Why and how do you celebrate Thanksgiving?  

This year, I have struggled with the idea of celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving especially in light of the recent events at Standing Rock.  On one hand the day is known by most people as a time of friendship, giving and sharing, yet there is also a real history of violence, violation and greed associated with it that is rarely talked about.  I have learned and witnessed, through Systemic Constellation, that whatever is excluded persists until it is seen and acknowledged.  It has occurred to me that perhaps what is unfolding in the Midwest is an opportunity for truth to come forward and be seen.  

In an attempt to honor and stand as a witness to the fate of those who came before us on this land, I did more research and found out that thanksgiving celebrations in America did not begin in 1621 with the Europeans arrival, but were here long before that.  

For many years before her death, Princess Red-Wing, a Native American leader known for her wisdom and her storytelling, shared the story of the Five Thanksgivings that Native Americans in Southeastern New England celebrated each year for hundreds of years before Europeans came to America.   

• The first thanksgiving of the year takes place in March, when the sap begins to flow, and is a celebration of the maple trees and the sweet gift that they bring.  
• The second thanksgiving occurs in June and is called the Strawberry Thanksgiving or the Thanksgiving of Renewed Friendship.  It is based on a story of reconciliation between a brother and sister with a peace offering of strawberries gifted by the Great Spirit.
• The third thanksgiving is celebrated in July and is called the Green Bean Thanksgiving.  For many years, the people would leave the green bean pods on the vine to dry allowing the small beans inside to grow bigger.  The old story  around this thanksgiving speaks of a minature man who offers a young boy from the tribe his tiny bow and arrow.  The boy refuses thinking it will be too small to be useful.  The little man then share a secret about picking the beans when the pods are still green despite the diminutive size of the beans inside. This teaching in this honors the wisdom of non-judgement and not refusing anything thought to be too small.
• The fourth thanksgiving happens in early October and is called the Cranberry Thanksgiving.  It is often is associated with the time period of summer-like weather that follows the first frost.  Although the nutritious little cranberry does not have the sweetness of other summer berries, its sourness is a reminder that the long cold winter is ahead and preparations need to be made.
• The final yearly thanksgiving celebration is the one most closely associated with the nationally celebrated Thanksgiving holiday.  In late October or early November, when the first hard frost comes over the land, the indigenous people of Southeastern New England gather together to give thanks for the many gifts and harvests the Earth has provided throughout the year with a feast of thanksgiving.  

     It is a gift to know that original thanksgiving celebrations on this land were really based on a way of living each day in complete gratitude.  In light of this wisdom, I can come together with family in a celebration of thankfulness for the abundance we are gifted each day.  I also stand as a witness today to the fate of all those who came before us, and I honor them by speaking of their traditions and wisdom.  By bringing gratitude into our lives each day we can walk in harmony with the Earth and all its inhabitants making everyday a day of thanksgiving and celebration. 
 
Have a beautiful day of thanks today!
 
Allsup, Kim. The Pilgrims Were Not Present at the First Thanksgiving in America!  November 23, 2015.