by Kiersten Reavis

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—a variety of religious protesters looking for a new home where they could practice their faith freely . After an uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended end at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now generally known, began the work of beginning a village at Plymouth. Throughout that first terrible winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the lasting settlers moved on land, where they got an amazing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Days later, he came back with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before fleeing to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, how to grow corn, take sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which lasted for more than 50 years. In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford planned a festive feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. Many of the dishes were likely made using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods.