“Oh, give THANKS to the Lord, for He is
good! For His mercy endures forever.”[1]
Recently, I’ve come to realize I’ve lived a somewhat sheltered life with regards to Thanksgiving. Oh, I’ve learned of our nation’s history and read some of the pilgrim’s writings, yet my research, until now, has been from the settler’s point of view.
Quite by accident, I came across an article from the website: http://Indians.org. The author, Thomas A. Ferguson, called our white, European American idea of the first Thanksgiving a view “…based on the mythological concept and approach Western minds have when dealing with the various Native Populations.”[2] He paints an extremely condescending and contemptuous picture of the Pilgrims assuring us the Native American does not view this holiday with the same love and fervor we do.
Recently, I’ve come to realize I’ve lived a somewhat sheltered life with regards to Thanksgiving. Oh, I’ve learned of our nation’s history and read some of the pilgrim’s writings, yet my research, until now, has been from the settler’s point of view.
Quite by accident, I came across an article from the website: http://Indians.org. The author, Thomas A. Ferguson, called our white, European American idea of the first Thanksgiving a view “…based on the mythological concept and approach Western minds have when dealing with the various Native Populations.”[2] He paints an extremely condescending and contemptuous picture of the Pilgrims assuring us the Native American does not view this holiday with the same love and fervor we do.