by StarDeAzul Starostin

In America, Native Americans celebrated their harvest well before European settlers came to North America, but today Thanksgiving stems from a controversial past. Past history books would like people to think of the Pilgrims that settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts and their friendly dinner of thanks with Native Americans as the beginning of the holiday.  Previous reports documented in diaries from the Plymouth Colony stated that the settlers had befriended the Natives and at the first feast Squanto, a previous European Patuxet Native American slave and convert to Christianity, was used to assist the settlers and was present for the occasion with Grand Sachem (Chief) Massasoit and his Wampanoag tribe. It is said Grand Sachem Massasoit and his people were invited for the three day celebration and to show their thanks had gone into the forest and killed deer to present to the governor.

Upon further research the conflicting information arouse; John Two-Hawks, Platinum Award winning Oglala Lakota Native American flutist, states the discrepancies in an article for nativecircle.com (http://www.nativecircle.com/mlmThanksgivingmyth.html)

“'Thanksgiving' did not begin as a great loving relationship between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag, Pequot and Narragansett people.  In fact, in October of 1621 when the 'pilgrim' survivors of their first winter in Turtle Island sat down to share the first unofficial 'Thanksgiving' meal, the Indians who were there were not even invited!  There was no turkey, squash, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie.  A few days before this alleged feast took place, a company of 'pilgrims' led by Miles Standish actively sought the head of a local Indian leader, and an 11 foot high wall was erected around the entire Plymouth settlement for the very purpose of keeping Indians out! Officially, the holiday we know as 'Thanksgiving' actually came into existence in the year 1637. Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaimed this first official day of Thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the return of the colony's men who had arrived safely from what is now Mystic, Connecticut. They had gone there to participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot men, women and children, and Mr. Winthrop decided to dedicate an official day of thanksgiving complete with a feast to 'give thanks' for their great 'victory'....”

In 1621, Grand Sachem Massasoit had created a peace treaty with the European settlers which continued until his death in 1661. His goals for peace were to trade with settlers and achieve the ability to defend against his previous enemies, the Pequot, Narragansett and Mohegan.  His first son and successor, Wamsutta, died suspiciously while negotiating with colonial officials in the Plymouth Colony in 1662. Massasoit’s second son, Metacom, aka Metacomet, then became the Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag Confederacy.

Further evidence of Two-Hawks statement is the history of King Philips War, which was named for the English name given to Metacom. Metacom “King Philip” had distrusted the colonist and upon his brother’s death his concerns came to a head.  Maintaining peace became difficult for the Grand Sachems as they began to run out of their native goods, and had to resort to trading land for the colonist’s iron tools and weaponry. With strained relations and the death of his brother, Metacom reached out to other native tribes to revolt against the colonist; illness and the encroachment on prior indian territory created much of the animosity toward the settlers. Thus began a 14 month war in 1675.

Two-Hawks’ claim of Governor Winthrop’s thanks for the safe return of the colonial men is substantiated by the Pequot War of 1637. This war began with the Pequot apparently trading land to The Dutch East India Company's agent, Jacob Van Cutler, while the Plymouth Colony had their own deed to the same land from a previous sachem. Increasing conflicts continued as attacks against traders on the Connecticut River were acted by the Pequot Indians and their tributaries to reclaim their land.

In more recent history, President George Washington gave a Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789, for a National Thanksgiving holiday after a newly ratified constitution. Followers to do the same were President John Adams, and James Madison; all of which claimed a day of Thanksgiving twice during their term of office. While President Abraham Lincoln was in office he declared Thanksgiving a permanent holiday, but the succeeding presidents would perform the Proclamation yearly and followed Lincoln ’s date of the last Thursday in November. (Some claim Lincoln was giving thanks for the preservation of the “ Union ” after ordering the mass hanging of 38 Mdewakanton Dakota Native Americans) In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the day of Thanksgiving to one week prior, because of the Depression. With five weeks in November in 1933, some store owners were concerned of decreased profit with less time after Thanksgiving to shop for Christmas, and requested the change that Roosevelt ignored. In 1939 another five week November approached and Roosevelt finally agreed and it was approved by Congress in 1941.

In 1970, The American Indian Movement brought conflict again to Plymouth, Massachusetts, based around their belief that Thanksgiving is based on the cruel treatment of their ancestors. That year began a Day of Mourning for their people to coincide with Thanksgiving. Second Life member Mindy Princess, a Mi’kmaq (Micmac) descendant, lived in a near by town when hostilities began. Watching the news from Plymouth, she saw the protests, of past historical claims, by the Native Americans.
 
“(I) believed it had more of an effect earlier. The protests were too large and such a surprise when they started,” stated Princess. “People were furious that the ‘Indians’ were ‘ruining Thanksgiving’.”
 
Thirty-seven years later the hostility has dampened and she now feels it is part of the culture. No longer were people being ignorant to the horrendous past of the Native Americans. She believes the acceptance of Indians as more than savages into the media and movie culture, such as Dances with Wolves, has helped bring an understanding of the Native American history with the European civilization.

“No longer try to erase it, but embrace it,” she voiced. “The Natives had never protested it before... I saw it as an “empowerment” to the people who had been without power for so long.”

She went on to explain further less known facts, such as the first supper had seafood served. Other sources claim that turkey, and other common holiday produce were not even present at the first Thanksgiving. Many claim venison, local fish and possibly clams, lobster, mussels and oyster were available. Today, some Native Americans do not celebrate the holiday, but some do by choosing their food politically; serving only what was present at the time of the first feast, a remembrance to the farming and hunting of their ancestors.

Princess also provided a link to the Plimoth Plantation (http://www.plimoth.org/). The name Plimoth was chosen to differentiate the city of Plymouth from the museum. “Plimoth” was used by Governor William Bradford during the 17th century, when there were no rules for English spelling. At that time people wrote as they pleased and often changed the spelling of a word within the same document.

American presidents continue tradition by claiming a yearly Thanksgiving Proclamation. At this event, for the past 60 years, since President Harry Truman, a president has given a Presidential Pardon to a turkey. It is said that President Abraham Lincoln had been requested by his son Tad to spare the life of “Jack”, a turkey Tad had grown fond of.  Respecting his son’s wishes “Jack” was spared from being part of the holiday meal.  (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/11/turkey.html). Today, the turkey is picked as a hatchling and groomed from then on for the ceremony. For the past 11 years these turkeys have been transferred to the Frying Pan Park 's Kidwell Farm, a petting farm for children in Herndon, Virginia .

Within Second Life, the holiday is beginning to gather steam, although SL has not yet posted Thanksgivng events for parties and celebrations, it is inevitable those with time out of their schedule will be here to gather with their in-world friends. SL stores have already begun promoting the holiday giving buyers a chance to spend, spend, spend! If you are preparing your land for the Fall, an excellent resource would be Autumn Gardens (Wingo 17, 151, 46). Autumn Gardens offers seasonal plant life and if you are looking for privacy screens, Autumn Gardens some that are quite impressive.

A must see in Second Life is Depoz Celebrations (Depoz Celebrations 7, 230,26). This store offers high quality creations for the holidays. Among the offered desserts, party trays, dinners and beverages, you can find a brilliant item called 'Menu-Driven Placemats'. The placemats come in multiple styles and the greatest part is the option of 30 menu items.  You have multiple choices on two menus, one allows you the choice of meal or beverage, while the next gives you an option of a specific dish under the initial selection. Second Life members have really gone out of their way to bring realistic items for shoppers to buy.

So, this Thanksgiving do not forget your friends in Second Life and remember to give thanks for their friendship. Also, remember the only way we as a people can truly give thanks is to remember our heritage and be thankful for how far we have come. Even in the shadow of its controversial past, Thanksgiving has taken on a whole new life since its conception; it holds a different meaning for every individual and we all have a reason to be thankful.  Happy Thanksgiving.