Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Yelp's Top 10 Medford restaurants choose their personal favorites ... Medford businesses allegedly swindled immigrants ... Since You Asked: 'No Loitering' signs not solution to homelessness ... Yelp's Top 10 Medford restaurants choose their personal favorites ... Medford businesses allegedly swindled immigrants ... Since You Asked: 'No Loitering' signs not solution to homelessness ... SOUTHERN OREGON JOURNAL Southern Oregon Journal: Giving thanks by the book Comment By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 22, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 22, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Editor's note: Columnist Peggy Dover has taken some liberties with the details of the Pilgrims coming to America. See if you can separate fact from fiction. The fictions are listed at the end of the column. In honor of the one day we officially set aside for giving thanks, I recently read half a book titled "Mayflower," by Nathaniel Philbrick. It was a long book with everything you ever wanted to know about the Mayflower voyage, Pilgrims, natives and the needs and fears that bound them. I think this author must have been taking notes in the shrubbery, camouflaged as poison ivy. The shear breadth of the subject matter earns him a nod for credibility. That, and a National Book Award for "In the Heart of the Sea." Never fear, I will condense this 400-year-old saga of our infant nation to the size of a salmon-paté-spread Triscuit. Read it to the hungry gang while they’re waiting for you to carve the bird, already. Since you wield the knife, feel free to make a game of what is fact and what is Peggy. In 1620, William Bradford, a Puritan, or Separatist, fled a religiously oppressive England (by way of Holland) with 101 Pilgrims, a crew of 30, two dogs and one orangutan named Clyde. There was a second ship, the Seabiscuit, which failed to make the grade. So, they crowded themselves onto the sailing ship, Mayflower, and sloshed and heaved for 65 days over the Atlantic. These were not stout, Ahabian men, but mostly families willing to endure anything to be able to worship God without hiding. They were radicals, the fringe element of their time. After about 10 weeks at sea, they’d run out of firewood, had little but slime for water, and worst of all, were down to their last casks of beer. Yes, Puritans drank beer. Drinking water could be risky in those days, and beer was considered part of a healthy diet. The end. Just kidding. They endured storms, a broken mast, scurvy and seasickness. The sailors were bullies, taunting the Pilgrims as they tossed their cookies. Only one passenger died along the way, and one was born — Oceanus Hopkins. When they finally arrived, the native population had been decimated by what was believed to be bubonic plague brought to their shore a year or two before by European fishermen. Even though Native People still outnumbered Pilgrims, everyone had good reason to try to get along. The Pilgrims had muskets. Also, the Wampanoag, Cleveland, Narraganset and other Algonquian tribes believed the Pilgrims could release sickness at will from stored casks. On the other hand, natives knew everything about hunting, gathering, fishing (which the Pilgrims stank at) and farming, especially corn. In other words — staying alive. The Bee Gees wrote a taunting song about it because they were English. One of the first things the Pilgrims did to secure good relations was to steal a load of native corn, but at least they felt guilty about it. They were starving and paid it back later in musket balls. So, they worked together, snitched on each other, ate together, and tribes used the Pilgrims the way siblings play their parents against one another. Some English slept in wigwams with natives and, though their ways were different, the newcomers didn’t consider them barbaric savages, but neighbors, though both sides were wary of the renegade trouble maker. Hmm, sounds like a family. A year passed, taking a toll on the Pilgrim population. About half survived. But when the first crops came in, they all celebrated with a feast. First, Massasoit gave a long and tedious speech, roasting Squanto. When he finally sat down, they dug into corn, beans, grits, squash, corn pudding, barley, corn pone, creamed corn, peas, corn chowder, duck, duck, goose, deer and, yes, turkey. There was no green bean casserole. And, they ate with their fingers, so don’t be too hard on Uncle Ralph, he’s just being authentic. After the party, Miles Standish and Edward Winslow put their heads together and founded S&W canned vegetables. Fifty years later, war happened. In all of our choices, big and small, wise and wrong, I’m thankful for grace. The fictions (OK, they were mostly obvious): 1. Philbrick was not an eye-witness to the account. But his bibliography is long enough to run the length of an extended dining table. 2. OK, Clyde the orangutan came along much later, to keep Clint Eastwood smiling while he beat guys up in the 1978 movie, “Every Which Way but Loose.” 3. There was a second ship slated to sail, but its name was the Speedwell, not Seabiscuit, a racehorse that came along much later. The Speedwell proved too costly to repair for sailing, so they all crowded onto the Mayflower. 4. The Bee Gees did write “Stayin Alive” in 1977, but it had more to do with surviving the Disco Era. 5. Though the Pilgrims did steal corn early on, they repaid the natives when they were able. Both parties were known to steal things when the opportunities arose. 6. Massasoit’s speech at the feast was reportedly a long one, but wasn’t a Squanto roast. It was about all the tribes who would be on friendly terms with the Pilgrims because of his influence. 7. The food list is true, except I took liberties with some of the corn dishes. I doubt they had grits yet. 8. Standish and Winslow did not start the S&W Co., though it has been around for over 100 years. Peggy Dover is a freelance writer living in Eagle Point. Reach her at [email protected]. By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Peggy Dover for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 22, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501