Rethinking Thanksgiving, Perry Ground Nov. 15th 2 pm

Perry Ground

“Re-thinking Thanksgiving”

Sunday, November 15, 2026  2 pm

This lively, engaging, and content-based presentation will give an overview of the history of this very misunderstood holiday. Based on the only primary source document that chronicles the “First Thanksgiving” and using a true/false format in a powerpoint presentation, participants will learn accurate and culturally appropriate information about the English settlers at Plymouth and the Wampanoag, the Native people who inhabited that area. The presentation will discuss the actual events of 1621 in Plymouth, the relationship between the English settlers and the Wampanoag and how this story became the holiday we know today. The concept of thanksgiving held by many Native Americans will be emphasized throughout. Although they were not present in Plymouth in 1621, connections to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) concepts of Thanksgiving will be discussed to better understand how Native Peoples view Thanksgiving today.