In September 1620.

a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers – an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the “New World.”

After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cap Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

The first Thanksgiving, as I mentioned beforehand, and as folks understand it, was in 1621 between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag tribe in present-day Massachusetts. While records indicate that this celebration did happen, there are a few misconceptions we need to clear up. Because of the erasure (in words, removal and exclusion) of native American narratives from histories a lot of us were taught, we’ve been left with an incomplete picture of what really happened. So here’s the full story.

*There’s no evidence that the Wampanoag people were even invited in the first place. An Account from the time said 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe were present and makes no mention of invitations. Some experts believe that these 90 men were an army, sent by Wampanoag leader Quasemquin at the sound of gunshots. (which turned out to be a part of the celebration)

EAST FALMOUTH, MA – JULY 6: Native Americans enter the arena during the Grand Ceremony of the 92nd Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds in East Falmouth on July 6, 2013. (Photo by Essdras M Suarez/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

* In the first encounter with the Wampanoag people, the Pilgrims stole from the tribe’s winter provisions – it wasn’t until later that Quasemquin formed an alliance between the groups. Even then, the alliance really only existed because the Wampanoag people were ravaged by diseases brought by European colonizers in the years prior. It was less about intercultural harmony and more about survival (made necessary by the actions of these settlers).

*That first harvest was followed by deadly conflicts between colonizers and Native people, including (but definitely not limited to) the Wampanoags.

The Europeans repaid their Native allies by seizing Native land and imprisoning, enslaving, and executing Native people.

*Following *Thanksgiving” celebrations by European settlers often marked brutal victories over Native people, like the Pequet Massacre of 1636 or the beheading of Wampanoag leader Metacom in 1676.

WHEN DID AMERICA FIRST CALL FOR A NATIONAL THANKSGIVING?

America first called for a national thanksgiving to celebrate victory over the British in the battle of Saratoga. In 1789, George Washington again called for a national day of thanks on the last Thursday of November 1777 to commemorate the end of the Revolutionary War and the ratification of the Constitution. During the Civil War, both the Confederacy and the Union issued Thanksgiving Day proclamations following major victories.