400 Years Since The First Thanksgiving 🦃
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Season 2: Episode 37 Description
In today’s episode: It's Thanksgiving and we are talking about the original day 400 years ago. 🙏 Listen in as we separate the myth from the history. Correspondent Pamela Kirkland spoke with Matohwin Monroe, a leader of the American Indians of New England about the National Day of Mourning and raising up Indigenous voices. 🤍 What does Mary Had A Little Lamb have to do with Thanksgiving? 🗞️ In the news: Kids we are grateful for! 🦃 And test your turkey knowledge in today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources for the episode
9 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving | WorldStrides
For 9 years, local boy has been helping children in need (wxyz.com)
Local 9-year old gives back to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital (wbko.com)
The ASPCA Honors Exceptional Animals and People at the 2021 Virtual Humane Awards | ASPCA
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:02
It's the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving. But there is so much more to this tradition than delicious food and family gatherings. Today, we're talking turkey about the complicated history of the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's November 25th. And this is The Ten News.
Various Voices 0:22
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:30
Do you remember learning the story of the first Thanksgiving in school? The story you were told may have been about English pilgrims and Native Americans sitting down together to share a friendly meal after a successful harvest. But were you ever taught that those Native Americans were people of the Wampanoag Tribe? And did you know that the story that's been told for generations isn't entirely accurate? Okay, let's separate Thanksgiving myth from Thanksgiving reality. The one but I did teach colonists how to plant corn, beans, squash, and gather berries and nuts. And the Pilgrims did have a fall feast, but the Wampanoag were not exactly invited. What does that mean? Some historians think in celebration of their first successful harvest, the Pilgrims sent four men on fouling and exercise their arms, which is an old-timey talk for they were out shooting at some grub for their big dinner. Another account says hearing gunfire, the Wampanoag sent 90 men to investigate. When they arrived, they were told the pilgrims are celebrating their first successful harvest. The Wampanoag men stayed for three days and a treaty was made with the pilgrims that no one from either group would harm anyone from the other, but would rather support and protect each other. In time, tensions grew. Well, that feast would go on to become a treasured holiday for many Americans as a really different meaning for native peoples, and not just the Wampanoag. Over hundreds of years, European settlers did tremendous harm to native peoples’ cultures and lands on man. So, as we gather with family in the spirit of gratitude, it's important that we also acknowledge the true history behind the Thanksgiving holiday. While many families come together joyfully to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Indigenous community, there is a tradition of coming together on this day for a National Day of Mourning. Correspondent Pamela Kirkland spoke with Mahtowin Munro, a leader of the United American Indians of New England about the meaning of the day.
Pamela Kirkland 2:44
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving and the meeting of the pilgrims and the Wampanoags, which means people of the first light, and while the Wampanoag Tribe did help teach the Pilgrims how to survive. The fourth Thursday of November isn't necessarily a celebration for all. The National Day of Mourning has happened every year on Thanksgiving Thursday, since 1970, a few 100 Native Americans and non-native people meet near Plymouth Rock to talk about what Thanksgiving means from the perspective of Native Americans. Mahtowin Munro has helped organize the Day of Mourning for the last few years. The holidays are coming up, people are thinking about Thanksgiving. I wanted to ask you about the National Day of Mourning this year and just how that came to be, I guess?
Mahtowin Munro 3:42
The National Day of Mourning is held every year in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Thursday. And we have been doing it since 1970. We come, we go there every single year since 1970. And we'll be there again this year. We meet every year at Cole's Hill and Plymouth, which is a hill above Plymouth Rock. And when we do this, we have a ceremony that we open with. And then we have speakers from all over the place indigenous speakers, we only have indigenous speakers, because our elders who started National Day of Mourning, said if nobody's listening to us the other days of the year and everybody's talking for us and over us all the other days of the year, this day of the year, it will be only Indigenous voices that people will listen to. So we have Indigenous speakers from all over talking about many, many different issues. Then we'll march through the streets of Plymouth and we end up down by Plymouth Rock where we have another rally and talk about the History of Plymouth Rock and things like that. It's the 52nd year and we think probably the longest-running demonstration.
Pamela Kirkland 4:54
Of course, of course. But yeah, it's uh you know, It's wonderful that everybody comes together for that purpose to explain that this holiday that is, you know, depicted with turkeys and a great feast and the indigenous people of Massachusetts welcoming the pilgrims and is not what you've been taught, or what you hear talked about and has been talked about for so long.
Mahtowin Munro 5:27
That's right. We have a lot of allies who come to be with us too. We welcome allies to come and be with us. And, to me, it makes it even more meaningful that you know, that we're all together there for one purpose. And it's just a really beautiful, peaceful, uplifting kind of day.
Pamela Kirkland 5:49
You mentioned land, and I wanted to talk a little bit about that. And you mentioned the original inhabitants of the land around Boston and the Massachusett tribe, so not too far away, you've got the Wampanoag tribe, the Nipmuc Tribe, part of the celebration is to acknowledge these Indigenous communities like the original caretakers of the land, why is it important to recognize the original inhabitants and the original stewards of the land we live on all across the country?
Mahtowin Munro 6:19
It's important to remember and acknowledge that this is indeed their land. And I think it's important for non-native people to think about that and how they come to be living on this land and what happened to Indigenous Peoples, for them to be able to be here. I think that your listeners will hear this, you know, we're all really worried about the climate crisis. We're future thinking. And I believe that indigenous voices have been ignored for so long in this country, and very often, non-native people have thought that they could speak for us, instead of us speaking. And they thought that they could speak over us, instead of letting us be heard. So we've been speaking loud and clear for quite some time. And I think that by centering Indigenous People's voices, and by non-native people, understanding us better and understanding our perspectives about the land and the water, I think, I think then we can take some proper steps to address the climate crisis.
Pamela Kirkland 7:32
Yeah, and it's little things that you don't necessarily think about, like the teaching of Columbus or even was it the Massachusetts state flag? Or was it Boston's flag that was recently changed because of the depiction of an indigenous person on it?
Mahtowin Munro 7:51
That was corrected the Massachusetts State Flag had an offensive depiction of an indigenous person on it, still does, by the way, it hasn't been changed yet. And there's a white arm with a sword hanging over the head of the indigenous person. There are all kinds of other issues with the state flag and seal. But we did get, as you noted, get a bill passed last year. So that there will be a committee who will examine the flag and hopefully redesign the state flag and seal so that will not be racist did not have an image of a really badly drawn image of an indigenous man on it.
Pamela Kirkland 8:30
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to our listeners.
Mahtowin Munro 8:34
Okay, thanks a lot.
Bethany Van Delft 8:36
Thank you, Pamela and Mahtowin. What does a nursery rhyme have to do with Thanksgiving? Help? It turns out the woman who wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb, Sarah Josepha Hill helped make Thanksgiving a national holiday. Cool. She wrote letters to lawmakers, and even to several presidents for 17 years. Wow. Finally, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863. Great job. Now let's check in on some kids doing great things. For the past nine years, 12-year-old Dominic Miller has collected books, pajamas, scarves, gloves to help kids in his community in Detroit. His project is called Dominic's Christmas Wish and he's hoping to help 2,600 children they warm this winter. That is a good citizen. Yes. Nine-year-old Paisley Campbell of Kentucky is raising money for Children's Hospital in Nashville by making and selling hot chocolate cocoa bombs. These balls of chocolate can be added to hot milk for a warm treat. Now that is a sweet gesture. And 11-year-old Evan Bisnauth was named the ASPCA kid of the year. Evan reads to dogs at a shelter in New York City to help them get used to interacting with humans. He also makes animations and shares them online to bring attention to dogs in need of homes. And now it's time for...
Various Voices 10:23
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 10:26
Trivia on The Ten. Around 46 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving. Like chickens, female turkeys are called hens. But what do you call a male turkey? Is it a) a Cackler, b) a gobbler or c) a Nibbler? Did you guess it? The answer is B a gobbler. Male turkeys are the only ones who make the famous gobble sound. Female turkeys make a sound called cackling. Males have brightly colored feathers and fanning tails like a peacock and females are smaller. There are quite a few differences between male and female turkeys. But if you and your family are planning to have a turkey this Thanksgiving, males, and females are equally delicious. Sorry vegans. Time is up. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team has Mary Had a Little Lamb stuck in their heads and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Tessa Flannery, Adam Bernard and Nathalie Alonso. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle. And our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. Hey, if you're not eating turkey this Thanksgiving, what are you eating? Let us know. I'm always looking for a good recipe.
