First of all, I hope you are enjoying your holiday! some of you may have two days break from work and you deserve it and I hope you celebrate it well. For me, well, I'm not an American, my Mom is, and since she have been celebrating this holiday for herself back in Texas, being away from us, she always ask us to celebrate with her here in the Philippines, and so we do, for about 10 years now.

But this post isn't all about celebration of Peace, Gratitude, Family and enjoyment of that luscious Turkeys, Sweet potato, Beans, or that delish pumpkin pie. Because this post is about a darker past. A part of history of the holiday that we celebrate today that was never really thought in schools and seemingly tend to omit and be forgotten. This is about Thanksgiving's Dark History.

Thanksgiving is widely celebrate for most country, some celebrate's the similar occasion as Harvest festival and some what religious-related, but here we are talking about the Thanks giving in America. The well-known narrative and was told was that First Thanksgiving happend in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation. It was a festive of the first fruitful harvest in the new land by the pilgrim forefathers. It was told, to thank the Native Americans for there help, they were invited to celebrate with them, and thus the Thanksgiving was born. The end.

So I went to my browser and literally typed in America History 1600 it led me to Library of Congress.

It says here, between 1602-1763 was the Colonial Settlement era, in 1606 was the first European attempt to make settlements in the North America, but quick note, Spanish colony already was there in 1563, but was totally wiped out by French incursions and in 1580 they made a permanent settlement and soon after the 1600 settlements. and here is an overview written in from the library.

This wasn't the case, the Dark History I've research so far was this. In 1621, the First Thanksgiving took place between the Pilgrim forefathers (Settlers) and the Native-Americans in Plymouth, celebrating the harmonious Harvest and Peace between the two parties, Native-Americans were invited to thank them for there help of growing crops.

Squanto A Native-American who was a mediator since he can speak both language, had a major role during that time, one story states that Squanto was once a slave who was taken away from his land taken to Spain, Merchant master thought hime how to speak their language and brought back to North America as a translator, another Story was Squanto was returned back to the land, finding out his tribe was wiped out because of the Pandemic happened while he was gone, and soon after was with the Wampanoags tribe, but the Chieftain Massasoit do not trusted him so Squanto was watched over by the Wampanoags warriors. Another story is that Squanto wanted to take over the Wampanoag tribe and conspire to take over Massasoit but didn't succeed.

It was said 1621 in Plymouth was the first thanksgiving, thanking the Natives for there kindness and hospitality, but some Historian believe it was more of Celebration winning the battle against Picattas Tribe and never really have any proof that the 1621 really actually existed. Thanksgiving wasn't an official holiday until 1863 may official by Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the Civil war Unionist, back on the story of Plymouth, they didn't even ate turkey, rather Native Americans brought five deers.

Today we do celebrate Thanksgiving as a festive of giving thanks for our own reasons, great food and great people, but the part of the history that colonialism brought death to most of the Native Americans, to the point that their population reduce to a very small amount only means the hardship of living and owning you own when being oppressed and looted by a conquering power. They Native people was once brought and bought as a slave, they had to fight for the land that was rightfully theirs in the first place, they had to serve a master in their own territory.

To me, telling a story especially History, This shouldn't sound like a children's book where everything seems so perfect and fairy-tale-ish, we must know all facts right and should be taken seriously. We know for a fact that racism, oppression, and hate is being marketed as something triggers every part of us. So as in the past, Native-American meeting the settlers must be a blood-bath, it must be really traumatic for them.

Today, probably because of consumerism and commercialism, Thanksgiving has become a holiday to prepare people for the "Black Friday Sale". It's such a Whitewashing to exchange feelings to profits. Isn't it?

Disclaimer: The Story above is based on my personal understanding and research, I do not claim that this is the firm truth, this are all my own opinion, own thoughts and interpretation. For entertainment purposes.