The Real History Of Thanksgiving Isn't The One You Learned In School—Here's How To Celebrate Smarter

Most Americans have heard the same version of Thanksgiving: Pilgrims sat down with Native Americans to share a meal and express gratitude for their assistance in a fruitful first harvest. However, the tale has been proven to be full of inaccuracies. Although you might be aware of this on some level, the truth about the holiday's origins and the impact it has on many Native Americans is seldom addressed.

So think of this as a revised history lesson. Learn why some people don't celebrate Thanksgiving and how you can help Native Americans during the holidays and beyond.

Ok, so what's the real story behind Thanksgiving?

You probably have a hazy understanding that the Thanksgiving holiday isn't exactly what you remember from childhood, but the "true roots" of the holiday are still murky. We'll give you the best look at what we know, but keep in mind that there's a lot of information to process about this problem, as well as a few different theories about the holiday's roots, some of which are contradictory. This is the story that has been investigated and published the most.

According to The New York Times, the Mayflower brought settlers from England to a land that they colonized and called Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims did hold a three-day feast in 1621, which was attended by Wampanoag tribe members. However, when these settlers observed what they called "Thanksgiving" observances, they typically fasted. According to The New Yorker, this feast and celebration was regarded as a "rejoicing." With that in mind, whether or not this meal is considered the "first Thanksgiving" is a point of contention among experts.

As The Smithsonian indicates, the settlers are often the focus of attention when discussing this case, but Native Americans had lived on the land for centuries before the settlers arrived, and their story clearly predates the feast. Around four years before the Mayflower arrived, Europeans began arriving in what is now known as the United States, bringing with them foreign diseases that killed Native Americans at an alarming pace. Colonizers were able to take over these lands more easily as a result of this. There's also the fact that settlers came to the area with the purpose of kidnapping and selling Native Americans to slavery.

Native Americans were also not invited to the feast by the newly settled Europeans. The Wampanoag Tribe's chief, Ousamequin, had declared an alliance with the settlers, and tribe members were turning up to honor a mutual-defense pact; they'd heard the Pilgrims firing their weapons in celebration and mistook them for war. They agreed to spend three days together and attend the feast after some discussion—but this form of gathering did not become a wet, fuzzy tradition as you might have been taught in school.

According to The New Yorker, Pilgrims began celebrating "thanksgivings" in their typical form of fasting and praying. This occurred many times as a result of Native American massacres, such as in 1637, when Massachusetts Colony Governor John Winthrop declared a day of thanksgiving after volunteers massacred 700 Pequot people. Another widely cited origin story for the Thanksgiving we know today is this event, which is often cited as the first official mention of a "thanksgiving" ceremony.

Since then, various dates for the modern-day Thanksgiving holiday have been proclaimed and observed by individual states, but it wasn't until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a day of Thanksgiving that the holiday as we know it became permanent.

Why is Thanksgiving still controversial?

Since the diseases and massacres described above did not stop the atrocities against Native Americans, seeing people celebrate the "good" narrative around Thanksgiving can be confusing and painful for many people, particularly Indigenous people. Connect to that the fact that certain non-Natives dress up in "honor" of Thanksgiving by wearing headdresses, which many regard as a parody of sacred dress.

Native Americans, like all peoples, are not a monolith and have differing views on Thanksgiving. Some tribes, for example, regard the holiday as a national day of mourning (as depicted above), as it commemorates the arrival of settlers on their territory, which sparked decades of violence and mistreatment.

"Thanksgiving Day serves as a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native peoples, the theft of Native lands, and the on-going attack on Native society," the United American Indians of New England says. According to Native Hope, they've observed the day as a day of mourning for the past 48 years. "Those who participate in the National Day of Mourning pay tribute to Native ancestors and the ongoing struggles of Native peoples to survive." It's a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a demonstration against the racism and injustice that Native Americans face today.”

Others, such as Sean Sherman, founder and CEO of The Sioux Chef and author of The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, may have mixed feelings about the holiday, but they're finding new ways to celebrate it. In an article for Time Magazine, he said the following, which you can read in its entirety:

"The thing is, we do not need the poisonous 'pilgrims and Indians' narrative. We do not need that illusion of past unity to actually unite people today. Instead, we can focus simply on values that apply to everybody: togetherness, generosity and gratitude. And we can make the day about what everybody wants to talk and think about anyway: the food.

People may not realize it, but what every person in this country shares, and the very history of this nation, has been in front of us the whole time. Most of our Thanksgiving recipes are made with indigenous foods: turkey, corn, beans, pumpkins, maple, wild rice and the like. We should embrace this."

How can we support Native Americans this holiday and every day?

No matter how you feel about the holiday, there are a few different ways to start, and continue, to support Native people and causes that are important to them. Consider the following scenario: Look for Native American authors, advocates, musicians, and chefs to assist and encourage them in their endeavors. Listen to what they have to say and raise them up, and make sure your support extends beyond Thanksgiving and holidays like Indigenous Peoples Day. Learn about issues that continue to impact Native Americans, such as housing, domestic abuse, and land inequalities.

Another easy thing you can do is to direct the people in your life away from negative assumptions about Native Americans that might surface in school textbooks, sporting events, or holiday decorations. More on why cultural appropriation and ridicule are harmful can be found here.

Consider purchasing food or other items from Native American growers in your area for your Thanksgiving dinner, and make a donation to a local Native organization. Here you can find regional services. First Nations Development Institute, Native American Heritage Association, and Partnership With Native Americans are three other national examples.

Related: 6 Things Every Visitor to the USA Should Know About Thanksgiving