A Story to be Grateful For
Throughout my children’s lives, I have been telling them stories. Stories convey values, spark imagination, teach, and inspire new solutions. Some of the tales I’ve told my children are charming stories for bedtime or funny stories to make them laugh. Others plant seeds that grow over time, bearing fruits in the years to come.
For me, it can be hard to know what stories to tell about the holidays. American holidays, celebrated vibrantly throughout our communities, are often revered as though they are sacred. Yet, many of our holidays are much more complex than they appear on the surface.
Holidays can be comforting for some of us. Thanksgiving is one that holds emotional appeal for many, with its ideal of extended families coming together to feast and express gratitude.
To others, Thanksgiving is deeply disturbing and even traumatic. This holiday carries more nuance than most of us were taught in school and around the table. It is a day of mourning for many of the Indigenous peoples of this land. It represents a whitewashed version of painful histories that have been largely erased by settler colonial mythology.
This year, I am grateful for Keepunumuk, a children’s book by Indigenous authors Danielle Greendeer (Mashpee Wampanoag), Anthony Perry (Chickasaw), and Alexis Bunten (Yu’pik/Unangan) and illustrator Gary Meeches Sr. (Anishinaabe). By sharing this story, the authors (all parents) encourage us to understand a more accurate version of the holiday.
The book is set in Cape Cod, on Wampanoag land. We learn how corn (Weeâchumun) flourishes alongside her sisters (beans and squash), and how all creation works together to ensure that life continues, season after season.
When newcomers arrive, the plants and animals come together and decide to welcome them. They can see that the newcomers are starving and struggling to survive. After Weeâchumun sends the First People instructions in their dreams, they generously share their ecological knowledge and teach the newcomers how to grow the three sisters. Eventually, when some trust has been built between the First Peoples and the newcomers, they share a feast that includes Native foods such as succotash, venison, rabbit, cranberries, pumpkins, and boiled bread.
Unfortunately, over time, the generosity of the land and the People is abused. In the generations since 1621, people, plants, and animals have all suffered from too much taking and not enough giving. Keepunumuk shares the true story of Thanksgiving in a gentle way that encourages compassion and curiosity.
As an adult who has been learning about these issues for a while, I found Keepunumuk a valuable read. I’ll use this book to begin a discussion with my family around the Thanksgiving table this year. I’ll also give a copy to my young cousins, so Keepunumuk can plant seeds and offer its teachings in the coming generations, as well.
To order a copy of Keepunumuk, please visit charlesbridge.com.