The Haudenosaune People, on whose traditional territory I live, have a beautiful practice of beginning each day, meetings, and events with The Thanksgiving Address, also known as "the words that come before all else." The Thanksgiving Address greets each element of Nature with thanks and acknowledges its unique contributions and responsibilities, starting with the People, and including the Fish, the Plants, the Birds, and more, ending with the Creator or Great Spirit. In my experience of participating in the Thanksgiving Address at Queen's, one person usually reads or recites each verse of the Thanksgiving Address and at the end of verse, when the orator says the phrase "now our minds are one," the assembled group voices their agreement. I find it a moving practice that sets a tone for the gathering, setting aside other concerns, offering collective gratitude to the shared elements of Nature, and helping us to focus.
Here are the opening two verses in English:
The People
Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.
Now our minds are one.
The Earth Mother We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks. Now our minds are one.
And the final verse:
The Creator Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator. Now our minds are one.
The rest is also very beautiful, and I hope you will check it out here or here, with photos. It takes about 10 minutes to recite in English, but I heard an Elder say that traditionally, depending on the orator, the Thanksgiving Address could take up to half a day (!!).
I'm struck that the Thanksgiving Address speaks to and offers gratitude for things that we all share—Mother Earth, the Sun, the Stars, Food Plants, the Trees, the Birds, the Four Winds. This makes it effective in drawing everyone together, despite our differences. These are shared, common gifts of nature, not things that individuals have uniquely received. Brittany, a Mohawk graduate student in my Department at Queen's, has told me that over many repetitions of the Thanksgiving Address, she has come to understand the aliveness and sacredness of Nature, no longer seeing Earth as simply a resource to be conquered and exploited. (I'm paraphrasing; I hope I've done her words justice.)
Having recently honoured the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and slowly learning the histories that have been suppressed and hidden, especially those told from the perspectives of Indigenous peoples, black people, and people of colour, I'm realizing that my understanding of Thanksgiving has also been "whitewashed." Clearly, the Haudenosaunee People have a long tradition of formally giving thanks - every day! - not just one day per year! Other Indigenous peoples have long histories of honouring and celebrating the fall harvest. It is time to stop perpetuating the idea that Thanksgiving was a European settler invention— and also consider the generosity of the Indigenous peoples who helped the early settlers survive. For example, in the colonies of New France, the Mi'kmaq people likely introduced the early French settlers, who arrived with Samuel de Champlain, to that Thanksgiving dinner standard, the cranberry. Containing lots of vitamin C, cranberries helped the prevent the scourge of scurvy, which was widespread among the early settlers. The generosity of the Indigenous peoples has not been well-remembered or returned in kind.
This Thanksgiving, I could probably spend half a day listing the things I'm grateful for—including everyone who reads this blog! I am so grateful to have regained my health and for the wonderful care I received at the Cancer Clinic. I am immensely grateful for all the love and support I've received from friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues. Thank you.
I will be giving thanks for my own good fortune, but I will also be reciting the Thanksgiving Address and offering gratitude for our common inheritance. I'm trying to learn to walk in the world holding wonder, joy, beauty, and gratitude in one hand, while, in the other hand, acknowledging the horror, suffering, despair, and chaos in the world.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you will be well-nourished by good food and the sweet company of loved ones.
