Native American Heritage Day (better known as Black Friday) is a not-so-highly publicized civil holiday observed on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. That’s a shame considering the role of the Wampanoag people in the first Thanksgiving. They “shared their land, food, and knowledge of the environment with the English. Without help from the Wampanoag, the English would not have had the successful harvest that led to the First Thanksgiving. However, cooperation was short lived, as the English continued to attack and encroach upon Wampanoag lands in spite of their agreements” (Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving). How many of us even recognize the Wampanoag name?
Each year, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma sends me a Christmas tree ornament and a story from my ancestors. In recognition of the Native American role in Thanksgiving, in sadness of subsequent forced removal of natives from tribal lands, in memory of my proud Choctaw Granny who faced systemic injustice in her own life, as a reminder of the Choctaw blood that flows through my veins and blessings large and small, I share with you:
“The Gift of Corn”
“Long ago, two Choctaw men were camping along the Alabama River when they heard a beautiful but sad sound. They followed the sound until they came upon Ohoyo Osh Chishba, Unknown Woman, standing on an earthen mound. The men asked how they could help her, and she answered, ‘I’m hungry.’ The men gave her all their food, but the lady ate only a little and thanked them with a promise.
“‘Tell no one you saw me. I will ask the Great Spirit to give you a gift. Return here at the new moon,’ she said. The Choctaw men went home and said nothing.
“At the new moon, they returned to the river as instructed, but Ohoyo Osh Chishba was not there. In the place where they had seen her, though, stood a tall green plant. That plant is corn, and it is a great gift, indeed!”
Faith + Gratitude = Peace + Hope 
Thank you for highlighting Native American Heritage Day and your personal connection to its meaning and relevance, Crystal. Talk about what turned out to be very poor timing due to the arrival of the most bizarre of days, Black Friday. Give thanks one day and then head out to spend, spend, spend the next. Sigh.
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I stumbled onto this information about Native American Heritage Day while lesson planning recently. Apparently, George W. Bush designated the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in 2008.
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It’s such an important designation, so good for George W. And the date is truly appropriate considering Native American Peoples’ role in Thanksgiving. It is such a shame that unbridled consumerism took over “ownership” of this day.
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It just goes to show you that big business will commercialize any important date without consideration for the dates they choose. While the shopping is necessary, people should not shop for shopping’s sake. Thanks for sharing your story Crystal. Allan
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Happy you enjoyed! I always look forward to learning something from the Choctaw Nation, and I don’t enjoy fighting a crowd on the day after Thanksgiving anyway.
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I hadn’t heard of “The Gift of Corn” legend. It made me smile.:-)
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I hadn’t either, but I felt a little extra connection to this year’s corn on the table.
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Yummmm!
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It’s a gift. 😋
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That’s a fantastic post! Thank you so much for sharing!! I enjoyed it emmensly!! Happy Holidays😁😁😊😊
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I appreciate your appreciation, Dusty! These holidays seem off to a good start. I hope yours are, too.
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i learned the word maize
in jr high
yes the native americans got a raw deal
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Maybe one day we’ll learn from the past.
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I love the story. It’s so interesting to read the tales that come with something like corn, because now I’ll be reminded of it anytime I see it on my plate.
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Me, too. Thanks for visiting, Ang!
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Cool! I agree, that’s a much better name for this day. We have so much to be Thankful for all the gifts of the Native people to the world. Corn is a great example. So happy you know and celebrate your Choctaw heritage. Happy Native American Heritage Day, Crystal!
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Thank you so much, Rebecca!
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Thank you Crystal for your post today. I enjoyed reading about your heritage and the first Thanksgiving. I know my wife who is Metis will like reading it also. I like your gratitude journal photo. Best wishes – David ♥
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Thank you, David! I’m feeling like I should know more about the Choctaw people and thankful for all who struggled before me to give me a better life.
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Thank you for commemorating this.
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Hi Susan! I appreciate you for reading and saying so.
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Great information. I saw on my calendar that it is Native American Heritage Day but did not know anything about it. Thanks for sharing!
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In my classes before the holiday, we had a brief discussion about the first Thanksgiving. The Native Americans have been on my mind ever since. Thanks for reading!
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Sounds fun!
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Thank you for this. Choctaw were the tribe that collected and sent money to struggling Irish during the famine. They will always have a place inside of me for doing that.
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Thanks for sharing, Bryan. I feel like I should read up on this side of my family tree.
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I was fortunate to be half Irish and connected to the Cherokee nation by family. How interesting that has been! Take care my friend.
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Touching and genuine tribute to Native American culture. This often forgotten people deserve far better. Their lives matter just as much as any other nationality or ethnic group.
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I appreciate your thoughts here, Big Sky! Hopefully this holiday will gain momentum.
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Thanks for the information, Crystal! This was news to me, as I never had heard this origin story before.
Are you familiar with the Iroquois “Three Sisters” planting method? Apparently, the nation discovered long ago that growing corn, squash and beans together maximized the soil’s nutrients. Better still, each plant benefitted the other two, the squash’s dense mat choking out weeds, the corn’s towering structure giving the beans something to climb, etc., etc. How clever!
As I sample international cuisines, I’m struck by how rich were Native America’s culinary contributions to the rest of the world. Not just corn, but tomatoes, chocolate (specifically, cacao), potatoes, pumpkins, pineapples and peppers, all got their start in the Americas.
In this and in other areas, where would the rest of us be without Native America?
And where would we be without you starting this conversation? Thanks, Crystal!
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And thank you for keeping the Native American Heritage Day spirit and sharing another great story, Keith. Too bad the Iroquois weren’t in Oklahoma (Kansas and Texas) to prevent the Dust Bowl.
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True, Crystal, but then, what would’ve inspired Steinbeck to write?
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Thank you for sharing a wonderful story!!.. hopefully with today’s technology, the people will have a better understanding and learn to respect and accept everyone for who they are and believe.. 🙂
Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday filled with peace and love and until we meet again…
May flowers always line your path
and sunshine light your way,
May songbirds serenade your
every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you
in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart
each day your whole life through.
(Irish Saying)
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If not for my ancestors, where would I be? Not here. Thanks for visiting, Dutch!
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