Thanksgiving with the first Americans

Danette Goulet

It was an all-American Indian Thanksgiving at Harbor View Elementary

School on Tuesday morning, with nary a pilgrim in sight.

Clad in tall headdresses decorated with bright construction paper

feathers twice the height of their heads, paper bag vests, macaroni

necklaces and painted faces, the kindergartners making up the tribes of

Harbor View celebrated in style.

Each little Indian was assigned to a specific tribe. So while the

Sioux were grinding corn on a rock with a wooden peg, the Navajo were

making their very own clay pots and the warriors and squaws of the Hopi

tribe were hunting a buffalo with their spears.

Every time an Indian managed to hit the big buffalo pinata with one of

the long, blunt spears, they were allowed to tie a bright piece of yarn

around one of the spears, as a warrior would, to mark their “kill.”

“I’m going to hit the head, because the teacher said it falls off,”

said 6-year-old Kristopher Picarelli, getting into the spirit of the

event. “Bye bye buffalo.”

Meanwhile, members of the Crow tribe were inside drawing a story that

would be told entirely with pictures. And the Chumash were making

cornhusk dolls.

It was a very busy morning for the tribes, as there were more

activities than there were Indians.

The children experienced firsthand the daily routines of the tribes.

They fished for colorful paper fish with wooden poles in a huge tub of

water. They put on war paint and weaved fat strands of brightly colored

yarn. And near where students were making their clay pots, teachers

displayed real Indian artifacts for them to examine.

“Wow, check out this clay piece,” said an impressed Austin Swenson, 5.

“These are all clay. Dad, check out this cool piece.”

As Austin’s father admired the relic, he asked his son how old he

thought it might be.

Austin promptly replied, “Like 20 years old.”