While the traditional story of the first Thanksgiving proved historically inaccurate, Pascack Valley student organizations look to honor the Native Americans with their fourth annual Indigenous Thanksgiving event.
On Monday, Nov. 20 during lunch, the PV History Club and World Cultures Club students will come together in the culinary room for a potluck featuring traditional indigenous dishes. The event originated in 2019 with the One Spirit Club and has continued ever since.
“Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to give thanks and that should always be celebrated, but let’s also recognize our strong Native heritage in this country,” PV History teacher and History Club advisor Leah Jerome said. “It just seemed appropriate with it being Native American Heritage Month.”
Over the years, Jerome and fellow PV history teacher Marisa Mathias have compiled a list of recipes for kids to utilize for the potluck based on an indigenous cookbook Mathias had. Jerome regards food as “such a strong part of all of our traditions and heritage.”
Due to the common ingredients of grains and beans, Jerome describes the dishes as “a very healthy meal.” Jerome also noted the diversity of indigenous peoples and their foods based on geographic location.
“When we talk about Native culture, we’re talking about a vast array of different cultures,” Jerome said. “Sometimes you have things that are more indicative of the Midwest or the Plains or even the East Coast, so things that are squash-based [or] bean-based.”
According to Jerome, this year’s event will be no different than the Indigenous Thanksgivings hosted by One Spirit in years past. In fact, she believes that “the legacy of One Spirit” helped make this event a reality.
“I really have to give credit to the leaders of One Spirit over the years, whether it’s Olivia Jones, Rachel Cohen, Sarah Shapiro, Grace Jansen, and Ava Kim. These are kids from the past, but they kept the tradition going and we just had to pass the torch on to the kids this year,” Jerome said. “We didn’t really add anything to it because it has a good foundation.”
To Jerome, the Indigenous Thanksgiving is both a social event and a valuable learning experience. Every year, she notices students finding a newfound appreciation for Native peoples through their recipes.
“I like the fact that it’s a way that kids could come together and see that history and culture is like something so tangible as what you eat,” Jerome said. “I think it’s really cool to see that Native culture is something that we can actively engage in.”
Jerome also finds the event helpful in breaking down false ideas surrounding Native Americans.
“I think there’s this misconception that obviously Natives were a people of the past, but they’re obviously [also] people of today and their traditions live on,” Jerome said.
Jerome expressed gratitude to all parties involved, including PV Culinary Arts teacher Jessica Anderson for allowing use of her space as well as the students taking part in the event. She explained how the involved students impress her and “really do a good job” in executing the event as a type of “Friendsgiving amongst students.”
“It’s a nice before-Thanksgiving opportunity for kids to come together in a nice environment,” Jerome said. “Everything about it is positive.”
