiving became a national holiday.
29Some explanations say President Abraham Lincoln supported the idea of an idealistic Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing the country together.
30Peters, of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, said a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale had a part in the holiday's development.
31Hale was the editor of an influential women's magazine.
32She said Hale had told President Lincoln that a national Thanksgiving holiday would help unite the war-torn country.
33"It was a socio-political move to try to reunite the North and the South after the Civil War to have this national holiday," Peters said.
34"It was actually a pretty smart move to establish something to unite families.
35During the Civil War, a lot of families actually split down the middle, brothers against brothers."
36Today, Native Americans mark Thanksgiving in different ways.
37Some consider it a day of mourning because of the destruction that colonization and displacement caused for their people.
38Others gather with their families, but they do not think about the Pilgrims.
39Peters said native people celebrate many thanksgivings throughout the year.
40They celebrate when certain crops come in or when fish return to release their eggs in nearby waters.
41Giving thanks, Peters added, is a big part of the Wampanoag members' spiritual life.
42I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter.
1The Thanksgiving holiday is when Americans try to spend time with family, eat a tasty meal and give thanks for the meaningful things in life. This year, the holiday falls on November 25. 2The historical facts of the holiday, however, have long been debated. 3Ramona Peters is a historic preservation officer of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in the state of Massachusetts. The Native American group was part of what is said to be the first Thanksgiving in 1621. 4She describes the first Thanksgiving this way: 5In the fall of 1621, early settlers called Pilgrims celebrated their first successful harvest in the New England area of the present-day United States. They celebrated by firing guns and cannons in Plymouth. The noise surprised ancestors of the modern-day Wampanoag Nation. So, they went to investigate. 6This is how native people came to be present at the first Thanksgiving, Peters said. She added that the time was marked by mistrust and tension. 7The description of the events suggests that paintings showing Native Americans sitting down for a peaceful meal with colonial families is largely a lie. 8The Wampanoag might have shared food with the Pilgrims during their fact-finding mission. But they also hunted for food and probably ate very different things than the foods connected with today's Thanksgiving holiday. 9What was served on the first Thanksgiving? 10What was actually eaten at that first Thanksgiving was likely much different than the turkey, potatoes and stuffing that many American families eat today. That information comes from an expert at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 11"We...know turkey was plentiful in Plymouth Colony, but we don't know for certain that it was served at the meal," Plimoth Plantation's Kate Sheehan told VOA in an email. She also believes seafood might have been among the foods served. "Mussels, lobster and eel were available as well, and enjoyed by both the English and Wampanoag." 12Plimoth Plantation attempts to copy the Plymouth Colony settlement established by English colonists in the 1600s. Modern experts can make educated guesses about what might else have been on the first Thanksgiving table. It is likely that many kinds of vegetables and herbs were among the available foods. 13"English gardens probably produced cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, colewort (or collards), parsnips, turnips, beets, onions, radishes, lettuce and spinach, as well as sage, thyme, parsley, marjoram, fennel, anise and dill," Sheehan said. 14"Wampanoag and English women also cultivated beans and squashes, including pumpkins," she added. 15When did they celebrate? 16Americans now celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. But historians do not know the date of the very first Thanksgiving. 17"We know it took place over three days sometime between mid-September and early November in 1621, and was considered a harvest celebration following a successful planting of multicolored flint corn, or maize," Sheehan explained. 18It was not until 1863, during the Civil War, that Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Some explanations say President Abraham Lincoln supported the idea of an idealistic Thanksgiving in hopes of bringing the country together. 19Peters, of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, said a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale had a part in the holiday's development. Hale was the editor of an influential women's magazine. She said Hale had told President Lincoln that a national Thanksgiving holiday would help unite the war-torn country. 20"It was a socio-political move to try to reunite the North and the South after the Civil War to have this national holiday," Peters said. 21"It was actually a pretty smart move to establish something to unite families. During the Civil War, a lot of families actually split down the middle, brothers against brothers." 22How do Native Americans celebrate today? 23Today, Native Americans mark Thanksgiving in different ways. Some consider it a day of mourning because of the destruction that colonization and displacement caused for their people. Others gather with their families, but they do not think about the Pilgrims. 24Peters said native people celebrate many thanksgivings throughout the year. They celebrate when certain crops come in or when fish return to release their eggs in nearby waters. 25Giving thanks, Peters added, is a big part of the Wampanoag members' spiritual life. 26I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Mario Ritter. 27Editor's note: This story is an adaptation of a VOA report first published on November 22, 2018 28Dora Mekouar reported this story for VOA. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English with some additional material. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 29We want to hear from you. Can a holiday have two different meanings? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 30__________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32guess -n. an attempt to give an opinion or answer about something when you do not know much about it or are not sure about it 33idealistic -adj. the ideas of a person who believes that it is possible to live by very high rules of behavior and honesty 34cultivate -v. to grow, raise or develop 35table -n. a piece of furniture that has a flat top and one or more legs 36certain -adj. used to modify something or someone that is not named specifically 37herb -n. a plant or part of a plant that is used as medicine or to prepare food 38stuffing -n. a seasoned food mixture that is often put inside another food