It's the end of November and if you are as lucky as Joe and I have been, over the holiday, you had plenty to give thanks for. For me, giving thanks, means that I am in a state of grace, taking an inventory of all that is in my eventful life. Our thanks include so many; Judy for helping us with the garden; Harsens Island residents for embracing us; my students for allowing me to learn as much from them as I hope, they learn from me; Joe and I for each other's love and company, our wonderful family members; our critters; the spiritual teachers who have shown us what is worth focusing on; beautiful Mother Earth for producing, replenishing and giving; and of course the Universal Consciousness for teaching us that the most important thing in the world is love. But where did Thanksgiving come from? Who was smart enough to designate a day to give thanks?
We would have to go back to the Pokanokut Indians and Pilgrims in 1621 at Plymouth Rock. The Pokanokut Indians were the tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims to America in 1620. One year later, the Pokanokuts joined the Pilgrims to celebrate the first American Thanksgiving. (The first Indian inducted into the Continental Army was a Pokanokut, whose job it was to watch over Washington while he slept). To the Indians, the meaning of Thanksgiving was the gathering of the harvest as the Indians had 13 harvests per year, each celebrated during the full moon. Their November harvest became known as what we Americans now celebrate, Thanksgiving.
After the Pilgrims landed in 1620, their health deteriorated rapidly during their first winter on American soil. Squanto, a Pokanokut Indian, approached the settlers to offer his assistance. The settlers were startled to find out that Squanto spoke perfect English. In 1605, Squanto had traveled to England with a friendly English explorer, John Weymouth. Squanto returned to his native land in 1620. Squanto taught the settlers how to grow and harvest corn. He taught the Pilgrims how to erect wigwams, which protected the settlers from the harsh, cold New England winters. After the first year, Captain Miles Standish, who was head of the Plymouth colony, invited Squanto and the main leaders of the Pokanocut Indians, along with their immediate families, to join the settlers in a Thanksgiving celebration. Standish sat on one end of the table while Massasolt Ousamequin, the leader of the Pokanokut nation, sat on the other end. The meal consisted of pumpkins, corn, acorn squash, venison, lobsters, clams and wild game. Standish, however, was not prepared for the 90 Indians who attended the celebration. The Indians then provided five deer, wild turkey, corn soup, corn bread, cranberries and shared in the feast's celebration. The pilgrims and the Indians lived in peace and harmony for the next 54 years.
In 1675, war between the Indians, Pilgrims and Puritans broke out over land disputes. As more and more settlers arrived in America, more and more Indian tribes were being displaced from their lands. By 1676 the war was over; the Indians had lost and were banished to reservations in Connecticut. Throughout the decades, however, many of the Indian tribes returned to their native lands as American citizens.
Recently, Pokanokut spiritual leader, Clifford Guy (who's great great great grandfather was the one that watched over the sleeping Washington), returned to Jamestown after discovering that many of his previous ancestors from the tribe lived there. Long before the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, the Indians believed in the Great Spirit, the Creator, God. "The Indians had no bible and even if they did, they couldn't read one" Guy said. The Indians believed that everything comes from the Great Spirit and that the Creator hears and sees everything. The Indians Creator's Creed was passed down orally from one generation to the next. The creed included such proclamations as "treat all men as they treat us, never break a bargain, it is a disgrace to tell a lie, never take a life and never take property without paying for it". Hmm...sound familiar?
Today, Native Americans observe five Thanksgivings per year. The first Thanksgiving is in March, to celebrate maple syrup. The second is in June, to celebrate the strawberry, which symbolizes the renewal of friendship. The third is the Thanksgiving of the green bean, which is celebrated in July. Its message is to never refuse anything offered to you because it's too small or too little. The fourth is November's Harvest Thanksgiving, which is the one that most celebrate today. And the fifth is the Indian summer, which the Indians claim is a gift from their Creator. Warm winds ascend after a great frost, which allowed the Indians to pick their harvest in October and prepare for the long, cold winter.
As I reviewed our history, so much comes to mind. Will we ever understand that identifying our dates with the cycles of nature will return us to a natural flow of time? Are we always going to fight with each other even though our basic belief systems are the same? Don't we understand that if one man is in chains that none of us are free? Can't we remind ourselves and each other that our Great Creator loves every one of us no matter what color, religion or creed? I have come to believe that if I don't contend with negative thoughts, feelings and forget to give thanks, then it will be a very easy road to a world of misplayed hostility, conflict and disruptive efforts. I have also realized that if I can approach these patterns with responsible consciousness and care, along with invoking the best with my fellow humans in resolving "situations", then patterns presented on my personal path can only lead to insight. And no doubt, through creative consciousness, I can be inspired while gleaning from all situations, instead of forging ahead without attention to personal awareness and insight. As days unfold before me and troubling times of conflict prevail, I have to look to the Pokankuts who faced conflict with an aspired consciousness. If I could bring this to my Thanksgiving table, it may just yield a harvest of creative solutions to lingering problems allowing me to tap into Clifford Guy's bestowed Indian name...the name of Lion Heart.
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