Thought Ive serve up a little history with the cranberry sauce. Truth can sometimes get lost in the romance of myth. When that happens, valuable lessons are lost. Lessons destined to be repeated.

The "Pilgrims" were a splinter group of the Puritan movement who came to America with the intention of building a new nation independent of non-Puritan England. They saw themselves as the "Chosen Elect." Their aim was to "purify" themselves and everyone else of everything they did not accept in their own interpretation of scripture. New England Puritans used deception, torture, war, and genocide in order to achieve that end. In the Thanksgiving sermon given at Plymouth in 1623 by "Mather the Elder," he thanked God for the plague of smallpox which killed the majority of the Wampanoag Indians. The same Indians who had been instrumental in their survival. He praised God for destroying "chiefly young men and children, the very seeds of increase, thus clearing the forests to make way for a better growth." (recognized that particular theme?)

Now, the Wampanoag Indians werent the "friendly painted savages" we see depicted on stage during our childrens Thanksgiving Day plays. They were members of the League of Delaware, a large confederacy of Algonkian-speaking people. For six hundred years they had been defending themselves from the Iroquois, and for the last hundred years from European fishermen and slavers, who had been raiding their coastal villages. Their experience of the power of the white people caused them to be mistrustful and cautious. However, their religion dictated they give charity to the helpless and hospitality to those in need.

The Wampanoag were relatively powerful and, as such, were considered dangerous. They were to be appeased until more Pilgrim colonists arrived and the balance of power could be shifted. The Wampanoag were invited to the Thanksgiving feast so that a treaty could be negotiated to secure the lands of the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims.

This is beginning to sound like a lot of family gatherings around the Thanksgiving table.

So, what began as a piece of New England folklore, developed into the American Thanksgiving celebrating the "First" Thanksgiving. Resplendent with stereotypical Indians and stereotypical Whites, and basically lacking in historical accuracy.

But, all is not lost. The basic theme of Thanksgiving is not without redeeming qualities. The idea of setting aside specific times to give thanks for prosperity and good fortune is global, noble and ancient. There is an old hymn, "Count Your Many Blessings," a line from that hymn goes, "Count your many blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you just what God has done." Whatever your belief, your deity, your higher power, the concept is valuable. Focusing on the positive and enumerating the gifts and good fortunes of your life can be a powerful, spirit-lifting experience. When collective spirits are lifted, the enormous power in that optimism can effect individuals, governments, nations. It can reinforce compassion and tolerance. Perhaps, as citizens of the planet earth, if we made an effort, as individuals, to set aside a portion of each day to give thanks for the good in our lives, and for the good of others, we could eradicate the need for war, genocide, hatred. It could happen. Just a thought.

A THANKSGIVING PRAYER FROM THE IROQUOIS (SENECA) PEOPLE

Gwa! Gwa! Gwa! Now the time has come! Hear us, Lord of the Sky! We are here to speak the truth, for you do not hear lies, We are your children, Lord of the Sky.

Now begins the Gayant' gogwus This sacred fire and sacred tobacco And through this smoke We offer our prayers We are your children, Lord of the Sky.

Now in the beginning of all things You provided that we inherit your creation You said: I shall make the earth on which people shall live And they shall look to the earth as their mother And they shall say, "It is she who supports us." You said that we should always be thankful For our earth and for each other So it is that we are gathered here We are your children, Lord of the Sky.

Now again the smoke rises And again we offer prayers You said that food should be placed beside us And it should be ours in exchange for our labor. You thought that ours should be a world where green grass of many kinds should grow You said that some should be medicines And that one should be Ona'o the sacred food, our sister corn You gave to her two clinging sisters beautiful Oa'geta, our sister beans and bountiful Nyo'sowane, our sister squash The three sacred sisters; they who sustain us.

This is what you thought, Lord of the Sky. Thus did you think to provide for us And you ordered that when the warm season comes, That we should see the return of life And remember you, and be thankful, and gather here by the sacred fire. So now again the smoke arises We the people offer our prayers We speak to you through the rising smoke We are thankful, Lord of the Sky.

(Liberally translated) Chuck Larsen, Seneca

-- Casey DeFranco (caseyd@silcom.com), November 25, 1999

Answers

The "Three Sisters" concept of farming provides a simple yet balanced diet. First, you plant the rows or corn (maize?), and once these have grown a few inches, you then add the other two sisters: beans and squash. The bean plants climb up the corn stalks, and the squash spreads out as ground-cover to shade the roots and keep out competing weeds. Any bean family, any squash family will do. A perfect "Permaculture" methodology, known for hundreds, maybe thousands (?) of years before the term Permaculture was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia in the 1970s. They just spent a lifetime observing and collecting similarly simple but brilliant ideas from all cultures, and yes, adding many of their own... Borrow or buy "Permaculture, A Designers' Manual" by Bill Mollison. It is viewed as THE reference book on sustainable agriculture. It is published by Tagari Press, Tyalgum, New South Wales, Australia. (No, I don't get a kickback. And I don't work for them, either. :-) )

-- Aussie Dave (no@where.net.au), November 25, 1999.

At last, descendants of the oppressors! You can redeem your shameful past! Turn in your guns! And nobody will get hurt again!

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), November 25, 1999.

Aussie Dave! You noticed...thank you.

-- Casey DeFranco (caseyd@silcom.com), November 25, 1999.

Dave... Are you say that they were fishing off the coast of Delaware by European fishermen a hundred years before the pilgrims landed???.

What history book do you find that in???,

-- F>M>Clem (redball@techcomm.net), November 25, 1999.

FM Clem:

1524 Giovanni da Verrazanno explored North American coast for France. Late 1500s - early 1600s They were at the endpoint of extensive trade network involving the French, Micmac, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, and Eastern Abenaki.

1602 Bartholomew Gosnold explored Vineyard Sound, Elizabeth Islands, Buzzards Bay region. First known attempt to establish a trading post in Wampanoag territory (Cuttyhunk Island) failed.

-- Casey DeFranco (caseyd@silcom.com), November 25, 1999.

Nice one Casey. Another refinement to the story: the Mayflower "Puritans" referred to themselves as "Separatists" to distinguish themselves from those who stayed behind in Europe. But "Puritans" isn't technically incorrect, and it sounds a lot more grimly heroic than the rather negative and whiny "Separatists", so that's the name that's stuck.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 26, 1999.