Not a lot, actually, but it does have something to do with meal that we call the first “Thanksgiving.” There are two, and only two, short accounts of the first Thanksgiving—one by Edward Winslow and the other by William Bradford. Only Winslow mentions the participation of the Wampanoag natives, and they seem to have come as an afterthought rather than being invited.
Here’s what Winslow said: “Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; [the] four [men] in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, [including] their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others” (Winslow, Mourt’s Relation).
Even though they weren’t invited, the Wampanoag went out and killed five deer that they brought back to contribute to the feast.
Indians in New England had several methods of hunting deer, which varied from pits and snares to communal drives to hunting with the bow and arrow. Since these Indians arrived and found the feast underway, it seems likely they didn’t have time to set snares or plan a drive. They probably hunted the deer with their bows and arrows.
New England natives used selfbows (i.e., bows constructed from a single piece of wood) made from maple, ash, hickory, and maybe elm or oak. These bows probably had a draw weight of anywhere from 40-70 pounds and were powerful and effective weapons. The arrows were most likely dogwood or cane arrows with a wooden foreshaft and fletched with turkey or goose feathers. Sharpened stone such as quartz or rhyolite (obsidian and flint were not widely available in the eastern areas of the continent) served as points, but they could also use bone, shark’s teeth, or the tails of horseshoe crabs. All accounts of native archers by the Europeans of the sixteenth century who still understood bows and arrows, have nothing but praise for the quality of native bows and the skill of native archers.
So, while we in the United States are sitting around feasting turkey, corn, cranberries, and potatoes (all “new world” foods, by the way), we should remember that the Wampanoag who came to the first Puritan Thanksgiving in Massachusetts most likely used their bows and arrows to provide venison for the Puritan table that was spread with the bounty that the Wampanoag taught their new neighbors how to produce. And in it all, the humble bow and arrow played a role.
Cheers,
James
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