This year, Thanksgiving not only marks our annual fall harvest celebration, but also the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival in Cape Cod.
Thanksgiving is become a time for family and gratitude across the nation, but it also is an opportunity for us to take a moment to think back to where our traditions come from and be conscious of the sacrifices Indigenous people have made, the pain they have faced & struggles they have endured to bring us where we are today. It was from native Indigenous peoples that settlers learned how to identify, grow, and cook food in what became America. Native communities have since faced considerable hardship and continue to battle exploitation and disconnection from their traditional lifestyle and land. Recognizing the generosity they showed to settlers hundreds of years ago is one step we can take toward returning that kindness.
WhyHunger teamed up with Toasted Sister Podcast host Andi Murphy from the Navajo Nation to co-host a special Thanksgiving edition highlighting three powerful Wampanoag women, Sherry Pocknett, Danielle Hill, and Talia Landry for a conversation on the history of Thanksgiving and how Indigenous foodways have been impacted since the landing of the Mayflower. The podcast explores the transformation of Indigenous food systems over the past few centuries as they have been altered, removed, and modernized, and how we can shift our perspectives to approach Thanksgiving in a way that sends gratitude and remembrance to native communities.
Seeking to learn more about how Indigenous people are reinvigorating their ancestral foodways “to keep their traditional flavors and ingredients alive,” the Toasted Sister Podcast is a lively and informative show featuring the stories and knowledge of Indigenous people across the US.
Visit the Toasted Sister Podcast: the Thanksgiving Episode on Sound Cloud to listen now!
