The (True) Story of Thanksgiving
By Richard B. Williams, Executive Director, The American Indian College Fund
One day in 1605, a young Patuxet Indian boy named Tisquantum and his dog were out hunting when they spotted a large English merchant ship off the coast of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Tisquantum, who later became known as "Squanto," had no idea that life as he knew it was about to change forever. His role in helping the Pilgrims to survive the harsh New England winter and celebrate the "first" Thanksgiving has been much storied as a legend of happy endings with the English and the Indians coming together at the same table in racial harmony.
Yet very few people know the true story of Squanto's sad life and the demise of both him and his entire tribe as a result of their generosity. Each year, as Americans sit down to a meal that is celebrated by all cultures and races in our country - the day we've come to know as "Thanksgiving" - the story of Squanto and the fate of the Patuxet tribe is a footnote in history that deserves reexamination.
The day that Captain George Weymouth anchored off the coast of Massachusetts, he and his sailors captured Squanto and four other tribesmen and took them back to England because Weymouth thought his financial backers "might like to see" some Indians. Squanto was taken to live with Sir Ferdinando Gorges, owner of the Plymouth Company. Gorges quickly saw Squanto's value to his company's exploits in the new world and taught his young charge to speak English so that his captains could negotiate trade deals with the Indians.
In 1614, Squanto was brought back to America to act as a guide and interpreter to assist in the mapping of the New England coast, but was kidnapped again along with 27 other Indians and taken to Malaga, Spain, to be sold as slaves for about $25 a piece. When local priests learned of the fate of the Indians, they took them from the slave traders, Christianized them and eventually sent them back to America in 1618.
But his return home was short-lived. Squanto was recognized by one of Gorges' captains and was captured a third time and sent back to England as Gorges' slave. Squanto was later sent back to New England with Thomas Dermer to finish mapping the coast, after which he was promised his freedom. In 1619, however, upon returning to his homeland Squanto learned that his entire tribe had been wiped out by small pox contracted from the Europeans two years before. He was the last surviving member of his tribe.
In November 1620, the Pilgrims made their now-famous voyage to the coast of Plymouth, which had previously been the center of Patuxet culture. The next year, on March 22, 1621, Squanto was sent to negotiate a peace treaty between the Wampanoag Confederation of tribes and the Pilgrims. We also know that Squanto's skills as a fisherman and farmer were crucial to the survival of the Pilgrims that first year - contributions which changed history.
But in November 1622, Squanto himself would also succumb to small pox during a trading expedition to the Massachusetts Indians. The Patuxet, like so many other tribes had become extinct. The lesson of Squanto and the Pilgrims, however, is not one of bitter remembrance, but rather a celebration of the generosity of Indian people. Under the guidance of Squanto, the Pilgrims followed a longstanding Indian tradition of offering thanks. We celebrate Thanksgiving as an "American" holiday, however, its beginnings are Native to the core.
Feasts of gratitude and giving thanks have been a part of Indian culture for thousands of years. For example, in Lakota culture, it's called a Wopila; in Navajo, it's called Hozhoni; in Cherokee it's Selu i tse i; in Ho Chunk it's Wicawas warocu sto waroc. Each tribe, each Indian nation, has its own form of Thanksgiving. But for Indian culture. Thanksgiving doesn't end when the dishes are put away on November 23. Thanksgiving is something we celebrate all year long: at the birth of a baby, a safe journey, a new home.
So when you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year, remember Squanto and the great sacrifices made by him and his tribe to people they didn't know. That is the legacy of the Indian people of New England who now number very few, one that we can all enjoy.
(Established in 1989, the American Indian College Fund, www.collegefund.org, distributes scholarships and support to 32 tribal colleges across the country. This aid supports more than 5,009 native students in achieving their college education. The College Fund also supports endowments, developmental needs and public awareness, as well as college programs in Native cultural preservation and teacher training.)