"Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers. To them, Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture. Participants in a National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience."
"So please be respectful this day, and do not force your misguided traditions upon all - some of us reserve this day for mourning and remembrance."
The first people to live in Virginia were Indians. Thousands of years ago, Alaska and Asia were joined by dry land. This dry land is called a land bridge.
The Indians walked over this land bridge from Asia into Alaska. As years passed, the Indians moved further south. After many years, different groups of Indians lived in all parts of North and South America. The first Europeans to come to Virginia met Indians.
The Indians walked over this land bridge from Asia into Alaska. As years passed, the Indians moved further south. After many years, different groups of Indians lived in all parts of North and South America. The first Europeans to come to Virginia met Indians.
These Indians had already lived in Virginia for thousands of years.
Most school children are taught that Native Americans helped the Pilgrims and were invited to the first Thanksgiving feast. Young children's conceptions of Native Americans often develop out of media portrayals and classroom role playing of the events of the First Thanksgiving.
The conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is both inaccurate and potentially damaging to others. Therefore, most children do not know the following facts, which explain why many American Indians today call Thanksgiving a "Day of Mourning" and/or "Day of Rememberence".
When the settlers came to Virginia on December 20, 1606 there were thousands of Native Americans living in a land that they called "Pamahsawuh".
Each Native American was a member of a specific tribe.
There were 3 big groups of Eastern Woodland Indians living in Virginia when the settlers arrived:
The group of Eastern Woodland Indians called the Algonquian Indians was the largest Indian group in Virginia at this time. There were over 10,000 Algonquian Indians in Virginia during the years before the colonists arrived. Their tribes are found mainly around the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding rivers. Look at the Algonquian Tribal Map to see if any of these tribes are near where you live!The Iroquoian Indians
The Iroquoian Indians had three tribes in Virginia. They had about 2,500 Iroquoian Indians that made up their population. The Cherokee Indians, the Meherrin Indians, and the Nottoway Indians are three tribes that lived in southern parts of the state. See if you can find these tribes on the Iroquois Tribal Map. 
The third group of Eastern Woodland Indians living in Virginia were the Siouan Indians. The Siouan tribes lived in different parts of Virginia. No one is really sure about the exact location of the Siouan tribes.
The next time someone argues about the discovery of America by the Vikings from Scandinavia, or suggests the English had a legitimate claim on the area by "right of discovery" because it was unoccupied by any Christian prince, or challenges the presence of immigrants from foreign nations - remember that Virginia was discovered and occupied about 10-15,000 years ago by people (probably from Asia) who did not speak English.
The first Americans probably entered the New World at the end of the last ice age.
The pilgrims (who did not even call themselves pilgrims) did not come here seeking religious freedom; they already had that in Holland. They came here as part of a commercial venture. One of the very first things they did when they arrived on Cape Cod — before they even made it to Plymouth — as to rob Wampanoag graves at Corn Hill and steal as much of the Indians' winter provisions as they were able to carry.
This collective name of the indigenous people of southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island. The name has been variously translated as "Eastern People", "People of the Dawn", or more currently "People of the First Light".
To the native people who had observed these actions, it was a serious desecration and insult to their dead.
The angry Wampanoags attacked with a small group, but were frightened off with gunfire. When the Pilgrims had settled in and were working in the fields, they saw a group of Native people approaching. Running away to get their guns, the Pilgrims left their tools behind and the Native people took them.
Massasoit signed a treaty, which was heavily slanted in favor of the Pilgrims. The treaty said that no Native person would harm a European settler or, should they do so, they would be surrendered to them for punishment. Wampanoags visiting the settlements were to go unarmed; the Wampanoags and the non-Indians agreed to help one another in case of attack; and Massasoit agreed to notify all the neighboring nations about the treaty.
The Pilgrims were not farmers nor woodsmen. They were city people and mainly artisans. They were taught how to plant and fertilize corn and other crops, where the best fish were and how to catch them in traps, and many other survival skills.
They massacred 600 Pequots that had laid down their weapons and accepted Christianity. They were rewarded with a vicious and cowardly slaughter by their new "brothers in Christ".
They massacred 600 Pequots that had laid down their weapons and accepted Christianity. They were rewarded with a vicious and cowardly slaughter by their new "brothers in Christ".
In late November of 1637 a force of Massachusetts Bay Colonists trapped an entire tribe of seven hundred Pequot Indians celebrating their corn harvest in their long house near the mouth of the Mystic River.
Ironically, the first official "Day of Thanksgiving" was proclaimed in 1637 by Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop. Upon the colonists' safe return from the massacre, Governor Winthrop proclaimed.
The old decayed dream of the peaceful coexistence between two equal and sovereign peoples had ended with the rejection of the Treaty of 1621.
War broke out in June, 1675. Many of the Christian Native People were forced into internment camps on Deer Island in Boston Harbor and Clark's Island in Plymouth Harbor, supposedly to prevent them from aiding and abetting the enemy. The eventual use of Native soldiers proved to be the turning point for the English.
The current Wampanoag have not forgotten.
Their population consists of several groups, sometimes called "tribes", who base their membership upon closely maintained kinship ties to the aboriginal communities. Supposedly there are approximately 4,000 Wampanoag, some living in the traditional homeland, some living where their jobs and lifestyles have taken them.
The two best known groups are those of Mashpee on Cape Cod and those of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha's Vineyard, which is the only Wampanoag group recognized by the federal government. Other Wampanoag trace their ancestries from Herring Pond (Bourne), Fresh Pond (Plymouth), Watuppa or Troy (Fall River), Pokanoket (Bristol and Warren, R.I.), Chappaquiddick Island, Christiantown or Takemmy (West Tisbury) and other places.
Prior to the arrival of European invaders, the native population of North and South American was 100 million. The entire population of Europe at the time was 70 million. If colonists had not been able to take over lands that the Indians had already cleared and cultivated, and if the Indian population had not been devastated by disease, there might not have been any colonization at all.
By 1880, the Indian population was 250,000, a drop of 98 percent.
The Pilgrims knew well of these plagues.
The current Wampanoag have not forgotten.
Their population consists of several groups, sometimes called "tribes", who base their membership upon closely maintained kinship ties to the aboriginal communities. Supposedly there are approximately 4,000 Wampanoag, some living in the traditional homeland, some living where their jobs and lifestyles have taken them.
The two best known groups are those of Mashpee on Cape Cod and those of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha's Vineyard, which is the only Wampanoag group recognized by the federal government. Other Wampanoag trace their ancestries from Herring Pond (Bourne), Fresh Pond (Plymouth), Watuppa or Troy (Fall River), Pokanoket (Bristol and Warren, R.I.), Chappaquiddick Island, Christiantown or Takemmy (West Tisbury) and other places.
Prior to the arrival of European invaders, the native population of North and South American was 100 million. The entire population of Europe at the time was 70 million. If colonists had not been able to take over lands that the Indians had already cleared and cultivated, and if the Indian population had not been devastated by disease, there might not have been any colonization at all.
By 1880, the Indian population was 250,000, a drop of 98 percent.
The Pilgrims knew well of these plagues.
"Thank you Almighty God in your great goodness and bounty towards us for sending this wonderful plague among the savages." –King James ofEngland
Few Americans know that the Pilgrims numbered only about 35 of the 102 settlers aboard the Mayflower, which was headed for the new Virginia colony. Some historians believe it is possible that the Pilgrims bribed the Mayflower captain to drop them off in Massachusetts.
In 1623, the British indulged in the first use of chemical warfare in the colonies when negotiating a treaty with the tribes near the Potomac River, headed by Chiskiack. The British offered a toast ‘symbolizing eternal friendship,’ whereupon the chief, his family, advisors, and two hundred followers dropped dead of poison.
Historians, in their search for a story that told the mythical beginnings of American culture, chose to omit facts about the Pilgrims story rather than tell the truth of Virginia.
In Virginia, the British took the Native Americans prisoner and forced them to show the colonists how to farm.
Lies My Teacher Told Me
In 1623, the British indulged in the first use of chemical warfare in the colonies when negotiating a treaty with the tribes near the Potomac River, headed by Chiskiack. The British offered a toast ‘symbolizing eternal friendship,’ whereupon the chief, his family, advisors, and two hundred followers dropped dead of poison.
Historians, in their search for a story that told the mythical beginnings of American culture, chose to omit facts about the Pilgrims story rather than tell the truth of Virginia.
In Virginia, the British took the Native Americans prisoner and forced them to show the colonists how to farm.
The reasons for the lies about the origins of Thanksgiving go deep into culture, psyche, and religion and are covered in depth in Loewen’s book. One thing is for sure: the true history of Thanksgiving reveals some very embarrassing facts.
The most remarkable part of the story may be that the Pilgrims did not even introduce the tradition of Thanksgiving in America. It wasn't until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday. The fabricated story of the Pilgrims was not even included in the holiday until the 1890s.
The term "Pilgrim" was not even used until the 1870s.
The most remarkable part of the story may be that the Pilgrims did not even introduce the tradition of Thanksgiving in America. It wasn't until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national holiday. The fabricated story of the Pilgrims was not even included in the holiday until the 1890s.
The term "Pilgrim" was not even used until the 1870s.
The environmental and social devastation wrought by the European invaders of North America continues today. Oil company explorers, miners and loggers continue to introduce disease to the isolated indigenous cultures of South American and Southeast Asia.
The myth of Thanksgiving has created a false sense of self in Americans that has done great damage throughout the world. It has resulted in seeds of racial hatred and white superiority being planted in the minds of schoolchildren.
You must understand that this is an insult to us all, especially since most Americans are ignorant of the truth, even though the facts about the grave robbing, Indian enslavement and murder, and the plagues, were common knowledge.
Perhaps I do not need to convince you that American history is important.
Perhaps I do not need to convince you that American history is important.
More than any other topic, it is about us. Whether one deems our present society wondrous or awful or both, history reveals how we got to this point. Understanding our past is central to our ability to understand ourselves and the world around us.
You might discover that the knowledge you gain has implications for your life today. If correctly learned, the issues of the era of the first Thanksgiving could help Americans grow more thoughtful and more tolerant, rather than more ethnocentric.
We can redefine Thanksgiving for ourselves and our family.
We can make it a day when we not only give thanks for the bounty we have received, but a day when we acknowledge the injustices that have been done and still are being perpetrated on so many people and animals in the world.
After feasting, you could choose a way for you and/or your families to help lessen the suffering of some creature somewhere in the world, animal or human.
We must remember these tragedies as we shape the new millennium.
With genetically engineered bacteria, crops and animals being created every day, are we risking a biological devastation like the Indians experienced.
We must examine how we are using this stolen gift of a nation.
As life support systems crumble and species become extinct every day, can we really say we have learned anything in the last 500 years?
We must take this day and remember these stories because they show what America has been about and have direct relevance to our present society.
We all can agree that it would be better not to know so many things than to know so many things that are not so. Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat the eleventh grade. So now we see that American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.In Rememberance - Brandy 1995 - 2010
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Excellent! Perfectly said.
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