As a (working) mother of three I am not a big fan of most holidays. I know that makes me sound like a terrible person, but for me the time off from school and work should be a time of slowing down. My personal experience with Thanksgiving has been mostly a feeling of pressure. An urgency to prepare more food than usual with hours spent shopping, preparing, and staying up late.
Though we certainly share the responsibilities in my home, a few years ago, I noticed that as the matriarch of my household, I experience a great sense of being overwhelmed from either the expectations I place on myself, expectations from the kids, or simply biting off more than I can chew in hopes of living up to the legacy of the matriarchs that came before me.
Recently, I have found relief in practicing ways of coming together with my family in a manner that is low impact, doable, and leaves us all feeling truly thankful.
I’ve especially found that educating myself on the history of the big feast has helped me simplify and lean in to many of the core values that live at the heart of giving thanks. For example, today I sat down with my youngest daughter of 9 years and watched a short documentary: Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivities published by The National Museum of the American Indian, which is part of the Smithonian Museum Network.
Cranberry Day
This Wampanoag Woman explains the context and the many days of "thankgivings" that occur throughout the year in her community.
Together, my daughter and I learned about this special day, one of the many harvest ceremonies and festivals celebrated by Indigenous nations such as the Wampanoag people. We had fun learning the Wampanoag word for cranberries, sasamineash, which means sour berries. My daughter asked me if I had ever tasted a fresh cranberry and we laughed at how both of us had only eaten them dried in trail mix! In the video we watched as people harvested cranberries and we talked about how it is just like when we go apple picking.
And though it wasn’t a large gathering, we enjoyed our time together. Just the two of us. She said “mommy did you know” at least a million times and mostly my answer was “no... but read it to me!” We learned so much together in such a short time. I felt full and was even inspired to taste a fresh cranberry one of these days. I am told they are beyond sour without sugar!
Classroom resources
"The "First Thanksgiving" as a national story is incomplete and inaccurate. The whole history is more complex and includes the Wampanoag voice and perspective that have been largely absent from this narrative." - From the Museum of the American Indian
As we move into full swing tomorrow we’ll undoubtedly eat, but we’ll also continue our tiny little tradition of having a DANCE PARTY! Every year each member of our family chooses one of our favorite songs and we make a play list. The rules are simple; it has to be a FANTASTIC song and we have to dance non stop until the five songs are done. It’s top to bottom foolishness, but when it’s all said and done we feel happy, and relieved, and together.
Afterwards we’ll eat and give thanks for the end of our school's marking period, the fact that we are able to work as professional artists, our home, our lives, our family members in other states and abroad, our communities, the traditions and celebrations of the Wampanoag and other Nations, the time off from work and school, the tradition of giving thanks, cranberries and most of all that we have each other.
A note from our CCO Andrea...
At the heart of our mission at THENCE is building and supporting communities. Though we often focus on learning communities, we know that schools are filled with students that belong to families, neighborhoods, cultures, and organizations.
No matter how you choose to spend your four day weekend, we at THENCE hope you’ll make some time to take a break from all of the busyness of day to day life and enjoy yourself and the people you love. Check out our Holiday Wellness webzine, soon to be conveniently available in the form of an App