The First People

In1620,theareafromNarragansettBayineasternRhodeIslandtotheAtlanticOceaninsoutheasternMassachusetts,includingCapeCod,Martha’sVineyardandNantucket,wasthehomeoftheWampanoag.Althoughculturally,politically,religiously,andeconomicallysimilartotheNarragansettpeopletothewest,WampanoagsdidnotspeakthesamelanguageandconsideredtheNarragansetttheirtraditionalenemies.

TheWampanoagpracticedagricultureandfollowedaseasonalroundof gardening and fishing nearthecoastinspringandsummer,movingtoshelteredinlandlocationsforhuntinginfallandwinter.Theycultivatedseveralvarietiesofcorn,beans,andsquash.Theseweredriedandstoredinundergroundcachesand—alongwithnumerouswildvegetables,nuts,andfruits—tradedtoothergroupsforthingstheyneeded,butdidnotproducethemselves.

Wampanoag society was stratified and social positionwasinherited.Eachvillagewasheadedbyaleadercalledasachem,whoruledbypersuasionandbyconsentofthepeople.Ordinarily,thesachemshipwaspasseddownthroughthemalelinein“royal”

families,butawomancouldinheritthepositioniftherewasnomaleheir.Asachemcouldbeusurpedbysomeonebelongingtoasachemfamilywhowasabletogarnertheallegianceofenoughpeople.Anunjustorunwise sachem could find himself with no one to lead, assachemshadnoauthoritytoforcethepeopletodothings.Ifpeopledidnotliketheirsachem,theywerefreetomoveandswitchallegiances.

Therewere69autonomousvillageswithintheWampanoagnation.Thesachemofeachvillagecollectedtributefromthepeopleofhisvillage,suchasaportionofthehuntandtheharvest.Thisfoodwasredistributedtotheneedyofeachvillage.In1620,one very influential sachem oftheWampanoagwasaremarkablestatesmannamedMassasoit.

Spiritualbeliefsinvolvedareciprocalrelationshipwithnature.Offeringsintheformoffoodandpreciousobjects,suchasshellbeads,weregivenbacktotheearthtoexpressthankfulnessandrespecttosupernaturalbeings.TheWampanoagpeopleunderstoodthatonecouldn’tkeeptakingfromtheearthwithoutgivingsomethingback.IthaslongbeencustomaryforhorticulturalIndianpeopletohaveceremoniesinwhichtheyexpresstheirthanksforabountifulharvest.TheWampanoagcelebrated

Harvest Ceremony BEYOND THE THANKSGIVING MYTH

Summary:Native American people who first encountered the “pilgrims” at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts play a major role in the imagination of American people today. Contemporary celebrations of the Thanksgiving holiday focus on the idea that the “first Thanksgiving” was a friendly gathering of two disparate groups—or even neighbors—who shared a meal and lived harmoniously. In actuality, the assembly of these people had much more to do with political alliances, diplomacy, and an effort at rarely achieved, temporary peaceful coexistence. Although Native American people have always given thanks for the world around them, the Thanksgiving celebrated today is more a combination of Puritan religious practices and the European festival called Harvest Home, which then grew to encompass Native foods.

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theirharvestwithaceremonythatcombinedfeasting,dancing,andceremonialgameswitha“giveaway”inwhichfamiliesgaveawaypersonalpossessionstoothersinthecommunitywhowereinneed.

From1616–1617,threetofouryearsbeforetheEuropeanadventurersandreligiousrefugeesanchored the Mayflower in Cape Cod Bay, the Indians ofsouthernNewEnglandhadbeendecimatedbydiseasesintroducedbyEuropeanexplorers.Theeffectsofthediseaseswereparticularlyhardfeltalongthecoast.Wholevillageswerewipedout;historiansestimatethatasmanyasthree-fourthsoftheWampanoagswerekilled.TheentirepopulationoftheWampanoagvillageofPatuxetwaswipedoutbyaterribleplague.WhenEuropeansfoundedPlimothPlantationamidtheruinsofPatuxet,theyfoundthehumanboneslitteringthegroundbecausetherehadbeennoonelefttoburythedead.

The Immigrants

AmajorityofthosewhocametoAmericanon the Mayflower came to make a profit from the productsoftheland,therestwerereligiousdissenterswho fled their own country to escape religious intolerance.Thelittlebandofreligiousrefugeesandentrepreneurs that arrived on the Mayflower that Decemberof1620waspoorlypreparedtosurvive.Theydidnotbringenoughfood,andtheyarrivedtoolatetoplant.Theywerenotfamiliarwiththeareaandlackedtheknowledge,tools,andexperiencetoeffectivelyutilizethebountyofnaturethatsurroundedthem. For the first several months, two or three diedeachdayfromscurvy,lackofadequateshelter,andpoornutrition.Ononeexplorationtrip,thesettlersfoundastoragepitandstolethecornthataWampanoagfamilyhadsetasideforthenextseason.

Contact

TheWampanoagwerefacingdangerofadifferentkind.Theirenemies,theNarragansett,wholivedtothewest,werehardlyaffectedbytheepidemic.TheywerenowmuchmorenumerousthantheWampanoag,andthebalanceofpowerwastippingintheirfavor.TheWampanoagwereundergoingpressurefromtheNarragansett,whowerebeginningtodemandtributefromsomeWampanoagvillages.

TheWampanoag,seekingamilitarybefriendedtheEuropeans,whopossessedformidableweaponswiththeirmusketsandfowlingpieces.TwoIndianmenwhoknewhowtospeakEnglishmadetheinitialadvances.Samoset,anAbenakifromMaine,andTisquantum,aWampanoag,hadbothlearnedEnglishasslavesinEurope.Tisquantum(calledSquantobytheEuropeans)wasaPatuxetWampanoagwhohadbeenkidnappedbyEuropeansandsoldintoslaveryafewyearsbeforetheepidemic.Afterseveralyears,he was able to find a ship that was coming back and returnedhome.WhenTisquantumfoundhiswaytohisvillage,hediscoveredhewastheonlylivingPatuxetleft.

As the “starving time” of the European’s first winterturnedtospring,Tisquantumbegantoteachthesettlershowtosurviveandhesetupameetingbetween Massasoit and the first Governor of Plimoth, JohnCarver.Massasoitthennegotiatedapeacetreatywiththenewcomersinwhichtheypledgedtomaintainfriendlyrelationsandtocometoeachother’saidincaseofoutsideattack,amongotherthings.

ThesummerpassedandTisquantumhelpedthenewcomerslearntoplantandcarefornativecrops,to hunt and fish, and to do all the things necessary to partakeofthenaturalabundanceoftheearthinthisparticularplace.

The Harvest Celebration

AsaresultofthehelptheEuropeansreceivedfromtheirnewallies,theyovercametheirinexperience and—by the fall of their first year inWampanoagcountry,1621—theyachievedasuccessful harvest. They planted their fields with a mixtureofEuropeanseedsandcorngiventothembyMassasoit.Theirforeignseedsdidnotdowell,butthecorncropsavedthem.Theydecidedtocelebratetheirsuccesswithaharvestfestival,theHarvestHome,whichtheymostlikelyhadmostlikelycelebratedaschildreninEurope.TheHarvestHomeconsistedofnon-stopfeastinganddrinking,sportingevents,andparading in the fields shooting off muskets. This is the celebrationthatEdwardWinslowrelatesinhisletterofDecember11,1621.Thisletteristheprinciplesurviving written record specifically describing the eventsofthe“FirstThanksgiving.”

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Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labours. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king, Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted. And they went out and killed five deer which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our Governor and upon the Captain and others.�

Althoughthereisnothinginthislettertosuggestthegivingofthanks,thisisthecelebrationthathastraditionallybeenassociatedwiththecontemporaryThanksgivingholiday.The“FirstThanksgiving”wasbasedoncustomsthattheEuropeansbroughtwiththem.AlthoughtraditionalWampanoagfoodssuchaswildduck,goose,andturkeywerepartofthemenu,theIndiancontributiontotheevent was five deer, which were roasted. The robust ale,madefromtheonesuccessfulEnglishcropofbarley,wasthemainnon-Nativefood.Inmanywaysthisthree-dayfeastsymbolizesararelyachievedrelationshipofpeacefulcoexistencebetweenIndiansandEuropeansinthe17thcentury.

Afterward

AlthoughthepeacefulrelationsestablishedbyMassasoitwereoftenstrainedbydishonest,aggressive,andbrutalactionsonthepartofthecolonists,Massasoitkepthispartofthetreatyallhislife.Uponhisdeathin1661,fortyyearsafterthelanding of the first “boat people,” the fragile peace begantodeteriorate.In1675,full-scalewarerupted,endingwiththedefeatoftheWampanoagunderMassasoit’sson,Pometacom,calledKingPhilipby

� Mourt, George. A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth: Mourt’sRelation.NewYork:CorinthBooks,1963.

theEnglish.ThoughdecimatedbyEuropeandiseasesanddefeatedinwar,theWampanoagcontinuedtosurvivethroughfurthercolonizationintheeighteenth,nineteenth,andtwentiethcenturies.

The Wampanoag Today

TodaythethreeprimarycommunitiesofWampanoagpeopleinMassachusettsareMashpeeon Cape Cod, Aquinnah (Gay Head) on Martha’s Vineyard,andHerringPondinsouthPlymouth.AquinnahandMashpeearebothfederallyrecognizedtribes,Aquinnahhavingbeensosince1987and

MashpeesinceMay2007.TheWampanoagpeoplelivewithintheirancestralhomelandsandstilllargelysustainthemselvesastheirancestorsdidbyhunting,fishing, gardening, and gathering. There are many fine artistswhopracticetraditionalbasketry,woodcarving,pottery,andwampum-making.

WhiletherewereseveralgenerationsinwhichtheWampanoaglanguagewas

notinuse,theWampanoagLanguageReclamationProjecthasnowbeenongoingforthepasttwelveyears.Thereisasteadilygrowingincrease in fluency, and young children hearing it as a first language. Additionally, the Wampanoag maintain arichandvitaloralhistoryandconnectiontotheland.TheMashpeeWampanoagholdtheirannualpowwowonthe4thofJulyweekendeveryyearandtheAquinnahhosttheirannualgatheringinSeptember.

ThanksgivingisacombinationofPuritanreligiouspracticesandtheEuropeanharvestfestival,whichnowincludesNativefoods.Itisstillcomposedofadisplayofplenty,focusedonanelaboratefeast.Today’sThanksgivingfootballgamesarethemodernequivalentoftheEnglishfarmer’smedievalharvest-timetraditionofstagingsportingevents,suchasleaping,vaulting,andarchery.Theturkeyshoot,whichsurvivesinsomeareas,hasevolvedfromthemedievalpracticeof“exercisingarms.”

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Classroom Discussion Topics

•Theharvestcelebrationof17thcenturysettlersatPlimouthpresentsaverydifferentimagefromwhatwegenerallythinkofasthe“FirstThanksgiving”betweenPilgrimsandIndians.HowfaroffisthemodernstoryofThanksgivingfromwhatactuallyhappened?Whatdoyouthinkabouttheideaofthe“Thanksgivingmyth”asarepresentationofwhatwecelebratetoday?

•EdwardWinslow’s1621letterstates,“…manyoftheIndianscomingamongstus,andamongsttheresttheirgreatestking,Massasoit,withsome90men...”DiscussthepossibilitythattheWampanoagpeoplewerenotinitiallyextendedanofferasgueststotheharvestcelebration,butshoweduptoinvestigateastheEuropeans“exercised…arms”andendedupwithaninvitationtojoin.WhywouldithavebeenimportantforMassasoittoengagewiththeEuropeansatthattime?

•ThinkaboutthenumerousdifferentencountersbetweentheWampanoagpeopleandEuropeans—explorers,religiousrefugees(pilgrims),andentrepreneurs—inthe17thcentury.Whiletheseencountershadvariousoutcomes,bothpositiveandnegative,whataresomeofthereasonsthatpartiesfromthetwogroupsjoinedtogetherduringtheharvestcelebrationin1621?Howdidthe“encounter”atthateventimpacttheirrelationshipswitheachother?

•NativeAmericanpeoplearoundthecountryhavedifferentwaysofapproachingtheideaofgivingthanks.Forexample,therearecommunityfeasts,seasonalcelebrations,andgiveawayceremonies.ResearchsomeofthevariousmethodsofgivingthanksamongNativepeopleintheregionwhereyoulive.Whyisgivingthanksimportanttothem?HowdotheirwaysofgivingthanksimpactyourunderstandingofNativeAmericanpeopleandtheThanksgivingholiday?

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