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Thanksgiving Thoughts 2012
When was the country that we now know as the United States first settled?
Who were the first settlers in this land?
If your answer involves the period of time near 1620 AD and the people from England that included Pilgrims your answer isn't bad or evil but it is wrong.
Starting with the Pilgrims simply leaves out too much history. Why has this history been omitted from our education? I can't know for sure but it does seem
convenient for Americans to forget the uglier parts of our history.
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Have you ever heard the island of Haiti come up (Haiti should actually come up) in the thanksgiving / history of America story?
Starting with 1620 and the Pilgrims from England not only leaves out the Indians, it also leaves out the Spanish and the Africans. While I would
argue that the Indians had to have settled in America at some point in history, the first settlers to stay in this land after the native Indians appear to be of African
descent. In the summer of 1526 five hundred Spaniards and one hundred black slaves started a town in what is now South Carolina. In the winter of that same
year, the slaves rebelled and killed some of the Spaniards. The small portion of the Spaniards who didn't die in disputes with Indians, disease, and the slave
rebellion left this land and returned to the island now known as Haiti.
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So who was left in this land from that Spaniard journey?
The only true settlers (meaning they settled and stayed) were actually African former slaves of the Spaniards who rebelled against their owners. This piece of
history makes the first non-native settlers in the country we now call the United States Africans. i
Starting with 1620 and the Pilgrims from England not only leaves out the Indians, the Spanish, and the Africans, it also leaves out the French.
In 1562 French naval officer Jean Ribault led an expedition to the New World that founded Fort Caroline as a haven for Huguenots in what is now Jacksonville,
Florida. Trying to keep control of La Florida, Spanish soldiers killed Ribault and many of his followers near St. Augustine in 1565. ii
Starting with 1620 and the Pilgrims from England not only leaves out the Indians, the Spanish, the Africans, and the French, it also leaves out
the Dutch. Albany was first claimed by Henry Hudson for the Dutch in 1609 and saw its first European settlement in 1614. iii
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What does this have to do with faith and Jesus?
We're getting there, just bare with me just a bit longer. In 1617, just before the Mayflower landed a plague broke out. The plague was either the bubonic
plague, small pox, or the flu but it wiped out upward of 80% of those living in the southern part of New England. Some estimates actually say between 90-96%
of the people were dead. This left the native American societies devastated.
"In the decades between Columbus' discovery of America and the Mayflower landing at Plymouth Rock, the most devastating plague in human history raced up
the East Coast of America. Just two years before the pilgrims started the tape recorder on New England's written history, the plague wiped out about 96 percent
of the Indians in Massachusetts." iv
The plague paved the way for the Pilgrims of Plymouth to survive their attempt to settle the American land.
Starting with 1620 and the Pilgrims from England not only leaves out the Indians, the Spanish, the Africans, the French, and the Dutch it also
leaves out the Vikings. The Vikings had a successful colony in Greenland for over 500 years (that was probably between 980 and 1500). In or around 1005AD
the Vikings sent a large group to settle in America. The group included over 100 settlers, livestock, and supplies. The Viking settlement didn't last though,
because the Native Americans kicked them out by force. Now, if you are thinking "Weren't the Vikings big bad fighting men, how could the Native Americans
defeat the Vikings, but not the Pilgrims?" The answer is the plague. The Pilgrims arrived at the right time to settle the land because the town had been built but
the occupants had vacated due to many, many deaths. Maybe as much as 96% of their population.
Starting with 1620 and the Pilgrims from England not only leaves out the Indians, the Spanish, the Africans, the French, the Dutch, and the
Vikings it also most likely underestimates or under tells the story of Tisquantum. Tisquantum who we know as "Squanto," was an amazing man. He
certainly wasn't just a simple Native American Indian. "Tisquantum was captured and enslaved, and taken to Europe, where he learned English and European
ways. After his first enslavement and return to America, he was captured and enslaved again, to be sold in Spain. He was rescued by some Spanish friars who
took control of the slaves and tried to convert them to Christianity. After four years and at least one aborted journey, Tisquantum made his way back to America,
only to discover that his entire family and village, everyone he knew, had been killed by a plague, probably smallpox. This was the Indian who helped the
Pilgrims survive the second winter – a man who was enslaved twice, forced to learn English ways, and who had just discovered everyone he loved was dead." v
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Why is the story of America's discovery and settlement significant on Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving Thoughts 2012
This story is significant because it is the true story. This story is significant because without the Native Americans' life and death the Mayflower settlers probably
would not have survived. The Pilgrims arrived in a land that was well prepared, the corn fields that they found were already there and prepared because just
seasons before the land was inhabited by Native Americans, but those Indians were wiped out by a horrible plague. The plague, left the land empty for the new
settlers to survive. In spite of this great provision the pilgrims were still at the verge of starvation and total wipe out that first winter, but luckily they met
Squanto in 1621 and by that fall they were able to have a great feast.
Understand that the Pilgrims had so much to be thankful for, but the very things that they could be thankful for were really tragedies to the others who had
made their survival possible. The land was well prepared for them because the natives had been killed by a plague, and their Native American advisor was well
prepared to care for and communicate with them because he had been enslaved and taken away from his homeland twice. As if that isn't a dark enough story,
when Squanto was finally able to find his way home he arrived to an abandoned land. His family, and friends had been killed by the plague.
The Pilgrims, Squanto, and the additional 90 or so Wampanoag Indians did have a successful happy Thanksgiving feast in the fall of 1621, but not all of the
Thanksgiving meals were days to look back on and celebrate. For example, "…in 1641, a raid against the members of the Pequot tribe in Connecticut was very
successful, and the churches declared a day of "thanksgiving" to celebrate. During this feast, the decapitated heads of Natives were kicked through the streets of
Manhatten. Many towns in New England held thanksgiving days to celebrate victories over the Natives." vi
Squanto wasn't the saint Indian that you might have imagined based on his story. In fact, here's a quote from Plymouth Gov. William Bradford’s chronicle Of
Plymouth Plantation: "Squanto sought his own ends and played his own game, by putting the Indians in fear and drawing gifts from them to enrich himself,
making them believe he could stir up war against whom he would, and make peace for whom he would. Yea, he made them believe they kept the plague buried in
the ground, and could send it amongst whom they would, which did much terrify the Indians and made them depend more on him, and seek more to him, than to
Massasoit. Which procured him envy and had like to have cost him his life; for after the discovery of his practices, Massasoit sought it both privately and openly, which
caused him to stick close to the English, and never durst go from them till he died."
Here's an quote from the Revolutionary Worker #883, November 24, 1996: "Some Puritans argued that the land belonged to the Indians. These forces were
excommunicated and expelled. Massachusetts Governor Winthrop declared the Indians had not "subdued" the land, and therefore all uncultivated lands should,
according to English Common Law, be considered "public domain." This meant they belonged to the king. In short, the colonists decided they did not need to consult
the Indians when they seized new lands, they only had to consult the representative of the crown (meaning the local governor). The Puritans embraced a line from
Psalms 2:8. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Since then, European settler
states have similarly declared god their real estate agent: from the Boers seizing South Africa to the Zionists seizing Palestine. The European immigrants took land
and enslaved Indians to help them farm it. By 1637 there were about 2,000 British settlers. They pushed out from the coast and decided to remove the inhabitants."
What started as a unique coming together of two seemingly enemies, didn’t last. Eventually the aggressors returned to their aggressive ways. Although there
were agreements / alliances with other Indian tribes the powerful Pequot tribe had not entered an alliance with the New Settlers. The Puritan preachers used
scripture to justify their massacre. When I call this a massacre, I'm not stretching the truth or trying to make this uglier history than it is, I'm simply describing
what happened. John Mason led the 240 troops into battle, but he decided to avoid battle and instead attempt to massacre some sleeping innocents in order to
destroy their will to fight. The scripture they used was from Romans 13:2, 'Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they
that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.'
"William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth, wrote: 'Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword; some hewed to pieces, others run through with their
rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus
frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so
wonderfully for them.' Mason himself wrote: 'It may be demanded...Should not Christians have more mercy and compassion? But...sometimes the Scripture
declareth women and children must perish with their parents.... We had sufficient light from the word of God for our proceedings.'… This so-called 'Pequot war'
was a one-sided murder and slaving expedition. Over 180 captives were taken. After consulting the bible again, in Leviticus 24:14, the colonial authorities found
justification to kill most of the Pequot men and enslave the captured women and their children. Only 500 Pequot remained alive and free. In 1975 the official
number of Pequot living in Connecticut was 21."
I want you to know the horrible history, because it is horrible. When we pretend that the real ugly history didn't happen, we are in danger of repeating such
horrible history. When we told the pretty story over and over in hopes of suppressing the bad parts of the story, we have to ask why would we want to forget.
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Do we want to change the history because we don't ever want to paint or allow our history to be remembered as bad?
Do we think we are a holy country built on truth and faith in God?
When you, I and others around us use the bible as a tool to build fear and control people, should we silently sit by and believe that they can't be doing
evil because they are quoting scripture?
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Thanksgiving Thoughts 2012
Should we treat modern day Indians, the offspring of those done wrong, with special treatment in order to make up for the wrong done to their
forefathers?
Does reversing discrimination work?
Did reverse discrimination work with the Indians?
What are the right action steps for our community?
What does the bible say about racism?
What did Jesus say about racism?
Some actually use a story about Jesus from Matthew 15 to argue that Jesus was racist. Here's the story, what do you think? Was Jesus racist?
Matthew 15:21-28 21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out
and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His
disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the
children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus
said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.
I'm personally real leery of someone trying to say that God speaks to them. I assume that someone is trying to show off or manipulate others when they use
language like "God told me…" I share that because as I was reading Matthew 15:21-28, something weird happened. As I was reading, I envisioned the story.
In my mind I saw it playing out, but I can't tell you what the Canaanite woman looked like, nor can I describe the disciple or Jesus' appearance. What I can tell
you is what happened in my head. The Canaanite woman was asking for help, Jesus bowed slightly and rotated away from her. As He bowed His head a bit He
responded in a whisper to the disciples remarks about sending her away. Jesus' whisper said, "I was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
The rest of my reading was just reading no vision, no insight. After I read the passage and saw the passage play out in my head I looked back into the passage
for the "whisper" part of the story, but it wasn't there. What is there, is Jesus' ignoring the first statement from the Canaanite woman and turning to respond to
His disciples. After I realized that the "whisper" part of the story isn't in the text, I had an overwhelming sense that God was trying to help me understand the
context of this story. I find this as unusual and as suspect as you do. I'd encourage you not to trust my subjective "feelings" but to listen to God for yourself and
ask yourself does this interpretation align with the rest of what we know about Jesus.
Here's what I think was going on: Jesus turned and responded to the disciples to ensure that their incorrect racist thinking was corrected and He saw this as the
exact right place to do just that. Now if Jesus really believed that giving this woman food wasn't good, but in fact bad or sinful do you think He would've
changed His mind and done wrong just because she had great faith? Give this some serious thought, was Jesus reinforcing racist beliefs or turning them upsidedown; Was He rejecting racism and teaching His disciples by example or was He being racist?
To me it is quite clear that Jesus was teaching these highly religious, highly Jewish men that with God there is no Jew nor Greek, male nor female distinction.
Paul would later reveal that he understood this about God too in Galatians 3. Galatians 3:27-29 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
This Thanksgiving be thankful, but don't stop there. Instead of just saying that you are thankful, show your gratitude by treating everyone as equal. Have
compassion and show compassion for all.
i
http://www.trinicenter.com/historicalviews/thanksgiving.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot#North_America
iii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Albany,_New_York
iv
http://www.cracked.com/article_19864_6-ridiculous-lies-you-believe-about-founding-america.html
v http://religionvirus.blogspot.com/2009/11/lie-called-thanksgiving-and-squantos.html
vi
http://www.caffeinedestiny.com/tigiving.html
ii