An Original Thanksgiving

BYRAM — Few can imagine Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes or apple pie, but those who attended Saturday’s An Original Thanksgiving event at Waterloo Village learned that deer meat, beans and squash were more typical foods eaten by the Lenape Indians, settlers and traders around the time of the first Thanksgiving. Turkey and pumpkin, thankfully, have stood the test of time and were a staple of their diet too. The non-profit organization Friends of Waterloo Village organized the event to reconnect people with the past and learn about Native Americans and the first Thanksgiving. Some Turkey Day myths were also debunked. "There are a lot of misconceptions about what the first Thanksgiving was and what they ate," said Andrea Proctor, Director of Winakung at Waterloo, Inc. who directs the educational events at the village. "We are hoping people will learn new things and come to understand what life was like in this area of the country back in 1691." Proctor said the Pilgrims were not in this part of the country but were up in Massachusetts. Rather, the Dutch were the first to settle in this area and live among the Lenape. Food was a big part of Saturday’s event. Samples of fare with ingredients that would have been used in the 1600s were doled out by Patsy’s Café, Salt Gastro Pub, Its All in the Icing, Alice’s Restaurant and Bella Italia. The menu included rabbit cacciatore, game chili, corn bread, mulled cider and pumpkin java muffins. As visitors snacked, food historian and 17th-20th century cook Susan McLellan Plaisted explained the way the Native Americans grew, preserved and prepared food. “They grew the Three Sisters: corn, beans and squash," said Plaisted. "They ate meat that could be harvested from their surroundings including deer, rabbit and fish.” Plaisted said every day was like Thanksgiving for the Lenape. There was always food on the fire and people could eat whenever they were hungry. Since much of their food was dried upon harvest to be stored, it took a long time to reconstitute each and every vegetable and legume, so there was always something on the fire, soaking, cooking and being prepared. “The Native Americans gave thanks every day and all day long," said Plaisted. Every time they harvested something, they gave thanks. Every time they killed an animal, they gave thanks. Every time they ate, they gave thanks.” Children did leaf rubbings, made games of chance that the Native Americans played, kicked a deer hide ball in a soccer-like game and made bracelets. Boy Scout Troop 276 gave lectures on bear awareness and safety as well as wildlife education programs. Hundreds came out for An Original Thanksgiving. Under bright skies and with a balmy breeze, a constant flow of people came through the doors during the course of the five-hour event. “[The event] has been a huge success," said Proctor. "We had as many people as we had hoped for, but many more than we had planned on.” However, Friends of Waterloo Village hopes for an even bigger and better event next year.