Thanksgiving
Here below is a true story as told to me by a turkey farmer
in Kaysville, Utah by the name of Butch McCoy. He said as near as I can
remember,
"The Wampanoag made themselves known to the Pilgrims. They
indicated they were interested in trading, helping them cultivate and grow
food. At this point in history, they have a mutual dependency and get along
well, but in years to follow, some native tribes are regarded as enemies.
The Pilgrims, settled
in Massachusetts in 1620, They liked to kick up their heels, they liked to sing,
dance, play games not to mention drink lots of beer when smoking. Soon after every one smoked the peace pipe,
they all got the munchies. That’s how Thanksgiving was invented. The whole
Republic was colorful after the smoking, no doubt a safe bet not black and
white. Forget about the dreary black and white garbed folks you colored in your
school days you readers, think colors instead, lots of bright colors like
blues, mauves, rust and pinks colors, colors that take when you dye cloth with
woad; no black fabric as it would have been very expensive because it requires
so much dye. The only ones wearing black were people like lawyers, preachers, politicians.
As for black buckles they were never popular. they actually were seldom if ever worn and
only on shoes if at all. Think about it, would you trade a lot of expensive
trinkets to the Indians just for a cheap little buckle?
The Wampanoag were the native Indians. Their leader Edward
Winslow’s account of the First Thanksgiving is one of only two historical
records existing of the event. He mentions that 90 members out of 300 of the
tribe were present including chief Massasoit. That means the Indians
outnumbered the Pilgrims at the smoking, beer drinking feast, as only about
half of the approximately 100 passengers arriving on the Mayflower survived the
first year. Venison was on the menu, but no pie. Virtually none of the stuff we
eat would they have had. No mashed potatoes, Washington apples, or sugar to
make cranberry sauce or pies. They did have turkey, and there was the shooting
of fowl, and venison, since the records say the Indians brought six deer to the
celebration. Seafood was also plentiful on the Cape Cod site of the Plymouth
colony, so the meal featured clams, oysters, lobster or mussels, as well as
fish. No cows, so no milk or butter for the bread. Other items included salads
of mixed greens, and corn pudding, and such foods as carrots, turnips, onions,
beets, squash and various nuts and wild berries. Bread was baked in round
loaves, as standard loaf pans hadn’t been invented yet. Again there wasn’t any
butter since the settlers had no cows, but pumpkin was available served as a
stew. Beer was the drink of choice and necessity. It was the typical beverage
at the time, due to concerns about the safety and cleanliness of water. Even
children and babies drank beer. Forks hadn’t come along, but they had giant
spoons so at mealtime they used spoons, knives and hands, with hands likely to
get a mite dirty the Pilgrims brought along some hefty napkins like 3 feet
long.
At that time the wild turkey populations thrived across Massachusetts
and in South Dakota too. A healthy population no need for a turkey
hunting permit in 1620. Buck McCoy said more than 40,000 birdies, at Thanksgiving
turkeys start congregating at lower elevations areas, near rivers, streams, and
slopes that face south, then in spring they reverse their roving procedure and travel
to higher elevations to breed. This is the most exciting time to see them. The
males are in their bright, colorful breeding plumage strutting and gobbling as
they try to draw the attention of the females. Pure nature.
No road hunting at this time but success rates were really good."
No road hunting at this time but success rates were really good."
