LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
November houses Thanksgiving, which is a time-honored tradition for Americans to come together and express our thankfulness. The months is also Native American History Month.
Many people may not know Native Americans positively impacted the first Thanksgiving.
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast, which is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal is a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans.
Although this feast is considered by many to the first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek tribes, and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.
Historians also recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Berkeley Plantation, Va. At this site, near the Charles River in December of 1619, a group of British settlers led by Capt. John Woodlief knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic.
This event is acknowledged by some scholars and writers as the official Thanksgiving among European settlers on record. Whether at Plymouth, Berkeley Plantation, or throughout the Americas, celebrations of thanks hold great meaning and importance over time. The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.
Let us remember the origin of Thanksgiving and enjoy this festive holiday!
Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plymouth Plantation http://www.history.com.