by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac with Plimoth Plantation; photographs by Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson. In October 2000, several hundred people gathered at the modern-day Plimoth Plantation museum to reenact the 1621 harvest gathering. For three days, photographers, advisers, Plimoth Plantation staff, and members of the Wampanoag Nation and other Native communities came together to depict the events of that time. This event, a first in the history of the museum, turned out to be a powerful gathering for all involved. It is 1621 by the English Calendar. In a small settlement on the edge of the sea, 52 English colonists are celebrating the success of their first harvest. For nearly a year, Massasoit, a Wampanoag leader, has been keeping close watch on the colonists. He arrives with 90 of his men. For three days the groups gather together at the place now called Plymouth. It is 1621 by the English Calendar. In a small settlement on the edge of the sea, 52 English colonists are celebrating the success of their first harvest. For nearly a year, Massasoit, a Wampanoag leader, has been keeping close watch on the colonists. He arrives with 90 of his men. For three days the groups gather together at the place now called Plymouth. Over the centuries, versions of this story have been told and retold, creating the popular myth of the First Thanksgiving. Many Americans imagine brave, peaceful settlers inviting a few wild Indians over for turkey dinner. But there was neither cranberry sauce nor pumpkin pie at that 1621 harvest celebration. There were no Indians with woven blankets over their shoulders and large feathered headdresses cascading down their backs. There were no Pilgrims in somber black clothes and tall hats with silver buckles either. The English didn’t even call themselves Pilgrims. That’s the myth. Taking a new look at Thanksgiving means putting aside the myth. It means taking a new look at history. It means questioning what we think we know. It means recovering lost voices – the voices of the Wampanoag people. True history includes the voices of all of its participants. Read, listen, and think about our shared history. What you will read in these pages represents new thinking about the people and events of 1621. This book is just one part of a museum-wide effort to reinterpret the 1621 harvest feast, through books, videos, educational materials, and a reenactment that gave birth to these photographs. We invite you to join us here on this shore and view the past from a different perspective. Gr. 3-6.