Thanksgiving is the oldest and most truly American of our national holidays. If you ask young school students who hosted and attended the first Thanksgiving dinner, you will surely hear that it was the pilgrims.

However, records show that the Jamestown Colony in Virginia had their own version of Thanksgiving, which was several years before the pilgrims did.

The Native Americans celebrated their own version of Thanksgiving known as the “Green Corn Dance.” The Cherokees of the Southeast celebrated a Thanksgiving called the “busk,” which lasted four days. During this time, rites of purification were held in which the whole village was cleansed and renewed; all worn out clothing and old provisions were discarded; new fires were built; and the year began afresh with feasting on the new harvest of corn.

Thanksgiving or Harvest Festivals go back to biblical times. In the Book of Judges 9:27, “the Canaanites went out into the field and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes and held festivals, and went into the house of their God, and did eat and drink.”

In Deuteronomy 16: 13-14, Moses gave instructions to the Hebrews for the celebration of their harvest festival, which was called the Feast of the Tabernacles. During this festival, everyone lived in tents in memory of the years when the children of Israel were wandering in search of the promised land.

This feast was to last seven days.

History tells us that the pigrims were aided during their first few years by Squanto, from the Patuxet Tribe. Without his help, the Plymouth Colony would not have survived, however, there were no monuments made in his honor.

In 1605, an English exploring party led by Captain Weymouth landed on the coast of New England, in the region later settled by the pilgrims. While exploring the area, the party captured several Native Americans, among them was Squanto, and they were taken back to England. Although Squanto was apparently well treated in England, he longed for his native land.

In 1614, Captain John Smith set sail on another voyage and Squanto was allowed to accompany him. After landing at Thieves’ Harbor (later changed to Plymouth), Squanto returned to his people. When Smith’s ships returned home, one ship remained. Captain Thomas Hunt was instructed to stay behind and trade with the Native Americans; also, fish and collect a cargo of beaver pelts and fish.

Captain Hunt lured a group of Native Americans (Squanto was among them) to board the ship and threw them in the hold. Captain Hunt set sail for Spain and anchored at the port of Malaga, where he sold the Native Americans into the slave market.

Squanto had the good fortune to be bought by some local friars, who treated him well and instructed him in the Christian faith. No one knows what happened to the other Native Americans.

Squanto somehow fled and managed to reach England, where he was discovered by John Slanie (treasurer of the Newfoundland Company), who took him into his home, however, Squanto yearned for his native land.

When John Slanie learned that his friend, Captain Thomas Dermer, was going on another ocean crossing to New England, he arranged for Squanto to go along.

Captain Dermer’s first stop was on an island off the coast of Maine, where the ship picked up Samoset, a Chief of the Wabenake tribe. The sail was then set for Thieves’ Cove. The year was 1619 when Squanto finally arrived home. While he had been in England, a plague had exterminated the entire Patuxet tribe.

After finding only empty fields and deserted villages, Squanto went to live among the neighboring Wampanoag tribe, who had also been hit with the plague.

Only small parties of Native Americans were seen when the pilgrims arrived and the Native Americans kept their distance because of the plague. It was Samoset that made the first visit to Plymouth Colony.

The pilgrims treated him so well he stayed for several days before they had to drive him away because of their meager provisions. Later, on a warm March day, Samoset returned with 60 men, and among them was Squanto.

All except Squanto left after receiving suitable hospitality. Squanto adopted the Pilgrims as his own people and never left them until his death two years later.

Squanto, who had previously become a Christian, taught the pilgrims his knowledge of hunting, fishing and farming. It was due to Squanto’s interpreting that the pilgrims were able to communicate with the local Native American tribes and have friendly trade.

As we all know, life in Plymouth Colony was not easy that first winter. The death toll was high, with only 50 surviving to participate in the first Thanksgiving feast. A mere five of the 18 wives survived. It was thought that the women may have denied themselves food to feed their children.

After a good harvest in 1621, Squanto was sent to invite Massasoit to join in a Thanksgiving feast. There were 90 Native Americans with him when he arrived, however, they brought five deer for the feast. The Indians thought they were celebrating a Green Corn Dance and stayed and feasted for three days.

To cook this feast for the 140 people, there were only five women and a few young girls. While the women cooked, the Native Americans competed in marksmanship (with bow and arrows) and held leaping and foot racing competitions. Although the pilgrims considered games frivolous and a waste of time, discipline was relaxed on this holiday.

During the following year the harvest was meager, and no Thanksgiving celebration was held. In the following years, a Thanksgiving feast was held off and on until President George Washington in 1789 issued a proclamation setting Thanksgiving as a day of giving thanks.

Later presidents did not issue this proclamation. It was not until President Abraham Lincoln issued his proclamation in 1863 that Thanksgiving became a legal holiday.

Well, I hope that your harvest was good this year and that when you are feasting on that Thanksgiving meal, you’ll remember the old Dutch hymn “We’re gathered together to ask the Lord’s blessing,” since no Thanksgiving Day gathering would be complete without it.

Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.