Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Pequot War of 1637
Chapter 2: John Winthrop and the Official Thanksgiving Declaration (1637)
Chapter 3: The Thanksgiving Feast of 1621
Chapter 4: Squanto: The Last of the Patuxet
Chapter 5: The Kidnapping of Squanto (1621)
Chapter 6: Captain Shrimp and the Wessagusset Massacre
Chapter 3:
The Thanksgiving Feast
mid-October
1621
Plimouth Plantations
Patuxet Lands
[Plimouth Plantation. The English
Protestants. Squanto and Myles Standish is in with the group of
English. 90 Wampanoags come up upon the 50 Plimouth English colonists
who have survived.]
William Brewster (at an outdoor
gathering/meeting): “I see a hideous and desolate wilderness, full
of wild beasts and wild men. This island is a devilish place, a
stronghold of Satan and his hellish fiends. God himself gave us this
Patuxet land, which is why the corn crops were already growing, and
all of the natives on this land, gone, or dead. Plymouth is God's
Holy Land, and upon this rock, we shall spring forth, civilization.”
[The Wampanoag (Chief Massasoit + 90)
come walking towards the Pilgrims, armed with 5 dead white-tailed
deer, some dead ducks, and other food stuffs.]
Myles “Captain Shrimp” Standish,
Squanto, William Bradford, and Governor John Carver are standing in
the middle of town. At first, the Englishmen seem taken aback. The
Pilgrims got all scared, and pulled out their guns and swords
(carbines, blusterbuss, musket, and tomahawks).
Myles Standish: “Did you need all of
their signatures?”
John Carver: “I only needed the
Chief. That's all I called for. I'm not sure what all of this is
about.”
Captain Shrimp: “I conveyed your
wishes verbatim to Squanto, so maybe he just brought crew for
protection.”
Carver: “When they come as friends,
there's not much your 11 foot wall can do.”
Squanto: “I only told the Chief to
come. I'm guessing he doesn't trust us.” … “I'll go see what he
wants.”
Squanto rides out to Massasoit, and
asks: “What is with bringing all of the Wampanoag people?”
Massasoit: “Well, I changed the
plans.”
Squanto: “Well, what are your plans,
exactly?”
Massasoit: “If the English want to
make agreements, they should honor them, and we honor agreements on
Turtle Island with 3 days of partying and feasting.”
Squanto: “How do you feel about me
hanging out with the English?”
Massasoit: “Squanto, you are a
Patuxet. You were never mine to begin with. If you're happier with
the English, it's fine by me. Some of my younger warriors do not like
what you're doing, but from my perspective, you do what you will.
Just like you are not mine, you are also not theirs. You are your own
person. Do as you please Squanto. As you will.”
Squanto: “Thank you Chief Massasoit.”
Massasoit: “I just offer you one
piece of advice, and take it with a grain of salt, or from a wise old
sage. I respect your new found position of power, but do try to stay
humble. The best way to test a man's character is to give him some
power. Stay humble Squanto! Stay humble!”
Squanto rides back, and tells Bradley:
“They brought their people to guarantee Massasoit's protection.
They also said that they plan on staying for 3 days.”
Carver: “3 days!?! What in tarnations
for?”
Squanto: “Well, Governor, you know.
To have fun with us. To get to know us. For enjoyment and merriment.
To be jolly and merry. In Indian country, we have immense
celebrations with family, and the Wampanoags are now saying that the
English and them are family.”
Bradford: “Each Pilgrim already
dranks at least a half gallon of beer a day, which they prefer even
to water. Drunkenness is our colony's notorious sin. Drunkenness and
uncleanliness and rampant sodomy.”
Carver looks out at Chief Massasoit and
his Wampanoags bringing 5 White-tailed Deer (venison), Eel, geese,
duck, shellfish, swan, passenger pigeons, Corn, fish, beans, squash,
and berries for dinner.
Carver (sighs): “Well considering our
corn didn't grow, and Squanto was able to raise 20 acres, and I'm
about sick of eating mussels, fish, clams and lobsters all of the
damn time... maybe we can learn how to cook us some white-tailed
deer, and then we'll learn how to hunt them. So, they're already
here, eating for 3 days of their food in exchange for them giving us
their land, is still an asymmetrical agreement. We win in all ways.
Let's celebrate!”
Massasoit approaches William Bradford,
smiling, with his right hand up. Chief Massasoit and William Bradley
uneasily greet each other.
Carver: “What, no Turkey? No Pumpkin
Pie? Where's the Cranberry Sauce?”
Massasoit: “What?”
Carver: “I'm just kidding.”
(laughs)
Massasoit (Wampanoag/Pokanoket): “Since
only half of you Englishmen survived the first Winter, we only had to
bring half of the necessary food.” (Massasoit laughs; Bradford
stops laughing; groans instead)
John Carver asks Massasoit: “Yes,
yes. I understand that. Well, then you are sure, then, that you have
come in peace, and we can sign a peace treaty?”
Massasoit answers in the affirmative.
Massasoit: “We would also like to get
the corn you took out of our fields back.”
Carver: “Yes of course. And we would
like our tools back.”
Massasoit: “Of course. If I can find
anything of yours, it will be given back to you.”
Carver: “I believe we may have a few
prisoners of yours too.”
Massasoit: “We have brought your Englishmen back today too.”
Carver: “Great! … So then, we agree
that we will not attack each other, or steal from each other. We will
hold accountable any rogue criminals who attacks or steals from us.
If either of us are in an unjust war, we will aid the other. We also
will not carry weapons into each others villages. Correct?”
Massasoit: “Of course.”
Carver: “Then let's get down to
business.”
Carver pulls out the Peace Treaty, and
a pen, and gets Massasoit to sign his name to it. Carver does the
same. They sign two copies, one for each party.
Massasoit: “This is a military
alliance as well as a land contract.”
Carver: “I understand. You have my
word.”
Massasoit: “There's an English
expression that says a verbal contract is only good if you write it
down.”
Carver: “Well, you have my word, as
well as my signature now... here's your copy, and now, we're
finished! Now... let's feast!”
[There was no forks or knives then, so
everybody was eating with their fingers. Captain Standish sat at one
end of a long table and the Chief Massasoit sat at the other end.
Many Wampanoag people were sitting on mats and furs spread on the
ground. The Indian women sat together with the Indian men to eat. The
Pilgrim women, however, stood quietly behind the table and waited
until after their men had eaten.]
Myles Standish: “This here sure is
some good ole corn! This striped bass is the best! Bluefish! Cod!
Well golly! Thank ya Indians for bringing it to us! Our harvests
haven't been any good, and we sure do appreciate your hospitality. We
hope you enjoy the way we prepared the geese, ducks, fish, corn meal
bread, journey cake, and succotash!”
Massasoit: “Yes, yes. It was prepared
immaculately... I'm a big perplexed by one thing about you people.”
Standish: “You people?”
Massasoit: “Yeah. I'm just curious as
to how come you Englishman do not learn our language, and learn our
culture, and assimilate yourselves into our ways of life. Nobody owns
the ground, or the sky, or the sea, or the rivers, streams, or the
air we breathe. Sure you are our guest here on our lands, but we
would not expect you to allow us to dominate over you, and dictate
how you should live and behave, if we visited you in the Netherlands,
where you originally came from. You Englishmen do not learn
Algonquin. You Englishmen do not learn the ways of the Buffalo. You
do not act in concert with nature. You Englishmen box yourselves in,
on tiny plots of ground, instead of enjoying all of this space, and
liberty.”
William Bradford: “Well, we will need
to learn your superior agricultural techniques for our very survival,
that's for certain... I have a joke for you. What do you call
somebody who knows two languages?”
Massasoit: “Bi-lingual.”
Bradford: “What do you call somebody
who knows three languages?”
Massasoit: “Tri-lingual.”
Bradford: “What do you call somebody
who knows 1 language?”
Massasoit: “I don't know.”
Bradford: “An Englishman.”
(Massasoit chuckles) “We Englishmen do not learn other cultures
because we believe ours to be superior. We're the kind of Englishmen
that even believe that we're even too good for England. We have our
piece of land. The land you call Patuxet had no Patuxet Indians
living on it, so that would mean Patuxet is ours to begin with. We
hold legal standing on those grounds alone. But in addition to the
Wampanoag-Plimouth peace treaty of 1621, we now have acknowledgment
of our God inherent right to live on this continent, this Turtle
Island, as yall call it.”
Massasoit: “That's right you do. I
just hope you do not commit to hypocrisy as you continue on. Also, do
not forget, that your beloved Squanto, is a Patuxet.”
Bradford: “We are focused on
surviving, and profiting. We are here as a city on the hill. We have
a focused resolve. Plimouth Plantations is a beacon for all those who
believe in freedom. We have a corporate charter with London, so we
are here on a mission bigger than just ourselves.”
Massasoit: “You have other masters
besides yourself to serve? Where are they at? In lands faraway? That
is something we natives do not understand.”
Bradford: “When you want to learn
Christianity, about being obedient to God, then we'll talk about
whose systems are better.”
Massasoit: “It seems to be that what
your God wants is precisely what you want, and you want it all.”
William Brewster: “And with that, I'd
just like to say that the good Lord has bestoyed upon us Great
Blessings. He has given us a Land Contract that we as equals have
agreed to, and today, we have all of this abundance; a cornucopia of
food and comraderie and friendship. Let's all gather together, and
give prayers of thanks for our great Lord's blessing.”
John Carver: “This conversation has
gone downhill. We will commit tomorrow to be for a Prayer of
Thanksgiving.”
Brewster: “Okay. Tomorrow it shall
be, a day of prayer, amongst us Christians, of Thanksgiving.”
Carver: “I mean, sure that was an
important treaty, but the real work is ahead of us. This is hardly a
day to declare a Thanksgiving on.”
Brewster: “But the Indians have given
us land.”
Carver: “This land was here for the
taking. This is God's land, and nobody has a right to take us off of
this land. Plus, all we have are their words. Just their signatures.
They still have to live up to the agreement, and who knows if
goddamned savages know how to keep their word.”
Brewster: “For that, you should pray
5 Our Fathers. I'm not really in the mood either. We will have a
prayer of Thanksgiving over this, but I'm tired too. Let's do it
tomorrow.”
Carver: “Tomorrow it shall be.”
Carver leaves the table.
As Massasoit is walking away, he
comments to a Squaw:
Massasoit: “I fear I have just opened
Pandora's box.”
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