How to Honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving and in Homeschool

"Of all the wise teachers who have come into my life, none are more eloquent than these [the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash], who wordlessly in leaf and vine embody the knowledge of relationship. Alone, a bean is just a vine, squash an oversize leaf. Only when standing together with corn does a whole emerge which transcends the individual. The gifts of each are more fully expressed when they are nurtured together than alone. In ripe ears and swelling fruit, they counsel us that all gifts are multiplied in relationship. This is how the world keeps going."

- Robin Wall Kimmerer

It is Native American Heritage Month AND Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. As a result, we wanted to take some time to share some insights we've gained along our homeschool journey. More specifically, today I'm talking about how to honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving and throughout the year in your homeschool.

Included you will find resources from a variety of locations and in a variety of formats. Feel free to explore and consider what works best for your family. We hope it helps cultivate meaningful experiences in your homeschool at Thanksgiving and throughout the rest of your year.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon links are not affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure.

What Native American Tribe is Associated with Thanksgiving?

As stated in Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story:

"The newcomers arrived in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, and colonized the ancestral homeland of the Wampanoag tribes. At the time of the first Thanksgiving, many tribes lived in the same area. They are often known as 'Indians' or 'Native Americans.'...The Wampanoag people have taken care of their land and tended their gardens for at least 12,000 years. The Wampanoag people hunt, fish, and raise the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash."

- Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten

Who is Squanto?

Squanto, his name actually Tisquantum, was a Patuxet Wampanoag who helped the newcomers learn how to plant, hunt, and fish. The European explorers were not prepared for what they encountered when they arrived on foreign soil and their health suffered. Many died from starvation and disease.

Tisquantum spoke English because he had been previously captured by Europeans and sold into slavery before courageously making his way back to his homeland.

Tisquantum taught the Europeans the skills they needed to survive in their new home. Squanto is a name he was called by the Europeans.

How to Honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving and in Homeschool

Honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving by Teaching Real History

• Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving
• Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth
• National Day of Mourning

The Native Knowledge 360 Education Initiative is part of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and it offers educational materials, programs, and professional development for teachers. It has been a very helpful, informative resource for us as we learn how to honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving and throughout the year. As a result, you will notice several of the teaching and learning resources mentioned throughout this post, including the Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations and the Harvest Ceremony printable, are from Native Knowledge 360.

The Montessori Nomenclature Cards pictured above are part of the FREE Native American Printable Pack offered by Every Star is Different and available to subscribers in their freebie library. We combined it with this Native American history printable pack to extend the learning in all subject areas.

The Thanksgiving Lesson

I delivered this lesson similarly to the Fourth Great Lesson and Fifth Great Lesson. I used the narrative in the Harvest Ceremony printable to guide us through the story. We paused to look at the Nomenclature cards as we explored different topics. Finally, we explored some of the discussion topics at the end of the guide.

Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis Bunten with illustrations by Garry Meeches Sr. is the perfect follow-up to the Thanksgiving lesson mentioned above.

Adults and children alike will enjoy this story about a modern-day Wampanoag family, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, Wôpanâak to English translations, and a traditional Wampanoag recipe. This is a must-have book for any home or homeschool library.

• Colonization and the Wampanoag Story

Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head is an interesting read for kids who are ready to dive deeper into the history.

Explore topics such as The Great Dying caused by European fisherman who introduced a plague to the East Coast, a place inhabited by Indigenous nations and with no known infectious diseases.

Explore Indigenous Food/First Foods and Life Cycles

• Chinook Salmon Unit Study
• 7 Native American Chefs Share Thanksgiving Recipes
• First Foods Celebration Features Traditional Foods with Contemporary Style

Honoring Native Americans at Thanksgiving can be done through activities from our Fourth Great Lesson Chinook Salmon materials. We explored the Chinook Salmon life cycle, food web, and ecosystem using these beautiful printables. The illustrations were completed by Gitxsan and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, Squamish Nation artists.

The Native American Chefs' Thanksgiving Recipes are also a great resource. We've followed a couple of them already. They have a nice mix of simple, easy-to-follow recipes and more complex ones.

The First Foods Celebration is also local to us. Our kids were really interested in the list of foods served, including bear meatballs and elk heart.

Free Printable Recipes for Pre-Readers and Up

Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meals using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.

The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for North America.

Learn About Indigenous Peoples' History

• An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
• The First Oregonians
• Coyote Was Going There
• Foundations for Transforming Teaching and Learning about Native Americans

Take a class, read books, or watch a documentary. Be mindful of who is telling the story. During your studies, you may want to use a word cloud generator or jot down on paper some words or events that are unfamiliar. Also, write down topics you and your children would like to learn more about. This will help you identify where you're headed next.

Foundations for Transforming Teaching and Learning about Native Americans is a FREE Smithsonian course that you can participate in from the comfort of your home. I would highly recommend checking it out. It really is a wonderful professional development opportunity. I have loved the Smithsonian ever since I first visited the National Museum of Natural History. If you're like me, you will appreciate this webinar experience.

Learn About the Land and Native Peoples Where You Live

• Native-Land.ca
• The Indigenous Digital Archive Treaties Explorer
• My Fundamental Needs booklet by Montessorikiwi

Once you find out more about where you live, consider creating a meaningful land acknowledgment for your homeschool. Also, reach out to the tribal community near you. Find out what resources are available. We've been in touch with several folx throughout our learning journey and everyone has been really kind and helpful. We've received articles, booklists, and event information to help guide us along.

Use the Fundamental Needs printable to create language cards. We created Chinuk Wawa and English language cards together and our oldest illustrated them.

Get 16% off your purchase from Montessorikiwi here.

Free Chinuk Wawa and English Language Cards & Sorting Activity

Grab your FREE Chinuk Wawa and English language cards and Food & Equipment sorting activity. Translations are from the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde FREE Chinuk Wawa App.

These sorting cards also make excellent three-part cards for introducing vocabulary related to food and meal preparation. To use these as 3-part cards, simply print two copies of the printable and then cut the labels off the cards on one of the copies. Children can match the picture and then match the label as they show readiness.

The youngest of children can use them for object-to-picture matching with food and cooking tools.

Kids can also sort the cards into rows or columns using the heading cards: Food & Equipment. The colors of the cards provide a control of error so that kids can self-correct when completing this work independently.

Include Indigenous Voices and Resources in Your Homeschool

• You Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith and Danielle Daniel
• Teaching Slavery Through Children's Literature, Part 2 Podcast Episode
• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
• Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
• Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators

I talk more about You Hold Me Up and many more books by Indigenous authors in our Montessori Indigenous Education Books. It's a beautifully illustrated book with a very powerful message.

The Teaching Slavery podcast episode is on Teaching Hard History via Learning for Justice.  Dr. Debbie Reese from American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) gives guidance on selecting children's books by or about Indigenous peoples.  This is a really great FREE resource for Thanksgiving and the fall season that you will also find helpful throughout the year.

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Monique Gray Smith, and Nicole Neidhardt includes a mix of captivating illustrations, black and white photography, and thought-provoking quotes displayed in beautiful frames of sweetgrass.

There are also questions for the reader, definitions, and translations throughout.

If you enjoyed Braiding Sweetgrass, you'll love this adaptation by Monique Gray Smith with illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt.

And more importantly, so will your child.

As we snuggle up next to the Pendleton stockings and under this Yakima Camp Blanket, we read Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults with a feeling of immense gratitude.

Honor Native American Culture, History, and Contemporary Existence

• Fry Bread
• Gather Film
• Easy Corn Husk Doll Tutorial by Rachel of The Tattooed Momma
• Smithsonian Beaded Corn Necklace

Honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving and year-round by referring to Native Nations in the present tense. Also, nurture meaningful experiences through education instead of cultural appropriation (costumes, reenactments, tipi/teepee tents, etc.). Fry Bread is an excellent example of a book that nurtures a meaningful experience for homeschools and families.

Gather is a film about the destruction of Native American foodways and Indigenous food sovereignty. If you're a subscriber, you may already know that we were able to view the film as part of a FREE Screening hosted by Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener Program. Watching this documentary is a powerful experience, and I recommend checking it out.

Rachel of The Tattooed Momma and her family are registered Choctaw Native Americans. She has some really awesome DIY crafts for kids. I highly recommend watching the video that accompanies the Corn Husk Doll Tutorial.

The Smithsonian's Beaded Corn Necklace Activity is another fun craft option and it also has a video to accompany the tutorial.

• Mascot

An excellent middle-grade book, Mascot allows kids to explore facts and opinions related to a school mascot and whether change is the best solution.

The book also exposes kids to languages besides English and includes translations.

Honor Native Americans Throughout the Year and Across Subjects

• Montessori Sandpaper Numerals and FREE How Many Bones?

If you're looking to learn more about how to honor Native Americans, this is an excellent way to do just that. No need to end the learning once Thanksgiving is over.

Our preschooler's top shelf works include the How Many Bones? printable. It's a free printable that is part of the curriculum for members of The Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde. In fact, it's an activity to accompany The Salmon and the Eel: A Traditional Grande Ronde Story.

You can add self-correction to the printable by writing the numeral answer on the back of the image. As a result, the child can check their answers independently.

Conclusion for How to Honor Native Americans at Thanksgiving

We hope you find this information useful as you expand your understanding and plan your own unique homeschool activities. Also, for more information about a Montessori approach to holidays, I would check out Building an Equitable Holiday Approach: An Online Workshop for Promoting Inclusion. It's an excellent course taught by Tammy Oesting and hosted by Trillium Montessori.

Is there a specific Native Nation or resource your kids would like to explore in more detail?

Free Pre-K & Kindergarten Homeschool Course

Would you like to learn more about how to homeschool your preschooler or kindergartener the Montessori way?

This 8-week course will provide parents and caregivers with a no-nonsense approach to homeschooling. You will learn how to homeschool using hands-on, child-centered, and diverse learning experiences.

This course covers ALL the relevant subjects. You'll receive information and insight that will help you identify what is best for your child. You'll also be introduced to plenty of free resources along the way.

Most importantly, you will walk away with the tools and resources you need to confidently begin your own homeschooling journey.

More Indigenous Education and Resources

• American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)
• 7 Ideas for Educators to Consider Before Teaching the Trail of Tears
• Reclaiming Native Truths: How the Psychology of Omission Fuels Bias against Native Americans

Montessori Approach to Holidays & Seasons

• Building an Equitable Holiday Approach

Thanks for stopping by!

- Kristin