1621 a new Look at Thanksgiving Photo-essay

Recovering Lost Indian Voices to Gain a Shared Thanksgiving History

Nov 12, 2009

National Geographic photos paired with careful historical research create a top-notch children's photo-essay that highlights the Native American experience in 1621.

Featuring photographs from an October 2000 Plymouth Plantation reenactment of the 1621 harvest festival, authors Grace and Bruchac take children on a living history museum visit. The photo-essay of the reenactment creates a powerful and magical event that accurately depicts the events of 1621.

The voice of the Wampanoag people has been lost and this book highlights a path to building a shared history. Looking at the 1621 harvest festival with new eyes means putting aside the myths and questioning what is thought to be known. History is written by the winners and often focuses on one side of the story. When lost voices are recovered a more powerful story emerges.

New Plymouth Harvest Festival of 1621

52 English colonists have survived a year of famine and decide to celebrate the success of the first harvest in Plymouth Colony. The Native American leader, Massasoit, has been keeping a close watch on the colonists. Previous white settles brought disease and kidnapped at least 29 tribal members (pg. 17). Massasoit’s people hear shooting and fearing the worst, Massasoit and 90 of his men went to investigate. Once it was learned that the shooting was in celebration, not war, the First Peoples joined in the 3 days of feasting. From this encounter, many traditions and myths have become the American Thanksgiving celebrated today.

Editorial Reviews and Recommendations

Publishers Weekly describes the book as “a well-researched, smooth account of the Wampanoag side of the Thanksgiving story.” The authors build the case that assumptions about the 1621 festival are more fiction than fact. Authors, Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac “posit a provocative and convincing view of what actually happened that first Thanksgiving and note that many modern descendants of Native peoples observe the holiday as a national day of mourning.” The clear photographs by Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson and the perspective, “make this the most memorable Thanksgiving volume of the season.”

The School Library Journal describes the book as a “lushly illustrated photo-essay” that offers “a more measured, balanced, and historically accurate version of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621.”At the same time the authors tell all sides of the Thanksgiving story, “this recounting in no way detracts from the historical importance of the holiday.” 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving is “a penetrating alternative look at a uniquely American celebration.”

Hazel Rochman in Booklist reports “There's no heavy lecturing, and in the pictures everyone is having a good time. It's the evolution of the holiday, the story of the broken peace, that reveals why Native Americans do not celebrate the holiday. This is a fine book for the classroom; use it to talk about how history is written, who tells it, and what happened.”

Parents and teachers will find this a useful book to teach about the complete history of 1621. Older students will enjoy this superb non-fiction book on their own.

When all voices are represented in the story, the story is more vibrant, more accurate. The photos are of National Geographic quality, capturing the feelings and the setting at the 2000 Plimoth Plantation reenactment. The period clothing, artifacts and location add to the realism.

The book has something for everyone. Interesting photos are captioned with rich information. Historical text is written in easy to read language. Recipes of the time including Wampanoag and English dishes provide addition insight for understanding both peoples. A timeline beginning with ancient Wampanoag history to current times add perspective. This book is a good read-aloud, classroom resource, or research material for student projects.

Photographers Brimberg and Coulson

Husband and wife photography team, Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson have worked extensively for National Geographic. Ms. Brimberg’s story on migrant workers won first prize for Picture Story of the Year from the National Press Photographers Association.

HOL101

The copyright of the article 1621 a new Look at Thanksgiving Photo-essay in Children's Non-Fiction is owned by Lynn Brogan. Permission to republish 1621 a new Look at Thanksgiving Photo-essay in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.