Today is the day before our national Thanksgiving holiday. The day has a long history starting with the early Pilgrims who braved dangerous seas to arrive in a new land. They came to escape the religious persecutions of their home in England. In coming to what is now known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, they realized they had made a mistake for they were really bound for Virginia. It was too late in the Fall season to doing anything else but try to survive the coming Winter where they landed. Over the years, the Pilgrims survived brutal Winters and ongoing war with the native people called Wampanoag. After being nearly wiped out by Western diseases and war with European immigrants, these native people are back in the news. Why? It’s Thanksgiving Season and descendants of the Wampanoags are bringing back their own language by teaching it in schools. Continue reading →