Book Review: The First Thanksgiving: Separating Fact from Fiction

 The First Thanksgiving: Separating Fact from Fiction: Fact vs. Fiction in U.S. History by Peter Mavrikis, consultant Katrina Phillips PhD, Capstone Press, North Mankato, Minnesota, 2022.

I must admit I don't like the tone of this book.  It takes the tone that what you know of Thanksgiving is wrong and I am right.  That attitude turns me off.

Pilgrims were not originally called pilgrims but first-comers or forefathers.  The word pilgrims was applied in the 1800s.  They had planned on landing in the Hudson River area but weather pushed them north.  Before landing, the Wampanoag people had been decimated by disease.  There were abandoned villages which were taken over by the new arrivals.  Squanto was in fact a Native American who had early been taken slave to England, and consequently could speak with the Pilgrims and teach them how to survive in this new world.  Massasoit welcome the newcomers and they lived in peace until after his death.  However his son Matacomet or Prince Phillip was not so accommodating which resulted in a war for many years.  The food served at th first harvest feast included deer and turkey, geese and ducks.  Seafood was also served including cod, eel and clams.  There were vegetables: corn squash, beans, peas and pumpkin.  The original feast lasted for three days.  The pilgrims did not wear fancy clothes, but plain clothing.  Likewise the Native Americans did not tout fancy headdresses.  Thanksgiving was not declared a national holiday until the Civil War era and so proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln.  

Native American Biography: Weetamoo

 Weetamoo was born in the 1600s.  She was the daughter of Corbitant, the leader of the Algonquin speaking Pocasset Tribe.  They were related to the Massasoit people.  Massasoit was the grand sachem or head leader of several groups.   Weetamoo and her sister married two sons of Massasoit, her sister aMetacomet or Prince Phillip and herself Wamsutta, the older son.  Wamsutta becme the chief Sachem when Massasoit passed away.  Weetamoo became the leader of the Pocasset Tribe.  Wamsutta tried to sellf Pocasset land to the British which upset his wife.  He passed away from an illness while still young.  Weetamoo remarried, but her next husband wanted to appease the British.  Metacomet at first tried to live with the newcomers, but eventually decided he could not.  Thus followed Prince Phillip's War.  Weetamoo had an instrumental part in this, providing canoes for the people of Metacomet to escape when they had been trapped.  She remarried Quinnapin, and they were united in their quest to achieve independence for their people.  For an entire year they battled back and forth, and did not have time to plant or harvest.  They experienced increasing hunger.  Eventually both she and her husband would be killed.  She drowned trying to escape, and her body when discovered was beheaded and her head displayed for many years.  

Weetamoo was a woman who was willing to fight and die for her people.  

Book Review: Native American Chiefs and Warriors

Native American Chiefs and Warriors: History Makers by Stuart A Kallen, Lucent Books, San Diego, CA, 1999.
This book tells Native American history from a Native American view point.  In particular it first gives a general overview, with the theme that Native Americans were only protecting their land from encroaching Whites, which is what happened.
This book particularly talks about several chiefs.  First King Phillip.  King Phillip lead King Phillip's War after his father passed away.  There came a point where he couldn't take the encroachment, and poor treatment of the Pilgrims any longer.  They achieved initial success, but eventually they were overwhelmed, and King Phillip killed and his family sold into slavery.
Chief Pontiac was of the Ottawa Tribe, who were known for their trading, especially with the French.  They were active participants int he French and Indian War, and the loss of the French was especially hard.  When the French refused to support the continued conflict Pontiac and his warriors were sunk.  Pontiac was befriended by the English, and this did him in amongst his people.  He was murdered, and there was no one to avenge his death.
Geronimo was the famous Apache warrior, who kept breaking loss from the reservation and continuing his warring.  He first warred the Spanish, then the Mexicans and finally the Americans.
Crazy Horse was the famous Sioux Chief, who followed his dream telling him to know wear a head dress in to battle, nor paint his horse, nor take spoils.  He lead his people to victory at Little Big Horn but was killed being taken into captivity.
Wilma Mankiller was the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation.  She grew up in the San Francisco area during the protest era.  She and her family returned to the reservation after the death of her father.  She met with presidents, and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Documentary Review: American Experience: We Shall Remain: After the Mayflower

In this first episode at a series looking at Native American history after the coming of the Europeans deals with the Pilgrims and their relationship with the Wampanoag people.  The Wampanoag had gone through a devastating plague just before the English arrived at Plymouth Rock.  This plague was likely brought to them by European fishermen who had started to have contact with the Native Americans along the coast.  As a result, the English found a territory underpopulated.  The disease had taken a great many lives.  Chief Massasoit watched the Pilgrims with caution.  It wasn't for three months after they landed that the Native Americans finally decided to make contact with them.  Because they had brought their children and wives, it was felt they could be trusted.
This story deals with the many years of peaceful relationships between the British and the Massasoit.  This helped the Pilgrims get established.  The story of the first Thanksgiving is fascinating, as Massasoit attends with many of his warriors.  The bring five deer to contribute to the feast.
There is a period where Massasoit falls ill, and he is nursed back to health by a friend from amongst the pilgrims.  By the first year of the Pilgrims coming to America there was a peace treaty in place between the two peoples.
Before Massasoit passed away he asked the British to give his sons Christian names.  His older son was given the name Alexander, and the younger Phillip.  The peaceful relations between his people and the British would last even beyond his death in 1661.  His son Alexander continued the peace.  However when his next son, Phillip, took over as chief things began to deteriorate.  Phillip (Metacomet) could see that the British intent was to take over, and that his people would only be second class citizens in their own country.  The British tried to extend their laws to his people, and it just didn't fit.  He felt disrespected, and no longer an equal.  Finally he formed an alliance with several neighboring tribes, and initiated a war against the British.  It was very effective against those communities that were not well defended.  Many towns were burned, and many settler had to retreat to larger communities.  However, the Mohawk aligned with the British, and killed 500 of his warriors in an attack.  After that Phillip and his people did not have the strength to carry on.  Phillip visited the community of his youth, where he was killed.  His body was dismembered, and parts given to different people for their part in his death.  His head was mounted on a pike and placed at the entrance to Fort Plymouth as a warning against others who may attack.  His wife and son were captured and sold as slaves in Bermuda.

Native American Biographies: Native Americans and the Pilgrims: Thanksgiving

Massasoit chief of the Wampanoag maintained positive relations with the Pilgrims throughout his life, except for a brief argument over Squanto.  However when Massasoit was ill, Edward Winslow visited him and nursed him back to health.  From this point Massasoit was a firm ally, even to the point of advising the colonists when others had designs against them.  When his people were invited to the first Thanksgiving, Massasoit attended with about 90 others.  They brought five deer.  It wasn't until after his death, that increasing numbers caused bad will, and King Philip's War resulted lead by Massasoit's son.

Metacomet or King Philip is known for waging war against the Puritan colonists.  Massasoit had brought his sons to the English, and the English governor became their Godfather.  Thus his son was given the name Philip.  This war was perhaps the bloodiest on the East coast.  Over 600 whites were killed and many Indians.  Many cities were vulnerable.  However Metacomet was finally defeated.  He was killed by a vigilante party

Squanto was captured by exploring English and taken to England with designs of selling him into slavery.  He was rescued by friars in Spain.  He designed to make his way home.  He finally did so, but found the area where he was from ravaged by plague, and the Native Americans gone.  However in their place were the Pilgrims.  He served them as friend and educator, and reportedly taught them how to increase the output of their corn using fish for fertilizer.  Massasoit never trusted Squanto, believing he also served the Pilgrims as a spy on the Massasoit.  He often helped negotiate peace treaties between Native American and Whites.  He often served as interpreter.  Squanto became ill and died.  However the circumstances were such that he may have been poisoned by Massasoit supporters.

Samoset was a Pemaquid Indian.  He was the first Native American to greet the Pilgrims.  This was after about three months of keeping an eye on them.  He had picked up some English from the English fisherman who were off the coast.  He greeted them, "Welcome Englishmen."  He left and return with Massasoit and also Squanto who spoke better English.