Date: Thu Nov 27, 12:00 AM EST - Thu Nov 27, 11:59 PM EST
- Daisies,
- Brownies,
- Juniors,
- Cadettes,
- Seniors,
- Ambassadors,
- Volunteers
On the fourth Thursday of November, people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday with many traditions but also many myths, stereotypes, and a confusing history that is still being studied! Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional First Thanksgiving story doesn’t give a true picture of the terrible conflict that developed between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people (and between other Europeans and Native Americans as well) over time - a conflict that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands.
What’s the real story? How can we figure it out? You don’t have to give up turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce to be a fact-seeking Thanksgiving History Detective! You’re still allowed to enjoy at least two different pies while you try to see the Native American view of the holiday. And you can certainly be thankful for your many blessings while you try to discover what the “first Thanksgiving” was all about - if it actually WAS the first Thanksgiving…
“Scholars are unraveling the myths surrounding the 1621 feast, which found the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag cementing a newly established alliance.”
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-really-happened-at-the-first-thanksgiving-180979108/
How can YOU become a scholar?
• Become an enthusiastic reader! Read as much as you can at every opportunity; a scholar is really just someone who is learning all the time - and reading is a great way to learn.
• Study new topics. Explore new ideas. Have new experiences.
• Learn about opposing views. A real scholar studies the other side of the issue, no matter how much she opposes it!
• Make learning a priority.
• Ask questions.
• Write down your thoughts.
• Develop your own ideas and thoughts, using what you have learned.
• Be willing to change your mind when you get new information that challenges what you’ve already learned. Be open minded and willing to be wrong, in the pursuit of being right.
Girl Scout Scholars Want to Know…
What parts of Thanksgiving are you curious about? What do you want to discover? What new ideas do you want to explore? As a scholar, look out for bias, yours and others! Bias, or prejudice, means that a person likes one idea and may not give an equal chance to other, different ideas.
As a Thanksgiving scholar, you could ask yourself:
• What IS a “thanksgiving”? What did it mean in the 1600s? Has the definition changed?
• How did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? (Did you know that the idea came from a woman?)
• Where did the American idea of a Thanksgiving celebration come from? Do other countries celebrate Thanksgiving the way we do?
• Is there a real “first Thanksgiving”? What do historic records say about early thanksgiving events in America?
• Where did our traditional story of the First Thanksgiving come from? Is it a true story? A mix of different stories? Does it matter if it’s true or not?
• What’s the difference between a tradition and a stereotype? What can make stereotypes harmful? Can stereotypes make it harder for a scholar - or a history detective - learn the truth?
How would you tell the story of Thanksgiving? What would you say? How would you “say” it? What media would you use? There are Girl Scout activities to help you!
These badges can help you learn skills to tell your story through the arts:
• Junior - Digital Photographer; Scribe
• Cadette - Comic Artist; Screenwriter
• Senior - Textile Artist; Collage Artist; Troupe Performer
• Ambassador - Photographer
These badges can give you some good ideas about respectful ways to explore and share other cultures:
• Brownie - My Family Story; Snacks
• Junior - Jeweler; Musician; Playing the Past; Simple Meals
• Cadette - New Cuisines
• Ambassador - Dinner party
Here are some resources to get you started in your scholarly detective work:
Explore Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving
“…When teaching about Thanksgiving, it is important not to misrepresent Native American cultures. Native traditions have developed over thousands of years and are distinct and complex. They are also specific to each individual tribe. Projects and crafts that attempt to adapt or copy Native traditions tend to perpetuate stereotypes of Native Americans. For example, we discourage adopting “Native” costumes into your classroom. Instead, incorporate Native knowledge into your lesson plans/activities with the provided resources, below. We encourage you to celebrate the vibrancy of Native cultures through Native American art, literature, and foods while you celebrate Thanksgiving.
“Native perspectives are especially important to include when teaching the history of the ‘First Thanksgiving’. Giving thanks is a longstanding and central tradition among most Native groups that is still practiced today. The First Thanksgiving is often portrayed as a friendly harvest festival where Pilgrims and generic, nameless ‘Indians’ came together to eat and give thanks. In reality, the assembly of the Wampanoag Peoples and the English settlers in 1621 had much more to do with political alliances, diplomacy, and a pursuit of peace.”
Read the rest of the article from the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian) and use the resources mentioned above at:
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/rethinking-thanksgiving#
Stereotypes get in the way of “respecting myself and others”!
“The Pilgrims are stereotyped as badly as the Wampanoag. Pilgrim women and men are depicted wearing somber black clothes with big white collars and men with hats and silver buckles. This is historically and culturally incorrect. This manner of dress was a common one for ‘Puritans’. The Pilgrims were not Puritans, they were [religious] Separatists, and did not have a particular manner of dress other than the common clothing of the average person in England during the seventeenth century, which was rather colorful. Besides, the Puritans were not in Plymouth at the time of the first Thanksgiving. Their history begins much later.
“Native images typical in the majority of Thanksgiving promotions and other media do not depict the Wampanoag. These images are usually depicting Plains Indians living in tipis with large eagle feather headdresses and are just as historically and culturally incorrect as the Pilgrim stereotype.”
You can download historically accurate Wampanoag and Pilgrim coloring pages at manyhoops.com, and from the Mayflower Society at
https://themayflowersociety.org/history/dress-like-a-pilgrim/
LET US MAKE A NEW THANKSGIVING THAT JOINS THE SACRED HOOPS OF ALL NATIONS!
“This website (http://manyhoops.com/) is made up of historical and current information, recipes, arts and crafts, and a variety of resources all of which are historically accurate and do not include any form of stereotyping of either the Pilgrims or Indians. For instance, the recipes unless otherwise noted are made of ingredients available in the early 1600's in the Plymouth Massachusetts area. It is an adventure into authenticity that is not readily available elsewhere. Information pertaining to the Wampanoag is from the Wampanoag themselves. The arts and crafts are based on authenticity and do not include activities that are commonly available.
“This Thanksgiving, be conscious that there is still the dilemma of race; red, black, white and yellow in the United States. Know that we have the materials and tools necessary to focus on the fact that we are now a diverse people sharing a common land. Honor the Indigenous tribes who are still acting as environmental stewards and from whom we have much to learn. This Thanksgiving, share a prayer that honors the land's original inhabitants -- they are still here…Let us make a new thanksgiving that joins the sacred hoops of all Nations.”
