Thanksgiving season provides ELA teachers with the perfect opportunity to engage students in meaningful reading, writing, and speaking activities that can target creative writing, analysis, as well as multiculturalism. It’s an important time of the year not only to give thanks but also to acknowledge both voices in the foundation of the United States: the colonists and the Native Americans.
Too often, schools only focus on that first Thanksgiving feast as a celebratory union between two different groups of people, and while the first feast was certainly a three-day long event of togetherness, it quickly spiraled into the bloodshed and death of Native American tribes. Very few teachers get the opportunity to teach students about the massacres of tribes such as the Pequot that took place in the years that followed. They also do not mention that English settlers robbed Native American graves and stole food from them in order to survive during their first years in the new world.
The reality is that Thanksgiving Day is a day of mourning and protest for some Native Americans since it commemorates the arrival of settlers in North America and the centuries of oppression and genocide that followed after. As such, I think it is important as teachers that we make a point to represent Native American voices in our classrooms and go beyond the stereotypical lessons about the one great meal.
So, I have come up with three Thanksgiving activities that represent the voices of those Native American tribes who were so greatly affected and devastated by European colonialism.
The Iroquois Constitution
I think a close reading of the Iroquois Constitution is the perfect place to start a Thanksgiving unit. In fact, the founding fathers who wrote the U.S. Constitution were influenced by the democratic ideals of the Native American way of government. The Iroquois Constitution was also known as the “Great Law of Peace” and was an oral narrative that documented the formation of a League of Six Nations: Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, and later on, the Tuscarora nations. Since this constitution was delivered orally, we do not know the exact date of its creation, but some accounts date it as far back as 1450 and even earlier— well before any Europeans set foot on North American soil.
The Great Law of Peace is a narrative that uses symbols from nature to represent political ideals such as trees and birds. It is a long narrative that notes laws and ceremonies to be performed at prescribed times. These laws called a constitution are divided into 117 articles. The united Iroquois nations are symbolized by an eastern white pine tree, called the “Tree of Peace.” Each nation served a role in the government and in maintaining peace.
The Lesson Procedure:
Students will close read the Iroquois Constitution, focusing on the rules and laws contained there within and annotate for how the text uses nature imagery as symbols for political ideals. There are many versions of the constitution online. Here is an example of one you can use with your students.
Once students have read and annotated the text, they can get into small groups to discuss the following question: How does the Iroquois Constitution use symbols to represent political ideals?
After students have discussed in small groups, they can then share their findings with the entire class. Students can then write a follow-up analytical paragraph that analyzes the use of a symbol in the text.
As a creative extension, students can create their own constitutions to brainstorm their versions of a “perfect” governmental structure. They can think about what they would change about our current governmental structure as a starting point for this creative exercise.
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
The “Thanksgiving Address” (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them. The Haudenosaunee open and close every social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address.
The “Thanksgiving Address” is also said by some at the beginning of every day. Children are taught that all people are part of one large family, and, like all objects in nature, we must be thankful.
The Lesson Procedure:
Students will read or recite the “Thanksgiving Address.” There are many versions online, but here is one you can use.
Students should share their observations about the content of the “Thanksgiving Address.” Students can answer these questions: What are they thankful for? What do you notice about their “Thanksgiving Address”?
Students can then write their own “Thanksgiving Address” modeled after the Haudenosaunee “Thanksgiving Address.” They can share these with the class or put them on display around the classroom or school.
Famous Wampanoag Figures Mini Project
There are many famous Wampanoag-Americans that are connected to the first Thanksgiving as well as the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy. These are famous figures that we typically do not get to learn about in the modern classroom.
These figures include: Hiawatha, Massasoit, Squanto, Samoset, Metacomet, Tisquantum, among others.
Their European counterparts seem to overshadow the important role that these Native Americans played in the creation of our nation. Click here to read more about the dynamic between the European colonists and the Wampanoags here.
The Lesson Procedure:
Students will select a famous Wampanoag figure to research. They can begin with the names mentioned above or find a different person on their own.
Students will then compile their research into an infographic, one-pager, or another project of their choice.
Students can then share their mini projects in small groups or with the whole class.
I hope that these three assignments help you to diversify the scope of your Thanksgiving lessons. What Thanksgiving lessons do you like to do with your students? Leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you!
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About the Author
Meredith is the founder and creator of TeachWriting.org and Bespoke ELA. She has taught high school English for 10+ years in Dallas, Chicago, and New York City and holds a M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University. She has always had a connection to the written word-- through songwriting, screenplay writing, and essay writing-- and she enjoys the process of teaching students how to express their ideas. Meredith enjoys life with her sweet daughter and Yorkie.