Re-Thinking Thanksgiving at Tannery Pond Center

Hear a Native American perspective on an American Holiday.

Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation.

Attend a lively, content-based presentation by Perry Ground, a Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. He will share a fascinating overview of the history of this very American but misunderstood holiday at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek on August 3.

For more background, check out this article from The Smithsonian.

Using the only primary source document chronicling the “First Thanksgiving” and a quiz-style format (the audience will take the quiz prior to the presentation), Perry Ground will lead participants in a discussion of accurate and culturally appropriate information about the English settlers at Plymouth and the Wampanoag, the Native people who inhabited that area.

The presentation discusses the actual events of 1621 in Plymouth, the relationship between the English settlers and the Wampanoag and how this story became the holiday we know today. The concept of thanksgiving held by many Native Americans will be emphasized throughout.

Although they were not present in Plymouth in 1621, connections to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) concepts of Thanksgiving will be discussed so participants will understand how Native People view Thanksgiving today.

Perry Ground, Talking Turtle Stories, Master Storyteller & Cultural Educator.

Perry Ground is a Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. He has been telling stories for over 25 years to educate people about the Haudenosaunee culture, beliefs, and history. Perry learned many of the stories he shares from elders of Native American communities and feels that practicing and perpetuating the oral traditions of Native people is an important responsibility.

Professionally, Perry has worked in several museums, including The Children’s Museum of Houston and Sainte Marie among the Iroquois and Ganondagan State Historic Site; he also worked for the Rochester City School District for many years. He has shared his stories and presentations in countless museums, libraries, classrooms, and festivals throughout the Northeast and has guest lectured at numerous colleges. Perry served as the Frederick H. Minett Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology for the 2021-22 academic year.

For more information about the event, visit Tannery Pond Center’s website.

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