"Thanksgiving"

.. Analyzing Tommy Orange's There There

Orange highlights the Pequot War with the Puritans as a significant example of thanksgiving-type meals by Whites, that took place after successful massacres of Indian Peoples. Some consider the first Thanksgiving  derived from the massacre of the Pequot people in 1637 (who were celebrating their private, Tribal Green Corn Dance), was a true day of thanksgiving for the Massachusetts Bay and the Plymouth colonies. However, many believe it is inaccurate to refer to these "massacres with meals" as the same as the modern Thanksgiving. The Pequot died practicing their religious freedom during their Green Corn Dance, which became the War of 1637.

The Pequot War Established a Thanksgiving Meal only for the Whites

1637 ​​​Pequot Indians 

The Mashantucket Pequots are a native Algonquin people who endured centuries of conflict, survival, and continuity on and around North America’s oldest Indian reservation (Est. 1666) located in southeastern Connecticut. In 1637, the Pequots became the first native people to survive a genocidal massacre at the hands of European immigrants, in what would become the continental United States.

"The Pequots became the first native people to survive a genocidal massacre at the hands of European immigrants," - Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation

Source: The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr., 1964), p. 256.

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2022 ​​Pequot Indians

Rodney Butler, left, Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, participates in the Feast of the Green Corn dance as hosts Schemitzun Feast of the Green Corn and Dance on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Reservation in Mashantucket, Conn. Tim Martin, Special to The Sun

Pequot history is an unprecedented story of redemption and restoration, which is featured at the Tribe’s world-class Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. 
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Today, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation owns and operates one of the largest and most successful resort casinos in North America and a variety of other enterprises.

• Foxwoods Resort Casino 
• Lake of Isles Golf Course 
• Pequot Pharmaceutical Network 
• Spa at Norwich Inn 

All together, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation remains one of the State of Connecticut’s highest tax payers and largest employers, and has contributed more than $3 billion to Connecticut through the first-of-its-kind tribal gaming revenue-sharing agreement, enacted in 1993.

​Likewise, the Tribe provides generous assistance to nonprofit organizations that support its local communities. For more information, contact us at [email protected].

Work Cited
https://www.mptn-nsn.gov/default.aspx
Alden T. Vaughan The William and Mary Quarterly , Apr., 1964, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Apr., 1964), pp. 256-269
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1920388
​https://www.thewesterlysun.com/news (Photo)

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