Long before they became a Thanksgiving staple, turkeys were revered by ancient Indigenous communities

[Judi Lynn]

Yoonji Han Nov 23, 2023, 7:06 AM CST



The Oglala band leader Little, who started the Indian Revolt at Pine Ridge, wears a turkey feather headdress. Buyenlarge/Getty Images

Turkeys have played vital spiritual roles in ancient Native American societies.

Archaeological discoveries suggest turkeys were revered for their feathers.

The giant birds didn't become a popular food source until the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1519.

According to legend, the Cherokee people began eating corn because of the turkey.

The myth goes that first man and woman on Earth grew corn as plants. When the woman spotted a turkey eating the golden kernels, she realized they were edible, marking the inception of corn as a vital food source for Indigenous communities.

Long before they were a Thanksgiving staple, turkeys have played significant roles in Native American culture. In Aztec mythology, Chalchiuhtotolin, "the jade turkey," was the god of disease and plague, while in Hopi lore, a turkey deity called the koyona katsina danced with other birds in nightly ceremonies or during the Mixed Dances of spring.

It wasn't until Spanish conquistadors exported turkeys to Europe after the 1519 conquest of Mexico that the birds became a popular food. Some of those turkeys may have famously wound up on the menu at the first Thanksgiving meal in the 17th century.

More:
https://www.insider.com/turkey-thanksgiving-native-american-indigenous-cultural-significance-2023-11

[niyad]

1. KNR and thank you for sharing this fascinating information.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Every time I see an old photograph of a Native human being in this country I remember cameras were only invented

after many of the original people in this country had been betrayed, brutalized, beaten, tormented, hated, murdered, tortured beyond endurance, and lived in fear each day would very easily be their last, and would end very possibly in great pain, suffering, fear, with more grief and desperation for their loved ones.

If they appear to not totally trust or adore the photographer in any of the photographs, there is a very good reason for it, by all means. Each subject is genuinely at the mercy of the "American" taking his or her photo!

It eventually becomes automatic when you look at any of the images....









































ETC.

Thank you, nyad.