It’s almost time for Thanksgiving, and that means you’re likely brining or dry rubbing a turkey. Or rushing to finalize the menu, looking through recipes and writing out shopping lists. Maybe you’re still in bed researching turkey hacks on Serious Eats. But hold on a minute. Do you have any idea what this holiday is for? Sure, it’s about being thankful for the harvest, everyone knows that, but when you really think about it, in your mind’s eye, what do you see? A Pilgrim? A cartoon turkey? A centrepiece of autumn leaves?
It’s time to take a journey back in time, and we’re going back quite a bit farther than 1879.
The first official Thanksgiving was held on Nov.6, 1879, but that wasn’t the first celebration of giving thanks for the autumn harvest. “According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, earlier settlers are recorded as holding similar celebrations, such as Sir Martin Frobisher and his people in 1578, as well as Île Ste. Croix, in 1604, all of which were to serve similar purposes, to give thanks for their bountiful harvest.” reports Kaleb Meeks in Pelham Today. He shares his feelings about this from his perspective, as an Ojibwe.
“It became clear to me as I learned more about the true roots of Thanksgiving, that the importance for myself and all Canadians to educate each other about the real history behind the celebration of Thanksgiving is becoming quite apparent, including the impacts the people of its origin have had on Indigenous People. In this way, we can still celebrate the positive aspects of Thanksgiving while paying respect to the truth behind the holiday, and acknowledging the darkness of its origins.”
Thérèse Bégin’s family recipe for making blueberry paste has been passed down through 7 generations, originally intended to keep berries throughout the winter in birch bark containers. Photo courtesy CBC
Indigenous people were giving thanks for the harvest well before Frobisher and the gang. According to the Smithsonian, dances like the Green Corn Dance of the Cherokees sought to ensure a good harvest long before Europeans arrived. That might sound obvious, until you look at how far back. Patty Inglish, writing for Owlcation, notes that “native thankfulness for crops is thousands of years old — 12,000 to 48,000 or more years.” Pilgrims didn’t even exist before 1607.
Meeks asks that we consider educating ourselves about the true origins of the holiday as a step in the right direction. One way to do that, he suggests, is incorporating Indigenous ingredients like dandelion, wild rice, blueberries or wild game to the feast as homage and a way to show respect for those “who once were denied the right to practice their traditions on the very land they came from.”
Take it one step further and make a donation to the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. It’s the city’s oldest Indigenous community organization, providing social, recreational, cultural and spiritual services.
This holiday is about so much more than turkeys, let’s make it about mindfulness and observance.
The more we know, the more we care, the more we grow. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.