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Let's Talk Turkey

Barbara Curtis

I'd stuffed many a turkey before I really understood Thanksgiving. Oh sure, I knew we were supposed to be thankful, and once I became a Christian I knew who we were thanking. But it wasn't until I homeschooled some of my children that I really discovered the whole story. Unfortunately, that story keeps getting harder to find.

For years, public schools have left God out of Thanksgiving, teaching instead that the Pilgrims gave a party to thank the Native Americans and Mother Earth. Even more current are claims that the first Thanksgiving was a copy of European harvest festivals, a stolen Native American custom, or just a repetition of thanksgivings offered by other explorers.

But the Pilgrims' own writings and the historical events leading to the first Thanksgiving show the traditional accounts (available in pre-1960 books and encyclopedias) to be authentic. Thanksgiving was not an isolated event, or an imitation of some other event, but a uniquely inspired Christian celebration—the culmination of a long journey of faith during which the Pilgrims relied on God and trusted him through tremendous adversity.

While Thanksgiving often gets lost in the pre-Christmas shuffle, teaching our children the real story of this holiday can make it an opportunity for spiritual growth that our children will cherish for years to come. With a little history, a little creativity, and a sense of fun, Thanksgiving can become one of your family's favorite celebrations.

In the early 1600s the Wampanoag (Wam-pa-NO-ag) Indians inhabited the coast of what we now call New England. They raised crops, lived close to the ocean in summer for seafood, and moved inland in winter to set up hunting camps. Their encounters with Europeans over the years were mostly friendly.

But there was one exception: In 1614 Captain Thomas Hunt captured several Wampanoag, along with a Patuxet Indian named Squanto, to be sold into slavery in Spain. A Spanish monk purchased Squanto's freedom, taught him Spanish, introduced him to Jesus Christ and sent him to England. In 1619, Squanto returned to his native land, only to find that his tribe had been wiped out by an epidemic. Thereafter he made his home with the Wampanoag.

Meanwhile, in 1608, a British group called Separatists fled to Leyden, Holland. There they found religious freedom, but also poverty, grueling work hours, and a secular culture that threatened to undo the values they had carefully instilled in their children. In 1620, they sold all their belongings to help finance their journey to America.

On the Mayflower's voyage, the Separatists were joined by another group of people bound for America. They called these people Strangers. The two groups, 102 people altogether, were called Pilgrims.

Their journey lasted nine weeks. In one of those divine "accidents" that change the course of history, the ship lost its course and landed far north of its destination at what we now know as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Once outside the territory covered by the King's Charter, the Pilgrims became responsible for their own government, and so they wrote a set of laws called The Mayflower Compact. On December 21, 1620, they began their new life at the place they named Plymouth.

The winter was devastating. Wind whipped through their settlement and sleet and snow chilled them to the bone. Half of the Pilgrims died. But the Separatists clung to their faith; not one person chose to return to England when the Mayflower made her return voyage.

Spring brought unexpected relief—the help of a Christian brother, Squanto. He taught them how to grow corn, use fertilizer, stalk deer, and catch fish. William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth, wrote that Squanto was "a special instrument sent of God for good beyond our expectations."

And so their first harvest was good. Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God, and the Pilgrims invited their Indian friends. Chief Massasoit and 90 members of his tribe came, along with Squanto, bearing venison and wild turkeys for everyone to share. The Pilgrims and Indians feasted, played games, ran races, and showed their prowess with bows and arrows and muskets. With so much to be grateful for, the Pilgrims celebrated that first Thanksgiving for three days!

Barbara Curtis is a former teacher and the mother of 12. She and her family live in California.

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