Looking back from our slushy February present, Thanksgiving seems already in the distant past. However, there’s no time like the present to remember our cozy holiday feasting – and of course, the history behind it.
If you’re like most people, amidst all the turkey, family, and football, you might briefly consider the Pilgrims and their role in the holiday. You can picture them: clad in black, eating popcorn, and wearing buckles on every article of clothing. Right beside them stand a couple Natives, wearing giant, feathered headdresses. But that image is totally wrong.
There is a lot more to this determined group of people. Their story is different in many ways from the one popularized in advertising. We perhaps give them too much credit for the establishment of Thanksgiving, but their story is important .
Fast facts:
- The Pilgrims liked to wear colors
- Their feast was by no means the first
- A 17th century feast would have looked quite different from ours
- Those headdresses are from the wrong place
The Pilgrims are often portrayed in black. At that time, black was one of the most expensive dyes, because it was difficult to obtain. So it makes sense that everyday clothes wouldn’t be black. In fact, garments were many different colors – anything made from natural dyes. The colors just faded faster without the modern chemicals we have today.
And those buckles? Fifty years too early – at least. Buckles were in fashion at the end of the 17th century. So their low, leather shoes were tied with string, not buckles. Instead of buckles on their hats, they were graced with multi-colored cloth cords.
Fun Fact: there are two correct spellings when referring to the place the Pilgrims settled. If you are referring to the modern-day town in Massachusetts, it’s “Plymouth.” If instead you mean the colony, or the museum, the spelling is “Plimoth.” This is because William Bradford, one of the Mayflower Passengers, used this spelling in his book, Of Plimoth Plantation.
Another common myth is that the Pilgrims instituted the “First Thanksgiving.” Contrary to popular belief, this sort of harvest festival had been going on for centuries. When food was gathered in, feasts were had and participants gave thanks for their bounty.
Finally, the food. We place our modern ideas of old feasts in place of the actual reality. The Wamponoags did bring deer to the feast, but you would not have found deer hanging unskinned by the fetlocks over a fire. Squash would have been present, but not in the super-sugary pie form we know today. Corn would definitely have graced the table, but likely in porridge or corn cakes. Apples, pears, and potatoes would not have been on the menu since the colonists hadn’t grown these yet and they are not native to New England.
Visiting Plimoth Plantation is awesome. The museum has done an amazing job of transporting that slice of Massachusetts back in time. The Wampanoag Site is actually right against the water, and while we were visiting the interpreters were working on burning out the largest log they had ever done. They were demonstrating a traditional craft of making canoes out of a single tree. Small smoldering fires are kept burning along the top center of the log. The tree is gradually hollowed out this way, but it takes skill to ensure the wood doesn’t burn too much.
In the Craft Center at Plimoth Plantation there was a man creating traditional headdresses with ancient techniques. Unlike the ones depicted in popular drawings, these headdresses were smaller and sat on the back of the head. The giant feathered headdresses are a type that would’ve been worn by Plains Indians. Native groups in New England used porcupine quills dyed bright colors with natural dyes.
There is so much more to learn about the pilgrims! Their beliefs, goals, struggles, and mistakes are a whole other subject. But hopefully finding out about some of the common misconceptions surrounding their food and clothing makes it obvious that the pilgrims are “more than meets the eye.” 🙂
Plimoth’s website has some awesome information and opportunities! And I never want to have a Thanksgiving go by without having the Thanksgiving Primer to refer too:)
Learn Something Old!
Every day we learn something new. Isn’t it time to learn something old? Learn how your family can sleep in a Pilgrim house, how kids can spend a week this summer learning about the Wampanoag, or how you can invite a Pilgrim or Native museum teacher to your classroom.
Thanksgiving Primer
Prepared by our Research Department, this useful and interesting booklet incorporates the latest findings about the physical and spiritual world of the Pilgrims. Includes a menu and period recipes as well as an extensive section on wardrobe and appropriate 20th-century substitutions. Illustrated.
“The Thanksgiving Primer.” Plimoth Plantation Publication (1991).
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