Thanksgiving: Another Perspective
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Gail Junion-Metz -- School Library Journal, 11/18/2009
americanindian.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=education&second=thanksgiving
Many teaching materials focus on just one side of the Thanksgiving story, but the full picture is much richer and more nuanced. The Wampanoag people, who lived in the area around Plymouth, Massachusetts, for over 12,000 years before the Pilgrims arrived, not only played a lead role in the encounter between the two very different cultures, but were also essential to the survival of the Pilgrims during their first year. This site will help students more deeply appreciate all aspects of Thanksgiving.
The 10-page PDF-format poster/booklet “American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving,” designed for students in grades 4–8, provides information about how different Native peoples give thanks for the earth’s bounty. Also included are classroom activities and discussion ideas. “Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth” discusses the first Thanksgiving and how today’s Thanksgiving came into being. The “Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address” will help students understand all the different things that Native Americans give thanks for. You may want to read it to family and friends gathered around the table this year. Finally, don’t miss the wonderful color images you can print, as well as the good selection of links to other Native American Web sites.
