This is Thanksgiving week here in the United States. For our international readers, this holiday is a celebration of the harvest and a time to count our blessings and thank everyone who contributed to all the good things in our lives. Families and friends get together for a big meal on Thursday that usually includes turkey and stuffing, and, since 1876, it’s also included a football game.
The story behind the holiday dates back to the 1600s. British pilgrims sited their new colony where a Patuxet village had been. The former residents had all died from a disease brought to the new world by Europeans. They left behind cleared fields, perfect for the new residents. But the Pilgrims didn’t know how to farm in this new land, and would not have survived without the help of the only surviving Patuxet, Tisquantum. His name was anglicized to Squanto.
To honorCongress established November as Native American Heritage Month he Friday after Thanksgiving is Native American Heritage Day.
In honor of the first Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month, this week’s collection of articles reminds us of some of the lessons we can take from that first meeting near Plymouth Rock. I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kathy
