The first iteration of a Thanksgiving feast in Canada consisted of salt beef, biscuits, and peas. It was held by English sailor Martin Frobisher in what is now called the territory of Nunavut. In 1578, Frobisher was chosen by Queen Elizabeth I to form a colony on Baffin Island in hopes of finding gold.

The Thanksgiving celebration was meant to commemorate the crew’s safe arrival. But Frobisher had a history of forcibly removing Inuit people from their land.

Thanksgiving-like celebrations, often with colonial or post-war motivations, grew in popularity by the 1870s. Thanksgiving became an annual event in Canada in 1957.

The holiday’s origin is commonly associated with The Mayflower, the Pilgrims, and the Wampanoag People. Popular narrative tells the tale of a peaceful dinner shared between English settlers and Indigenous people, while the true history is a story of colonization, domination, and devastation to Indigenous populations with long-lasting repercussions.

I can’t quite remember which iteration of the Thanksgiving story I was served up at school, but it never came with a side of conversation about colonization. I’m not Indigenous. I spent my childhood education in a predominantly white private Christian school and never felt the need to think critically about holidays. 

As a child, Thanksgiving was finger-painted turkeys, cornucopia colouring pages, and mashed potato volcanoes. These days, it’s a celebration of family, fall, and gratitude. Sometimes my mother cooks a turkey, sometimes she doesn’t, and the day allows me to travel home for some time off from school.

I met with Indigenous members of the VIU community—two Elders and one student—to learn about how they observe Thanksgiving and highlight their stories for those unsure how to mindfully navigate a holiday with complicated origins.

Shq’apthut, A Gathering Place, is located on the VIU Nanaimo Campus. It houses the Elder-in-Residence program and recently reopened after undergoing construction for a new ceremonial space.

I met with Lyn Clark, Shq’apthut Coordinator and Elder support person, to discuss meeting with Elders for an interview. Lyn graciously arranged for me to meet with two of the five Elders at VIU, Uncle Gary and Auntie Stella.

Uncle Gary was born at the mouth of the Snuneymuxw River in 1948. He does work in truth and reconciliation, language revitalization, and healing circles, and he has been an Elder in Residence at VIU since 2008.

I asked Uncle Gary how he was this fine September morning. “Good enough,” he replied. I laughed as I settled into my chair. He claimed that’s how he typically answers the question. It reminded me of my grandpa’s common response­: “Well, I’m still breathing.”

I asked Uncle Gary if he celebrates Thanksgiving.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really care—I didn’t pay attention to it. But I’m a residential school Survivor, so our colonizer holidays kind of trigger the bad history that we’ve been in with the government of Canada,” Uncle Gary replied. “I had to grow up in it,” he said, referencing the daily religious assemblies he was made to participate in during his time at residential school.

Uncle Gary described what bothers him about Thanksgiving. “It’s something that is celebrating our demise, I guess, you know, as a land takeover of all our lands in British Columbia and Canada.”

When it comes to Thanksgiving Day, Uncle Gary enjoys the time off and turkey, but doesn’t celebrate the origin of the holiday. “I have a friend who is a teacher who taught philosophy here,” he said, “and he owned a farm, and he would give me a great big turkey every Thanksgiving and every Christmas. And he still does, and so I have to eat that turkey.” Uncle Gary chuckled. “I guess I just always complained to my wife about getting turkey. Then one day, she just told me, ‘Can’t you just eat the turkey, you know’?”

Uncle Gary expressed that he’s “not a big celebrating guy,” but shared that there are some occasions he does acknowledge. He listed birthdays, family, naming ceremonies, and tribal journeys. “I go on a canoe trip, you know, a 10 day canoe trip with 25 other people. So I celebrate that stuff,” he said.

For some, Thanksgiving is a special time to acknowledge gratitude.

Thuythut can be a solitary act or done with others. Uncle Gary shared how thuythut has been crucial in the relationship between him and Donna, his wife. “We talk about what bothers us. You know, we didn’t do that all the time, but our marriage almost fell apart a few years back,” he said. “So in order to save this marriage, we started to thuythut, to fix whatever was bothering us. So we celebrate that, you know—celebrate our marriage.”

Uncle Gary left me with some final words for Indigenous students who are unsure about how to navigate Thanksgiving.

“Don’t celebrate the conquering of our people. Eat the turkey.” 

Auntie Stella Johnson was born in McLennan, Alberta. She was raised by her grandmother from the age of five and was taught the Cree language. She’s been an Elder at VIU since 2012. 

I met with Auntie Stella one afternoon in September. Before we began our interview, she offered me some fruit. I made the classic joke that, as a student, I shouldn’t turn down free food. We laughed. Lyn brought us each a cup of tea.

Auntie Stella told me she has fond memories of Thanksgiving and continues to celebrate it to this day.

Food is an important part of Auntie Stella’s Thanksgiving celebration. “Of course, turkey is involved,” she said. “We didn’t have turkey when my grandmother raised me most of the time, but it was the odd time. But I think she would cook a goose and stuff it, or ducks, but she’d still make a stuffing for them.”

Auntie Stella described a meal consisting of turnips, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. She also noted a blending of cultures. “For my family, my kids, their father was Ukrainian and Czechoslovakian … We had a big spread. There was turkey, ham, pierogies, cabbage rolls….”

“Oh yeah,” I said. “I’m Ukrainian. I know about it.” We both laughed.

“Sometimes we’d have borscht soup before the meal,” Auntie Stella added.

“My mouth is watering now!” I said.

“Making you hungry,” she said and smiled.

Auntie Stella reflected on Thanksgiving celebrations of her past. “It was a good day. It was a happy day. You’re thankful,” she said. “Nothing about the sadness experience. It was just fun. Just laughing, joking, teasing each other, which Métis people like to do.”

But Auntie Stella acknowledged that while some people don’t have good experiences, she feels lucky to have had all the good things and credits her Cree grandmother. “She did all those white man traditions, [whatever] you want to call them, I don’t know. But they were all good, good things.”

Auntie Stella explained that sharing with others is how she practises gratitude. If she knows students need food, she’ll give them some (It’s true! Fresh fruit!). She also described giving chocolate bars, oranges, or water to people in need. 

“I’m always doing something. I’m not trying to brag or anything, but that’s my way of appreciating what I have, that I’m very blessed to have this job at my age and be able to go do what I want to do, right?” Auntie Stella said. “So I’m very, very thankful that I can do that.”

Family is an important part of Auntie Stella’s Thanksgiving. “It’s just a gathering—thankful for your family and the food that has been provided, you know, and respected. That’s a big word, respect. It’s the most powerful word, I think.”

Auntie Stella then taught me the Cree word for relatives: wahkomâkan. She told me that the hat on the ‘a’ is called a macron—not an accent, like it’s called in French. She showed me the word on the Cree Dictionary app on her phone.

Auntie Stella closed with some words of encouragement. “Thanksgiving is to be thankful for your life, for your health, your family. There’s so much sadness out there. I think people need to start doing these old traditions nowadays,” she said. “And if you have an opportunity to go home for Thanksgiving, that’d be great. Bring cabbage rolls or something.”

“Borscht!” I said.

“Borscht,” Auntie Stella replied.

Mauricea Panchenko is Nêhiyaw (Plains Cree). She comes from the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen Territory known as Surrey and is in her third year of Indigenous Studies and Psychology at VIU.

I met Mauricea in the Quad on the Nanaimo campus. We’d only communicated over text, so we had no idea what each other looked like until I shuffled over to someone I thought could be her and said a tentative hello. We had a good laugh, then made our way to building 345 to chat in the student lounge. 

Mauricea shared that she celebrates Thanksgiving, but does so mindfully. “I’m aware of the history, and I’m not celebrating colonialism,” she said. “I have so much gratitude for all those who have lived and stood beside me, and I view it as a celebration and sharing food, which is a very common Indigenous practice.”

Food and cooking are an important part of Mauricea’s celebration. “To be in a good mind and a good heart when you cook is super important,” she said.

Mauricea’s Thanksgiving celebrations are open to all, including extended family, longtime friends, new friends, or others with nowhere to be during the holiday. “We’ve always been open in my family to inviting those people into our house,” she said. “And I think that when you do that, it’s kind of negating those colonial ideas of, it’s just family, just blood relatives.”

Thanksgiving isn’t just a one-day occasion for Mauricea—it can be multiple if someone can’t attend. “Sometimes we’ve done, like, three to four dinners and then we joke that we have the misfit, parentless dinners. I’m connected with my mom, luckily, but some of our friends don’t have parents. And then they’ll call it ‘the orphan Thanksgiving’ as a joke. The orphan one’s a little more rowdy …. [A few] more drinks flowing in that one, for sure.”

Mauricea also described Friendsgiving as a celebration for those who are disconnected from their family or territory. This version is especially popular with students away from home.

Mauricea is thankful for the strength in her family. She’s grateful to exist. She pointed to her mother’s Cree heritage and father’s Ukrainian Jewish heritage. “Just to be here is a miracle, and so I have a lot of gratitude for the strength in my family,” she said. “Despite the challenges, I feel like I’m a very strong person because of my parents and what they’ve survived.”

To Mauricea, being thankful is to engage in learning.

Mauricea said that to some, the origins of Thanksgiving may seem irrelevant because of how long ago they took place. But she encourages non-Indigenous readers to consider the ongoing practices of colonization today. “You don’t have to carry it with a heavy heart, and you don’t have to feel responsible in any way,” she said. “I don’t think any Indigenous people are asking that of anybody.”

Mauricea noted the proximity of Thanksgiving Day to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and discussed the importance of attending related events. “Attend these events, show up, learn more,” she said.

There are tons of opportunities to learn and connect. For example…

Check out Daisy Elliot’s Indigenous Crafting Series from 4:30-6:30 pm at Shq’apthut on October 15 and November 19.

If you’re a Nuu-Chah-Nulth student, you’re invited to join NTC Post Secondary Counsellor Kirsty Allen at Shq’apthut on October 16 at 10am for bannock and jam-making.

The Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement is hosting a lunch and learn with VIU Elder Auntie Geraldine Manson at Shq’apthut on October 23 from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Soup and bannock will be provided. 

Leah Vaisanen is also hosting Indigenous Sharing Circles on October 29, November 19, and December 3 at the VIUSU Club House from 4–6 pm.

Uncle Gary, Auntie Stella, Mauricea, and I all harbour different experiences surrounding Thanksgiving, but valuing family, gratitude, and food is a thread woven throughout each of our stories. Celebration can manifest in a multitude of ways, and no one voice can speak for all. This Thanksgiving—if you choose to observe it—pay attention to the past, make an effort to learn something new, and enjoy a plate of whatever you please.