As I began embracing the homesteading lifestyle, I found myself grappling with the complexities surrounding Thanksgiving. The holiday’s troubled past has always raised questions in my mind about whether it’s a day for jubilation or solemn reflection. It wasn’t until I delved deeper into the history and viewed it through the lens of my newfound connection to the land that I was able to form an opinion on how to approach this pivotal date.
A Brief History of Thanksgiving
The Plymouth colony’s commemorative event, often referred to as the first Thanksgiving, marked a 3-day diplomatic feast between the English pilgrims and the Wampanoag native people. While it’s commonly perceived that the English got off to a rocky start with their new neighbors, historical accounts suggest that the reality was even more complex. The cleared lands the pilgrims inhabited were previously unoccupied due to the devastating impact of introduced diseases on the Patuxet population.
Only a handful of Patuxet survivors remained, having been taken into slavery or forced to adapt to European customs. Initially, the English settlers desecrated native graves and plundered food stores, struggling to survive in their new environment. Incredibly, Squanto – one of the few remaining Patuxet individuals – utilized his acquired English skills (learned during his time as a European slave) to teach the pilgrims essential survival techniques.
The Wampanoag people also extended aid to the immigrants until they could establish their own harvests. It’s likely that the pilgrims felt profound gratitude towards their Native American benefactors, despite the 3-day gathering being an awkward and potentially tense affair. Cultural differences, trust issues, and uncertainty about their shared future would have dominated the thoughts of all attendees.
Reconciling Thanksgiving
While many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving as a time of feasting and gratitude, not everyone shares in this joy. For some Native Americans, the holiday serves as a painful reminder of the country’s troubled history with indigenous peoples. The date, which was declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, is a stark reminder of the colonization and displacement that has occurred throughout American history.
As someone who identifies as Caucasian American, I have grappled with the ethical implications of celebrating this holiday, particularly given my own ancestors’ experiences seeking asylum on US shores. Like many who immigrate to the United States today, they were motivated by a desire for survival and provision, rather than wealth or grandeur.
However, their arrival in America was often marked by the displacement of Native peoples from their lands, a painful legacy that continues to shape our nation’s present.
Thanksgiving from a Homesteaders Perspective
I’m not here to dampen the festive atmosphere, and I completely understand the importance of preserving cherished family traditions on Thanksgiving. If your current approach brings joy to you and your loved ones, then by all means, stick to it! Nevertheless, for those who struggle to reconcile the complexities surrounding this holiday with their own celebrations, adopting a homesteading perspective can be a game-changer.
Over the years, my personal experience in homesteading has taught me valuable lessons that have helped me navigate the conflicting history of Thanksgiving and find new ways to make it meaningful.
Idea 1: Celebrate Greater Self-Sufficiency
As we reflect on the first Thanksgiving, it’s easy to overlook an important aspect of the Pilgrims’ success: their achievement of greater self-sufficiency. With the help of Native Americans, they learned to sustain themselves in a new land, even producing a surplus to share with others. This sense of accomplishment is not unique to the Pilgrims or that pivotal moment in history. As homesteaders, we too have our own reasons to celebrate milestones along the way.
Whether it’s welcoming your first flock of chickens, tending a bountiful garden, harvesting a record-breaking crop, crafting a cozy homespun sweater, or simply weathering a challenging season with your homestead intact, these achievements represent significant steps toward greater self-sufficiency. As you look back on your own journey, take time to acknowledge and appreciate the small and large victories that have brought you to where you are today.
Idea 2: Acknowledge Debts of Gratitude
While the idea of self-sufficiency may seem appealing, it’s essential to recognize the role that others play in our ability to achieve it. For instance, historical Thanksgiving likely served as a recognition of the debt owed by the Pilgrims to the Wampanoag and Patuxet tribes who helped them survive and thrive. Similarly, when I started homesteading, I relied heavily on the generosity and expertise of my neighbors.
They provided valuable guidance on where to source essential items like straw, hay, compost, livestock feed, and lumber, as well as sharing skills such as hog killing and chicken raising. Additionally, they gifted us with crucial items like an egg incubator, firewood, cow manure, fencing, seeds, fresh fruit, and more. The existing development on our land also played a significant role in our homesteading journey.
The original owners had cleared the area, planting species that we now use as foraged foods and herbal medicine. They also oriented their house perfectly to capture sunlight and protect against environmental risks like fires, floods, or strong winds. Subsequent owners built trails through our woods, making foraging and goat walking easier, and constructed outbuildings using locally milled wood. The labor of these previous families gave us a significant head start in establishing our homestead.
Ultimately, none of us achieves self-sufficiency alone. We all rely on the help of others, whether it’s through online research or learning from our neighbors. A Homestead Thanksgiving serves as a reminder to acknowledge and appreciate the people, resources, and information that enable us to move towards greater self-sufficiency.
Idea 3: Give Global Thanks
The first Thanksgiving dinner was a global culinary celebration. The Wampanoag tribe’s gifts of corn, squash, and beans were likely served alongside other foreign delicacies. These Native American crops had traveled north from South America over thousands of years, while cranberries, a native North American fruit, were introduced to the pilgrims by the Narragansett people.
Sweet potatoes, another staple in modern Thanksgiving celebrations, originated in Central and South America but arrived in Europe via Columbus’s voyages. Wild turkeys, which had migrated from South America over millennia, were also on the menu. The Europeans already knew about domesticated turkey breeds, brought to Spain from the Americas as early as 1500. The name ‘turkey’ likely stems from their introduction through Turkey.
The excitement of discovering a taste of home in a new land must have been palpable for the pilgrims. Today, our Thanksgiving tables feature ingredients from around the world. Irish potatoes, first cultivated by the Incas in Peru, are now a staple. Black pepper from India, nutmeg from Indonesia, allspice from Jamaica, Honduras, and Guatemala, and cinnamon from Ceylon or China add flavor to our dishes.
While there is darkness in the history of these foods, we can honor the cultures that contributed them by recognizing their importance in our shared culinary heritage. By learning about these cultures and people, we can bring history and honor to our Thanksgiving celebrations.
Idea 4: Make It Last
The first Thanksgiving was a 3-day celebration that allowed for leisurely travel and quality time spent together. In contrast, modern-day gatherings have become hurried affairs, where we rush through meals and social obligations without truly connecting with loved ones. This sense of emptiness can stem from overeating yet still feeling unfulfilled due to the lack of family bonding and gratitude.
Even if a 3-day extravaganza isn’t feasible, consider extending your Thanksgiving celebration beyond just the initial meal. Share the workload by involving family members in meal planning and preparation. If space is limited, adopt a multi-course approach where each person contributes a dish to the menu. Make it a team effort by assigning tasks like washing dishes between courses.
By slowing down the pace and incorporating moments of reflection and gratitude, you can create meaningful memories with your loved ones. Take time to relish the planning, preparation, and enjoyment of the meal, allowing for genuine connections and a deeper appreciation for the blessings in your life.
Idea 5: Eat Locally
Imagine the challenges faced by the Pilgrims in Plymouth circa 1621. Without the luxury of modern transportation or grocery stores, they relied on locally grown, hunted, foraged, and traded foods to sustain themselves. One way to honor their resourcefulness is to plan a meal that incorporates only what’s available in your immediate area.
It may require some creative thinking outside the confines of traditional recipes, but there are many ways to enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal using local ingredients. For instance, you can explore alternative protein sources like venison, goose, or rabbit, rather than defaulting to turkey. In terms of side dishes, consider substituting long-storing varieties of corn, beans, and squash for their sweeter, frozen counterparts.
Cherokee corn makes a great polenta substitute, while black-eyed peas can replace green beans. Mashed or roasted winter squash is another nutritious option that’s readily available in many areas. As for dessert, it’s unlikely that the Pilgrims indulged in processed sugar-laden treats at their Thanksgiving feast. Instead, they may have relied on natural sweeteners like maple syrup, provided by the Wampanoags, or dried fruits like persimmon and medlar.
Nuts also offer a sweet and satisfying conclusion to a meal. To truly celebrate homegrown food at your own Homestead Thanksgiving, focus on creatively using what’s available in your community rather than trying to replicate commercialized recipes.
Idea 6: Tables are Optional
As I reflected on the firsthand accounts of the first Thanksgiving, one detail struck me as particularly liberating: the Wampanoag’s unconventional dining setup. Unlike the pilgrims, who sat at formal tables, the Native Americans ate while sitting on the ground. This unassuming approach to communal eating resonated with me, and it got me thinking about the unnecessary stress we often place on ourselves when hosting gatherings.
We spend so much time worrying about table settings, seating arrangements, and logistics that we forget to enjoy the process. What if, instead of adhering to traditional norms, we created spaces that invited people to gather in a way that felt natural? Imagine throwing out blankets or gathering around a fire pit to soak up the autumn atmosphere. As I often get stuck in my own habits and cultural expectations, it’s liberating to question what we consider ‘normal’.
The original Thanksgiving was about embracing a new life in an old world; our homestead Thanksgivings can be that way too. By challenging our assumptions and embracing unconventional approaches, we can create spaces that are truly welcoming and inclusive. So, let’s shake off the constraints of tradition and get grounded on our homesteads.
Idea 7: Acknowledge Biases
As an inheritor of the legacy of immigrants who arrived on Native American soil, my viewpoint is undoubtedly influenced by historical context. If I were to imagine a Native American reader’s perspective, I’m certain they would acknowledge the biases and potential misinterpretations inherent in my account of Wampanoag contributions. Although I am aware that my lens shapes my understanding of events, I recognize that there are multiple perspectives to consider.
In reflecting on the first Thanksgiving celebration, I’ve come to appreciate that individuals from vastly different backgrounds, languages, and cultures can momentarily set aside their differences and find common ground. As I offer these final thoughts on the Homestead Thanksgiving, I hope you will seize opportunities to see things through another’s eyes and give thanks for the incredible diversity and richness of cultures that enrich our globalized world.
