Today is Thanksgiving-eve.

[conuly]

Boy, I have a lot to do! Clean the kitchen, make the cranberry sauce, pre-prep my stuffing (jerusalem artichokes can make stuffing. Who knew?), make my herb butter for under the chicken (not turkey) skin, and, y'know, cook dinner.

The nieces brought home Thanksgiving work (Evangeline) and homework (Ana). Evangeline's work said that The First Thanksgiving Was In 1621. Not technically true, but it's the same thing everybody says so it's easily fixed.

Ana's says that The First Thanksgiving in America was actually in Canada in the 1500s, by a French explorer, because in Europe they had harvest celebrations, like, all the time. It explicitly says the custom started in Europe, and then was brought here by Europeans.

While I'm sure it's true that in Europe they had harvest celebrations all the time, I'm equally sure that so did the Native Americans. In fact, although I can't back this one up, I'm pretty certain that everybody who has a growing season has some sort of thankfulness going on when they look around and realize they probably won't starve to death this winter.

I'm okay with saying "Actually, it wasn't some novel idea to the colonists", but can we not state outright that until Europeans arrived in the new world, none of the people here ever did anything of the sort, ungrateful bastards that they were?

Comments

[marveen.livejournal.com]

I'm sure of the universality of harvestfest also(examples that leap to mind are the wild rice harvest in the Midwest and the Three Sisters culture in the Northeast). (The only First Peoples I'm that familiar with are the local salmon festivals around the salmon runs, though.)

On consulting some of my books, the prevalence of rites and rituals in Native agriculture is remarked upon. (A planting celebration, another when the corn is so high, another when it tassels out, etc....)

In attempting some research into such things, I ran across this page (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002130.html ), which included something I found absolutely hilarious: Placed an inordinate value on accumulated wealth and property. Held lavish feasts (called potlatches) to display their wealth and social status.

This is in relation to the Northwest tribes. When I read this, I had an immediate vision of the Wall Street robber barons and $500-a-plate political dinners.

Inordinate? According to whom?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Well, the first Thanksgiving in the sense of "let's praise the Christian God for our plentiful harvest" must have been dragged in by European invaders/explorers/whatever, after all! That's probably what they meant. But yeah, if it's put like it apparently was in Ana's homework, it's rather poorly worded. And yeah, I'd expect that some sort of harvest/thanksgiving celebrations is probably universal, too.

Also, you made me look up Jerusalem artichokes! Now I'm wondering whether the "pseudo-sunflowers" that keep growing in my garden might actually be... those. Huh. I wonder if I can try the bulbs without poisoning myself...?

[conuly]

Even if you can, apparently they cause gastro-intestinal distress in some eaters... of whom I appear to be one. That, or I'm actually sick.

Eat a small portion to start.