As I conclude my "yearly vigil" in search of the real Thanksgiving, my final thought is: "Did the original harvest celebration (Thanksgiving) begin an era of peace between Native American tribe the Wampanoug and the English?"
It is recorded a man named Samoset brought with him Tisquantum, known as Squanto, to meet the remaining pilgrims from the Mayflower in March of 1621. They represented the Wampanoug tribe who lived in that area of southern Massachusetts.
The Wampanoug, like other Native American tribes in the region, had seen and confronted Europeans before. French and Dutch traders had been in the area dating back to 1614. The experience had not been positive as Native Americans were often captured and sold into slavery. Disease from European traders like small pox had devastated the many within the various tribes of the area. Yet these pilgrims brought a unique feature to landing at Cape Cod...they brought their own women and children. To the Wampanoug, this was interpreted as a people of peace.
When the Mayflower arrived in November of 1620, the Wampanoug and the pilgrims got off to a rocky start. The pilgrims were extremely desperate... food, supplies, and fighting off disease confronted them daily. They discovered a Wampanoug grave site at a place called Corn Hill and excavated the area immediately finding personal items belonging to the deceased. They took all they could to stay alive through the harsh winter.
This was quite offensive to the Wampanoug because of the sacred beliefs of their dead. Throughout the winter, there was no real confrontations between the English and Native Americans. The English did write of seeing "shadows."
During the winter months fifty percent of the English died from mostly illness. They became concerned of burying their dead. Doing so may indicate to the Wampanoug their numbers were dwindling and might encourage the Native Americans to attack.
The introductory meeting between the pilgrims and Squanto had great influence in bringing peace. As it turned out that first year, Squanto and the Wampanougs taught the pilgrims how to grow crops and introduced new produce like pumpkins and "Indian corn."
The chief of the Wampanoug, "Massasoit," signed a Treaty of Friendship giving the pilgrims rights to occupy over 12000 acres of land controlled by the Wampanougs. The "First Thanksgiving" confirmed this friendship.
And everyone lived happily ever after, amen. Well, just a minute....
Puritans began to arrive in the area and brought with them a strong, almost forceful Christian format including converting Native Americans to the English faith. Puritans were much more militant than those of the pilgrims and tensions began to arise between the "savages" and the English.
There were two other Native American tribes in the area that were more aggressive than the peaceful manners of the Wampanoug.
The Narragansett were a more isolated tribe and did not want to establish any friendship with the English. A short time after the First Thanksgiving they sent a snakeskin wrapped with arrow heads to Governor Bradford of Plymouth. It was intended to be a threat they would attack the pilgrim village. The Pilgrims sent the snakeskin back filled with gunpowder. This message kept the Narragansett at bay.
.
By the 1630's, with the mixture of aggressive puritans, pilgrims, and more English settlers (those coming to America for adventure and fortune) arriving each year, and with the Native American tribes including Wampanoug, the Narragansett, and the most militant tribe of the area, the Pequot , claiming southern Massachusetts area as their home, war was inevitable.
The Pequot had fought with the other two tribes for rightful control of the region which would demand tribute. Now they turned their attention to the English.
An English settler was found murdered in a boat. A military English major named John Mason gathered his troops and attacked the Pequot. He burned their homes (wigwams) and killed hundreds of men, women, and children. In Mason's report he writes, "We must burn them! Such a dreadful terror, let the Almighty fall upon their spirits that they would flee from us and run into the very flames. Thus did the Lord judge the heathen, filling the place with dead bodies."
In 1637 it was obvious the pilgrim's peace treaty with Massasoit in 1621 was no longer valid. The governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, who was at the treaty with Massasoit, now writes in reference to attacking Native Americans " Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword, some hewn to pieces, others run through with rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave their prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them thus to inclose their enemies into their hands, and give them a speedy victory over so proud and insulting enime."
After this particular massacre, Gov. Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving as "For the next 100 years, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor was in honor of the bloody victory, thanking God the battle had been won."
!00 years?...Well, that would put us into the mid 1700's, the old west was barely starting to open up, with many more Native Americans to meet. The first Thanksgiving...had changed much since the Mayflower had landed and the Treaty of Friendship.
It is recorded a man named Samoset brought with him Tisquantum, known as Squanto, to meet the remaining pilgrims from the Mayflower in March of 1621. They represented the Wampanoug tribe who lived in that area of southern Massachusetts.
When the Mayflower arrived in November of 1620, the Wampanoug and the pilgrims got off to a rocky start. The pilgrims were extremely desperate... food, supplies, and fighting off disease confronted them daily. They discovered a Wampanoug grave site at a place called Corn Hill and excavated the area immediately finding personal items belonging to the deceased. They took all they could to stay alive through the harsh winter.
This was quite offensive to the Wampanoug because of the sacred beliefs of their dead. Throughout the winter, there was no real confrontations between the English and Native Americans. The English did write of seeing "shadows."
During the winter months fifty percent of the English died from mostly illness. They became concerned of burying their dead. Doing so may indicate to the Wampanoug their numbers were dwindling and might encourage the Native Americans to attack.
The introductory meeting between the pilgrims and Squanto had great influence in bringing peace. As it turned out that first year, Squanto and the Wampanougs taught the pilgrims how to grow crops and introduced new produce like pumpkins and "Indian corn."
The chief of the Wampanoug, "Massasoit," signed a Treaty of Friendship giving the pilgrims rights to occupy over 12000 acres of land controlled by the Wampanougs. The "First Thanksgiving" confirmed this friendship.
And everyone lived happily ever after, amen. Well, just a minute....
Puritans began to arrive in the area and brought with them a strong, almost forceful Christian format including converting Native Americans to the English faith. Puritans were much more militant than those of the pilgrims and tensions began to arise between the "savages" and the English.
There were two other Native American tribes in the area that were more aggressive than the peaceful manners of the Wampanoug.
The Narragansett were a more isolated tribe and did not want to establish any friendship with the English. A short time after the First Thanksgiving they sent a snakeskin wrapped with arrow heads to Governor Bradford of Plymouth. It was intended to be a threat they would attack the pilgrim village. The Pilgrims sent the snakeskin back filled with gunpowder. This message kept the Narragansett at bay.
.
By the 1630's, with the mixture of aggressive puritans, pilgrims, and more English settlers (those coming to America for adventure and fortune) arriving each year, and with the Native American tribes including Wampanoug, the Narragansett, and the most militant tribe of the area, the Pequot , claiming southern Massachusetts area as their home, war was inevitable.The Pequot had fought with the other two tribes for rightful control of the region which would demand tribute. Now they turned their attention to the English.
An English settler was found murdered in a boat. A military English major named John Mason gathered his troops and attacked the Pequot. He burned their homes (wigwams) and killed hundreds of men, women, and children. In Mason's report he writes, "We must burn them! Such a dreadful terror, let the Almighty fall upon their spirits that they would flee from us and run into the very flames. Thus did the Lord judge the heathen, filling the place with dead bodies."
In 1637 it was obvious the pilgrim's peace treaty with Massasoit in 1621 was no longer valid. The governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, who was at the treaty with Massasoit, now writes in reference to attacking Native Americans " Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword, some hewn to pieces, others run through with rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave their prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them thus to inclose their enemies into their hands, and give them a speedy victory over so proud and insulting enime."
!00 years?...Well, that would put us into the mid 1700's, the old west was barely starting to open up, with many more Native Americans to meet. The first Thanksgiving...had changed much since the Mayflower had landed and the Treaty of Friendship.
No comments:
Post a Comment