Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
An article from the Smithsonian Magazine declares, "In truth, massacres, disease and American Indian tribal politics are what shaped the Pilgrim-Indian alliance at the root of the holiday." That is some slippery phrasing that carefully avoids mention of anything posttive. The article continues as follows.
But, as David Silverman writes in his new book This Land Is Their Land: The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving, much of that story is a myth riddled with historical inaccuracies. Beyond that, Silverman argues that the telling and retelling of these falsehoods is deeply harmful to the Wampanoag Indians whose lives and society were forever damaged after the English arrived in Plymouth...
I bet it would be difficult to find a school pageant featuring children dressed in headdresses these days. Any such child would be quickly shamed for act of violence.
The 21st century mythology is adores victims - not hero's. Self-loathing hopeless souls cannot bear the presence of heroes. It makes them look bad, so they have to turn them into villains.
The woke mythology provides no possibility of redemption or transformation. The victim is perfect, blameless, and importantly, devoid of any power. The primary virtue is being wronged, which makes the victim automatically better than the accused.
The idea that the Wampanoag Indians were "forever" damaged, as the article suggests, shows the hopelessness of the new mythology. It denies the possibility of redemption, forgiveness and transformation. That is unlike the great and enduring universal myths, which inspire and lift the soul.
Joseph Campbell said, “It is by going down into the abyss that you recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” One treasure sets you on the perilous journey, but what you discover in the process is a deeper experience of the mystery of being. The seeker is transformed, and the real treasure is found deep within.
Whether the Pilgrims and Indians gathered to ate turkeys and potatoes or rats and clams, I'd bet they were glad to have something to eat and happy, in spite the deaths they suffered and the challenges they endured, to survive another day, and gave thanks.
My wish for you is to have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday appreciating the awe and mystery of life itself.
---
You might find studying comparative mythology helpful for interpreting history and artifacts. While mythologies might not be entirely true in one way, they reveal much about the human psyche and cultures.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net