“For I was hungry, and you gave me food,
I was thirsty, and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”
- Matthew 25:35 –
Nearly four hundred long years ago now
In the very ancient homeland of the Wampanoag
Strange mystifying aliens had suddenly arrived on shore
They had magically materialized in the misty snow and fog
Were these strange visitors perhaps ancient gods?
Could they be lost brethren from another land?
Were they perhaps sent here by the Great Spirit?
Could this truly have been part of His ancient plan?
Unbeknownst to these very strange foreign visitors
Someone hidden in the trees, had watched them come
He was a well respected warrior among the Wampanoag
In his ancient native tongue he was known as Tisquantum
Patient Tisquantum observed these aliens for a very long time
As they attempted to build their lodges, and to also plant wheat
But these visitors seemed very unskilled in this harsh new world
Soon their crops died, they were starving, and had little left to eat
So, as was the ancient sacred custom of the Wampanoag people
Tisquantum took pity on these visitors, and greeted them one day
And soon, he began patiently and compassionately teaching them
To plant crops, hunt game, and build lodges, the Wampanoag way
By the time that the air in the Wampanoag’s land was again chilling
And the leaves in their great forest had already turned red and brown
Tisquantum had taught these extremely inept newcomers how to survive
And now, in this Wampanoag forest, brand new prosperity they had found
These strange newcomers at first were grateful to him for his help
They soon invited Tisquantum and all of his brethren to a joyous feast
So, one hundred Wampanoag, including their wise old chief Massasoit
Graciously brought beans, squash, berries, deer, and wild turkey beasts
But after a few years of friendship, these brazen newcomers quickly forgot
How these native people had so very compassionately helped them to survive
Their offspring began waging a violent war against these ancient Wampanoags
The ensuing death, destruction, slavery, and disease left few Wampanoags alive
These ill-prepared visitors from afar had turned callous, cruel, and ungrateful
The greed and lust of their offspring had broken trust, that would never mend
Soon, an advancing circle of hatred, bigotry, genocide, and land encroachment
Would bring all the ancient civilizations like the Wampanoags to their bloody end
The year this tragic story begins is 1620. The strange newcomers who had arrived in ancient Wampanoag land were the Pilgrims. Tisquantum, the Wampanoag warrior who first took pity on them, is today known as Squanto.
And the bond and friendship established at that first Thanksgiving feast very sadly lasted only a few short years. Soon, the children of these Pilgrims and these Wampanoags began killing each other in a very bloody genocidal, religious, and land conflict that came to be known as King Phillip’s War. And this war was one of the most costly in the history of America. One in ten soldiers on both sides was injured or killed.
By 1670, New England's European population was already about 50,000, and the Colonists were thriving, living an average of 20 years longer than their overseas counterparts. And their population would double by 1700. Conversely, these Native Americans had already been decimated by European diseases; and every passing year now found them less in number, with less game to hunt, and less land to live on.
By the time this war ended, most of the Native Americans in New England had been exterminated, were now living as refugees in Canada, or had been sold into slavery.
In fact, this early trade in Native American slaves became so successful that several greedy ship owners in the Boston area soon began the practice of raiding the Ivory Coast of Africa for additional slaves to sell to the proprietary colonies of the South, thus beginning the American-based slave trade.
At the 350th Anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival on the northeast coast of North America, a Wampanoag elder was asked to speak. Here is part of what he had to say:
“Thanksgiving is a time of celebrating for you,
A time of looking back to the first days,
Of the white people in America.
But it is not a time of celebrating for me,
It is with a heavy heart that I now look back,
At what happened to my people.
When the Pilgrims arrived,
We, the Wampanoags,
Welcomed them with open arms,
Little knowing,
That this was the beginning of our end.”
©2008, Mr. Ed
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Be always safe,
Karen
RARELY DO THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS.
Tom.
I forget where I read that, or who said it, but you know its true, still to this day...e
CarolHawks
Much peace, love, and light and may the Great Spirit shine his love and light on you and your family during this holiday season that will be arriving...
Much peace, and love,
Amber "V"
Outstanding my friend - this is one terrific write!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lance
Cheers,
Dan
How about doing a national Holiday for those givers, most of which are struggling even to this day, and return their gift with interest, at perpetual!
fee
Georg
nice work Ed...
Art Sun...
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla. :(
Mankind has undone much of what Nature provided ...