The Real Story of Thanksgiving - and it’s not so idyllic as you’ve been told
For the Wampanoag people, the events surrounding what is now known as the "First Thanksgiving" in 1621 were part of a complex and ultimately tragic history. The story begins not with a celebratory feast, but with decades of European contact that brought devastating diseases to the region between 1616 and 1619, killing an estimated 75-90% of the Wampanoag population.
When the Mayflower arrived in 1620, it landed in a Wampanoag village called Patuxet, which had been essentially wiped out by disease. The survivors had abandoned it, and the Pilgrims renamed it Plymouth. The land still belonged to the Wampanoag people, led by Massasoit (Ousamequin), who made a calculated diplomatic decision to ally with the English settlers.
The autumn gathering in 1621 that we now call "Thanksgiving" was not actually a planned celebration of thanks. According to Wampanoag oral history and archaeological evidence, it began when the Pilgrims fired celebratory shots into the air after their first harvest. Massasoit, hearing these shots and unsure if they signaled war, arrived with about 90 warriors to investigate. Finding the English celebrating, they decided to stay, and the Wampanoag hunters provided five deer as contributions to what became a three-day diplomatic gathering.
This gathering was not repeated annually. In fact, the relationship between the Wampanoag and English settlers deteriorated rapidly over the next fifty years. As more English colonists arrived, they increasingly encroached on Wampanoag land, leading to King Philip's War (1675-1676), one of the bloodiest conflicts in colonial American history. Many Wampanoag were killed or sold into slavery, and their population was devastated.
Today, the Wampanoag people continue to tell their story and maintain their cultural traditions. For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a National Day of Mourning, commemorating the genocide of their ancestors and the theft of their lands. The Mashpee Wampanoag and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribes, both federally recognized, continue to live in their ancestral homeland in Massachusetts, preserving their language, traditions, and telling their true history.
The creation of Thanksgiving as a US holiday actually had little to do with the 1621 gathering between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag. The modern American holiday was largely manufactured in the mid-19th century through the persistent efforts of Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book magazine.
Hale campaigned for about 40 years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, writing editorials and letters to multiple presidents. She was particularly motivated by her belief that a shared national holiday could help heal the growing divisions between the North and South before and during the Civil War.
In 1863, during the height of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln finally proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday, setting it on the last Thursday of November. His proclamation framed it as a day of unity and gratitude during a time of national crisis. The timing wasn't connected to any harvest or historical event - it was purely political, designed to foster a sense of American unity and shared tradition during the Civil War.
The connection to the Pilgrims and the "First Thanksgiving" narrative was largely retroactively constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as waves of new immigrants arrived in America. This sanitized version of history, which downplayed the violence of colonization and ignored Indigenous perspectives, was used in schools and popular culture to promote a particular vision of American identity and values. The story essentially functioned as a national origin myth, portraying European settlement as peaceful and divinely ordained while erasing the reality of Indigenous dispossession and genocide.
The modern iconography of Thanksgiving - the Pilgrim outfits, the peaceful feast, the shared turkey - was largely created through this same period of myth-making, and bears little resemblance to the actual historical events of 1621.
The real Thanksgiving story reminds us of the importance of learning from multiple perspectives and acknowledging the full complexity of our shared history. It serves as a powerful reminder that historical narratives often obscure the experiences of Indigenous peoples who continue to fight for recognition and justice today.
Taking Action: Supporting Indigenous Land Rights
Understanding history is important, but taking action is essential. Here are concrete ways you can support Indigenous communities and acknowledge your relationship to the land:
Research whose land you're on using resources like Native-Land.ca, and learn about the tribes who are the original stewards of your area.
Pay Land Tax or Shuumi Land Tax: Many regions have established voluntary land tax initiatives where non-Native people can make regular payments to support Indigenous communities and their land stewardship work. For example, the Sogorea Te' Land Trust collects Shuumi Land Tax in the San Francisco Bay Area to support Indigenous women-led land recovery.
Support Land Back initiatives: The Land Back movement works to restore Indigenous lands to Indigenous stewardship. This can mean supporting Indigenous-led land trusts, backing legal efforts to protect sacred sites, and advocating for the return of public lands to tribal nations.
Get involved with local Indigenous organizations: Connect with and support Indigenous-led organizations in your area that work on land restoration, cultural preservation, and environmental protection.
Advocate for Indigenous sovereignty: Support legislation that strengthens tribal sovereignty and protects Indigenous land rights. Stay informed about local issues affecting Indigenous communities and use your voice to support their causes.
Remember, these actions aren't just about addressing historical wrongs – they're about building a more just and sustainable future for all. By supporting Indigenous land stewardship, we contribute to environmental preservation, cultural resilience, and healing for both the land and its people.
References and Further Reading
Primary Sources and Indigenous Voices:
"Our Story: 400 Years of Wampanoag History" - Exhibit and educational materials by Plymouth 400 Inc., developed in collaboration with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Wampanoag Advisory Committee
Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England (2014), edited by Siobhan Senier
"Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James, Wampanoag" (1970) - Originally intended for delivery at Plymouth Rock, 350th Anniversary of the Pilgrims' landing
Academic Sources:
Lisa Brooks, "Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War" (Yale University Press, 2018)
David J. Silverman, "This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving" (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019)
Christine M. DeLucia, "Memory Lands: King Philip's War and the Place of Violence in the Northeast" (Yale University Press, 2018)
Contemporary Organizations and Resources:
Native Land Digital (native-land.ca) - Interactive map of Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties
Sogorea Te' Land Trust (sogoreate-landtrust.org) - Information about Shuumi Land Tax and Indigenous land stewardship
National Day of Mourning - United American Indians of New England (uaine.org)
Real Rent Duwamish (realrentduwamish.org) - Model program for voluntary land tax payments
Indigenous Environmental Network (ienearth.org) - Information about Land Back movement and environmental justice
Disease Impact and Population Studies:
Matthew Kruer, "Time of Pestilence: Disease and the Colonial Atlantic World" (University of Chicago Press, 2021)
Dean R. Snow and Kim M. Lamphear, "European Contact and Indian Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics" (Ethnohistory, 1988)
Note to readers: This is a living history that continues to evolve as new research emerges and as Indigenous voices increasingly shape the narrative. I encourage readers to prioritize Indigenous sources and perspectives, particularly those from Wampanoag scholars and community members, when learning about this history.
Connect with Local Indigenous Communities
To learn more about land acknowledgment and ways to support Indigenous communities in your area:
Contact your local tribal cultural centers
Visit tribal museums and cultural sites
Support Indigenous-led organizations in your region
Attend Indigenous-organized events and educational programs
Follow Indigenous news sources and social media accounts
For those of us located on the Central California Coast, check out: https://chumash.gov/
https://www.instagram.com/chumashfoundation/
