Native Thanks-Giving

Thanksgiving Day is approaching on November 26, 2009! Although my family and I celebrate this holiday as many others around the world do, there are also many people that don't celebrate this holiday. Be it for religious reasons like Jehovah Witness, or simply because you may oppose or not believe in Thanksgiving, it is a tradition that I have adopted that involves appreciating the family and your loved ones, grateful for the food that we consume everyday (home-cooked, not just fast-food), and most importantly out of rememberence of the Native American Indians that provided a "feast of food" for the Pilgrims that arrived in the New World.

Historically, when the English (Pilgrims) traveled to America on the Mayflower, they landed in New England at Plymouth. The Plymouth Colony experienced many deaths. They also encountered Squanto, a Patuxt Indian who welcomed the first Pilgrims in english language. Squanto and other native tribes taught the Pilgrims about hunting and agriculture, thus teaching the English how to survive. The great first Thanksgiving details are unknown, but without the Native Americans, this great feast between the Pilgrims and native indians may have never occurred, nor would have many Pilgrims survived.

So, when you and your family are at home in 2 weeks on Thursday cooking good food and chowing down, try not to forget the ones who have shown what the true meaning of giving means in Thanks-Giving!