There’s an old concept from Ghana called Sankofa, which means you can’t know where you’re going till you know where you’ve been. In the English language, the closest thing we have to this saying is “History repeats itself”. What’s different about Sankofa though, is the notion that you are not destined to repeat the mistakes of your ancestors if you are paying attention. In Sankofa, it is not taboo to go back and retrieve that which is about to be forgotten. What histories, crafts, stories, songs, rivalries, alliances, rituals, even recipes, are worth remembering and perpetuating, what worked, what didn’t?

Even more, Sankofa instructs people to bring these elements into the present, look at them with discernment, not shy away from uncomfortable truths, in order to move forward in a better way.

What are we being asked to look at in our collective and personal histories?

So much is coming to consciousness right now, and one important overarching concept is decolonization.

Decolonization is the process of deconstructing colonial ideologies of the superiority and privilege of Western thought and approaches. On the one hand, decolonization involves dismantling structures that perpetuate the status quo and addressing unbalanced power dynamics. On the other hand, decolonization involves valuing and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and approaches and weeding out settler biases or assumptions that have impacted Indigenous ways of being. For non-Indigenous people, decolonization is the process of examining beliefs about Indigenous Peoples and culture by learning about ourselves in relationship to the communities where we live and the people with whom we interact.

In Sacred Instructions, Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change author Sherri Mitchell writes, "Decolonization is the beginning. It is not the end point. We don’t know what lies on the other side of decolonization, because we haven’t had the opportunity to create it.”

So let’s start with the story (myth) of Thanksgiving.

We are all familiar with the American tradition based on a presumably peaceful celebration of a bountiful harvest between the Pilgrims and the Indians.

But this is not the whole story or an accurate one.

It is important to know that to some, Thanksgiving is a day of celebration and to many Native people it is a day of mourning and a romanticized version of a distorted history. The Wampanoag did take the Puritans under their wing and taught them to plant, hunt and fish in their newfound territory, and they did feast together one November after a successful harvest, with hope for surviving the ensuing winter. Unfortunately, the relationship between those two groups was not fortified indefinitely because of that peaceful feast. Instead, distrust and misconceptions paved the way for violence, slavery, and the decimation of many Native tribes.

Thanksgiving as we know it today, actually began with a proclamation by President Lincoln during the Civil War to bring a divided country together during some very dark days.

To understand the real story, here’s a good interview with David Silverman, Professor of History at George Washington University about his book This Land is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, The Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving which was published in 2019. Silverman specializes in racial history of the US including Native American history, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Imperialism and Colonialism.

Learning the details of this history as an adult raises questions about how to teach a more honest story of Thanksgiving to all. Too much gory detail is not appropriate for young children, but to overlook the truth of our nation’s birth, to whitewash or deny the existence or experience of entire cultures of people is to dishonor them and their ancestors, and will only lead to continued misunderstandings, dehumanizing and devaluing of others and their experiences. It also does not allow for the needed and long overdue healing that can only come from admission of wrongdoing and unconsciousness.

We can’t change our history but we can be more inclusive and seek out voices of those not as often heard, to understand our Nation’s past from many perspectives. If we can put our collective history into context and teach the true stories as experienced by all the inhabitants of this land, we can try to make positive changes in recognizing that Native history and US history are interwoven, they are part of the same cloth that needs mending.

We can’t know where we’re going till we know where we’ve been. We can’t know where we’ve been until we know the truth.

Sherri Mitchell shares more wisdom in her words: “When we embrace our distinctive gifts, we develop a greater ability to address the problems we face. In order to reach the edge where an evolutionary leap can take place, we must develop our unique gifts and individual strengths to their greatest capacity…When we willingly embrace the miraculous beauty of who each of us is individually, we open to the full possibility of who we can become collectively.”

It is our hope at Circle this holiday season that we can make space for one another’s beautiful and distinct differences, unique wisdom and lineages, and allow the stories of other’s experiences to shine through. During this darkest time of year can we turn away from the safety of the light, look beyond the partial histories we’ve been taught and look with eyes open and hearts willing, acknowledge traumas and lift out of denial, because that is the only way we can collectively heal, because we can’t know where we’re going till we know where we’ve been.

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light

To know the dark, go dark, go without sight

And find that the dark too blooms and sings

And travels on dark feet and dark wings

--Wendell Berry

Silverman tells us that it is not the job of historians to make people feel good. Instead, their work is to uncover the truth about the past, unearth and bring to light the stories from all sides, not just the victors. Silverman sheds light on the true story of Thanksgiving, bringing the Indigenous perspective into startling contrast with the colonial story many of us have been raised on.

Listen to the full interview with David Silverman here on NPR’s Fresh Air: The real history of the first Thanksgiving

It is important to learn and share native American history year-round, not just in November, and not just of one or two tribes. Uncountable people and tribes were displaced, many atrocities committed, but we are only just beginning to honor these histories from non-colonial points of view. Or perhaps non-Native people are only now beginning to have the capacity to really listen, feel their impact and the weight of our own collective complicity and shame, and want to honor the past so we can move forward in new, mutually supportive and honoring ways.

One place to start is here, in this humble attempt to offer a truer version of the story of Thanksgiving. Looking back, to look forward.

Antique Thanksgiving postcard, artist unknown.

Wherever you are and however you are celebrating this year, and with whom, our Circle family hopes that you will consider this more inclusive history and move with deeper gratitude for those who came before. May you be steeped in abundance, love and nourishment in every form, and move through the season with gratitude for our beautiful earth and her precious resources.

With so much love from our circle to yours…

-The Circle Family

(Written by Mary Jane Nussbaum and Jenny Wonderling)

Some Inspiring Resources To Step Forward in a New Way:

Please listen to the voices of Indigenous people year-round. One place to check out is this great radio program by Hudson Valley resident Tiokasin Ghosthorse. A member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota and a 2016 Nominee for a Nobel Peace Prize from the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy, this master of the ancient red cedar Lakota flute incorporates spoken word to tell stories of American Indian culture.
To make a donation to preserve Mashpee Wampanoag programs, services and culture:
https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/donations
Let us also remember that many of our friends and neighbors in the US are in need this Thanksgiving. Hunger does not discriminate. According to FeedingAmerica.org, “More than 50 million people may experience food insecurity in 2020, including a potential 17 million children.” Those stats speak to the devastating scarcity experienced by so many in spite of the actual abundance of food produced, and extraordinary wealth in this nation. Furthermore, to romanticize the gathering of diverse and generous guests when racism, and greed are so often prevalent, is to deny how far we are from open tables and well nourished communities en masse.
Here are some great resources for children’s books along with recipes, instruments and crafts from Wampanoag and Pilgrim heritages:

Sobaheg is the Wampanoag word for stew. Like most stews, this dish is easily adapted to seasonal ingredients. The ground nuts help to thicken the sobaheg. Variations of this dish are still made in Wampanoag country today. Cooking in a clay pot over a fire is the way Sobaheg would be originally cooked.

As an additional note, not only were the foods and recipes during the "First" Thanksgiving different, the cooking methods were also very different. Here is a very short video about cooking in a clay pot. It was filmed at Plimoth Plantation.

And last but not least…
The Thanksgiving Address, The Words Before All Else

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) are often characterized as one of the world’s oldest participatory democracies and are historically matriarchal. The confederacy’s constitution, the Great Law of Peace (Gayanesshagowa), is believed to have been a model for the US Constitution. Onondaga County in the Syracuse Area of Central New York was the headquarters of the Iroquois Confederacy (or Haudenosaunee Nation). The Haudenosaunee or “People of the Longhouse” are also known today as the Six Nations and are comprised of the Mohawk (Akwesasne), Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

Here’s an excerpt of their Thanksgiving Address.

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people. Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks. Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water. Now our minds are one…..

….The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come. Now our minds are one…

The food plants… The Medicine Herbs… The Animals… The Fish… The Birds… The Trees… The Four Winds… The Thunderers… The Sun… Grandmother Moon… The Stars… The Enlightened Teachers… The Creator…

….Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

To read the entire Thanksgiving Address, The Words Before All Else:

https://americanindian.si.edu/environment/pdf/01_02_Thanksgiving_Address.pdf

This translation of the Mohawk version of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address was developed, published in 1993, and provided, courtesy of: Six Nations Indian Museum and the Tracking Project All rights reserved. Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World English version: John Stokes and Kanawahienton (David Benedict, Turtle Clan/Mohawk) Mohawk version: Rokwaho (Dan Thompson, Wolf Clan/Mohawk) Original inspiration: Tekaronianekon (Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan/Mohawk)

To order a booklet of the Thanksgiving Address: CLICK HERE

To read more about the Six Nations and where they are today: The 6 Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy

With gratitude…

-Circle

A Truer Thanksgiving Story

Some Inspiring Resources To Step Forward in a New Way:

And last but not least…The Thanksgiving Address, The Words Before All Else

And last but not least…
The Thanksgiving Address, The Words Before All Else