Thanksgiving is a classic North American tradition, yet it holds very different meanings depending on who you ask. For some, it’s a time to gather with loved ones and give thanks for the abundance in our lives. For others, it’s about catching the best shopping deals of the year. And for many, it’s also a painful reminder of the dark history of colonization. And sometimes it’s all three…
So… should Thanksgiving be cancelled? Is it just another holiday rooted in colonization? Or should we embrace the attitude of gratitude?
That’s up to you to decide, and I hope this article helps inform you.
The “Traditional” History of Thanksgiving in North America
Thanksgiving in Canada has a long and layered history. The first recorded celebration took place in 1578, when English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew held a ceremony in what is now Nunavut to give thanks for surviving their dangerous voyage from England.
A few decades later, in the early 1600s, French settlers led by Samuel de Champlain brought their own harvest traditions and held feasts of thanks. These gatherings often included Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous peoples, who were invited to share food and knowledge and who, in many ways, helped the settlers survive their first years on this land.
In the 1800s, Thanksgiving wasn’t a single, unified holiday. Instead, it was observed when communities or provinces wanted to give thanks (e.g. for bountiful harvests or war ending).
On January 31, 1957, the Governor General officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, setting it on the second Monday of October as “a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”
Across the border in the U.S., the “first” Thanksgiving was in 1621 and marked the time when the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts, celebrating the survival of their first winter.
The English pilgrims, were starving and unfamiliar with the land and how to find food, and received help from members of the Wampanoag nation, explains Brian Rice, an assistant professor in the department of religion at the University of Winnipeg and a member of the Mohawk nation (CBC News. “Thanksgiving has roots, complicated history in Indigenous communities, prof says”).
“It was a coming together of Indigenous Peoples really feeding the colonizers, or the colonists,” Rice said.
The meal included what many consider to be traditional Thanksgiving food, like wildfowl (e.g. turkey), venison and other seasonal foods. While the first Thanksgiving was seemingly positive, it marked the beginning of a dark time for Indigenous people. The colonists brought infectious diseases that destroyed populations and livestock, and pigs, that foraged Indigenous land, destroying crops.
In the CBC feature, Rice says many Indigenous people feel “ambivalent” towards the holiday.
“For a lot of people, it isn’t a celebration and certainly the original people who had that first Thanksgiving, the Wampanoags and all of those other groups, the Powhatans, obviously not. Many of them don’t even exist any longer.” Rice said.
Rice and his family still choose to celebrate, but it’s up to you to decide.
Indigenous “Thanksgiving”: The Harvest & Gratitude Year-Round
In most Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island (North America), harvest time was a season of gratitude and celebration. Communities gathered to honour the abundance of the land and to give thanks for the gifts of the harvest that would sustain them through winter. The timing of these celebrations varied according to regional climates and growing cycles, but they usually lasted many days (often four to seven) and marked both a spiritual and practical transition into the colder months.
One example is Cranberry Day, self-defined as the most important tribal holiday for the Aquinnah Wampanoag people (the same tribe that was part of the original Thanksgiving in the U.S.). Traditionally held over several days, families gathered in Lobsterville to harvest cranberries, share meals of quahogs, chowder, and venison, and celebrate with song and dance. Today, the community continues this tradition each year on the second Tuesday in October, when elders and youth come together to harvest, tell stories, and give thanks for the year’s abundance.
Theresa Sims, the elder and cultural language specialist at Ska:na Family Learning Centre in Windsor, spoke about Thanksgiving:
“Thanksgiving, we had that even before there was colonizers. We always celebrated the harvest and what creation has provided for us. Mother Nature has provided everything that we need, but we have to learn how to respect it and care for it, and also keep it for the next seven generations.” Sims said.
Biindigegizhig Deleary, an Indigenous educator, facilitator, and consultant in Walpole, Ontario emphasized the importance of giving thanks for the harvest, and that gratitude should be practiced year-round, not just on one day.
“Every day that we wake up, every day that we have another opportunity to walk on this beautiful gift, which is our mother the Earth, to experience life, we give thanks. And that is our world view,” Deleary said.
Many Indigenous teachings, including those shared by Deleary, remind us that life itself is a gift, and that gratitude and reciprocity are central to living in right relationship with the Earth (CBC News. “Canadians need to learn ‘dark history’ of Thanksgiving in spirit of truth and reconciliation, educator says”).
The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address is a beautiful example of this way of life. For the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Six Nations, it’s an important practice done before and after every gathering. It’s not about worshipping creation, it’s about giving thanks to/for parts of creation. It’s different each time and can give gratitude for any part of creation, and on different lengths. You can learn more about it here.
Embracing a Gratitude Attitude
There are many beautiful ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, we think the more communal and seasonal the better! Harvesting, eating, laughing, singing, dancing, celebrating in whatever way feels great to you is perfect.
Whether you plan to celebrate Thanksgiving or not, expressing gratitude is always worthwhile. It’s been shown time and time again to increase happiness, boost health, and strengthen relationships.
Our brains are wired for survival. We are constantly scanning for what’s wrong or missing. Throughout evolution, that has been very important to avoid life-threatening danger, however, most people in modern society do not need to be so focused on the negative.
Each time we practice gratitude, we strengthen the neural pathways that help us feel more content and present. Over time, our minds begin seeking out the positive over the negative.
Some great ways to practice gratitude:
- Tell a friend or family member you’re grateful for them and why.
- Bonus points if you do it in real life or through a letter!
- Do a “dead man’s walk”
- To do the dead man’s walk, simply go on a walk (anywhere) and pretend it is your last walk on Earth. Smell the flowers, watch the streetlights, touch the grass, bask in all that the present moment has to offer, it’s your last walk! Someone once shared this with me and, I’ll never forget it.
- Write or say 3 things you are grateful for.
- This is a great thing to do especially upon waking or before bed (when your brain is more relaxed and more programmable).
- Experience gratitude through one of your senses:
- Pick sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell and name five things you’re grateful for through that sense. (e.g., “I’m grateful for the warmth of my home, the feeling of my partner when they give me a hug etc.”)
- Thank the land.
- Often we forget to thank the incredible land that holds us. When you step outside, place your hand on a tree, the earth, or any part of nature, and say, “thank you.” Gratitude for the land connects us to something larger than ourselves. I especially encourage you to do this if it feels a little uncomfortable!
Whether you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving or not, expressing gratitude and honouring the harvest are both worthwhile practices. I encourage you to explore new Thanksgiving traditions and ways to express gratitude.
Thank you for reading!
Further Reading & Sources:
CBC News. “Canadians need to learn ‘dark history’ of Thanksgiving in spirit of truth and reconciliation, educator says”
CBC News. “Indigenous people in Ottawa want to reclaim Thanksgiving Day, Columbus Day”
CBC News. “Thanksgiving has roots, complicated history in Indigenous communities, prof says”
Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School) “Giving thanks can make you happier”
National Museum of the American Indian. “Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving”
NYS Museum. “Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address”
Project 565. “A Real Thanksgiving Address: The Words That Come Before All Else”
The Canadian Encyclopedia. “Thanksgiving in Canada”
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah. “Ancient Ways”
Encyclopedia Brittanica. “Thanksgiving Day”
Written by: Caleigh Campbell
Caleigh is the Communications & Regenerative Strategy Lead at Stay Wilder. She is a passionate advocate for regeneration and believes that creating a better world begins with reconnecting to the land and empowering Indigenous peoples. Caleigh is a settler of English, Irish, Scottish, and British descent, living on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen (Songhees) and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples
