This Land Is Their Land

The Wampanoag Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving

By: David J. Silverman

Narrated by: William Roberts

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents This Land Is Their Land by David J. Silverman, read by William Roberts.

Ahead of the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, a new look at the Plymouth colony’s founding events, told for the first time with Wampanoag people at the heart of the story.

In March 1621, when Plymouth’s survival was hanging in the balance, the Wampanoag sachem (or chief), Ousamequin (Massasoit), and Plymouth’s governor, John Carver, declared their people’s friendship for each other and a commitment to mutual defense. Later that autumn, the English gathered their first successful harvest and lifted the specter of starvation. Ousamequin and 90 of his men then visited Plymouth for the 'First Thanksgiving'. The treaty remained operative until King Philip’s War in 1675, when 50 years of uneasy peace between the two parties would come to an end.

400 years after that famous meal, historian David J. Silverman sheds profound new light on the events that led to the creation, and bloody dissolution, of this alliance. Focusing on the Wampanoag Indians, Silverman deepens the narrative to consider tensions that developed well before 1620 and lasted long after the devastating war - tracing the Wampanoags’ ongoing struggle for self-determination up to this very day.

This unsettling history reveals why some modern Native people hold a Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving, a holiday which celebrates a myth of colonialism and white proprietorship of the United States. This Land is Their Land shows that it is time to rethink how we, as a pluralistic nation, tell the history of Thanksgiving.

©2019 David J. Silverman (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

This factual presentation is lasting

Once you start reading this book it is likely you will continue with it to the end—this is gripping documented history that will have you on the edge of your seat in some parts, and shaking your head in others at how stupid humans can be. The time period covered is from near pre-history to our own contemporary time. Prepare for a clear eyed view of New England history (Hint: It's not peace and love between whites and Native Americans at a first Thanksgiving). The English and the Indians each had their faults, both moral and cultural; the differences appear to be in power and willingness to use it, exacerbated by different concepts of private and communal—as it still is today.

David J. Silverman is open about his thorough approach to historical documentation, and the Native American and English sources consulted to produce the most accurate account possible with currently extant sources. This adds to the confidence the reader may have in the veracity of the content in this book. The effect of this factual presentation is lasting.

From the historical account in this book it appears to me that "King Philip’s War (Metacom’s Rebellion)" in 1675-1676 was the inflection point for the acceleration of Native Americans' downward spiral from being independent nations. After that it was not much of a stretch to see the future coming of the Trail of Tears perpetrated by Andrew Jackson against Native Americans in the South—for the same expansionist reasons.

Zoom out from the narrative and you may see in the Europeans remnants of the Roman Empire, with its impetus for military conquest and taking of slaves. After Constantine it was a common presumption that the Empire was one and the same as the Kingdom of Jesus. The Native Americans who were "Praying Indians" embraced Christianity without the perspective of being part of European oriented Christendom—they studied the Bible and applied the Gospels through other than a European lens.

One possible result of the 21st Century thoughts described in this book might be the reorientation of our Thanksgiving holiday. We may dispense with the silly Pilgrim/Indian motifs, and instead embrace a Thanksgiving for all humanity. Let's hope that is sooner than later.

A story as believable as it is tragic

After listening to Silverman's story of the Wampanoag's centuries with the English and their biological and cultural descendants, I feel both despair and hope. The despair is in that the fact that story of this particular encounter between Native Americans and Europeans is so familiar and universal. In its essentials, it is repeated in so many times and places, and into the present day. I credit Silverman's scholarship and excellent writing with keeping me entranced enough to endure this awful story. The hope I mentioned springs from the knowing that there are still Wampanoags living in their homeland, and that they are strong enough to continue the struggle.

Eye opening

I first looked into the the Wapanoag people after finding out thru working on my own genealogy and seeing that there is a high probability that Ousamequin is my 10th great grandfather. In any conflict there are always 2 sides. This book covers a side that I have not really heard before. I like that the author told you when things were his opinion and that some things we just don't know as facts but there were probabilities that were known. I think just talking about this issue and to raise awareness of the other side of the more known story is a good thing.

A great book with less than great narration

As a book, I have no complaints. This book tells the story not just of Thanksgiving, but of the Wampanoag people in amazing detail.

I cannot believe that the producers of this book allowed (encouraged) William Roberts to use that stereotypical 1950s Hollywood accent for the Native American characters. That was a decision made in astonishingly bad taste.

Well written and important book. Disappointing narration.

This is a great book and you should read it - whether listening to this version or picking up a physical version. That said, the narration is disappointing. The narrator uses a stereotypical voice when speaking for the various Native American voices included in the text. In a reading that is otherwise done well, it is disappointing that no one - including the narrator himself - took issue with this.

A Must-Read

The story of the US holiday known as Thanksgiving has become a part of the national origin story; however, the story is just that: a myth. David J. Silverman offers deeper context and a retelling of events from an Indigenous perspective.

Thought provoking

Imagine a day when we celebrate the taking away of a people’s land, where we celebrate an intentional genocide and decimation of a culture and call it Manifest Destiny. I’ll never teach about thanksgiving the same way again. I am humbled and have much to learn still

Lots of words I couldn’t pronounce.

So glad I got this book on Audible. Too many American Indians words I could not pronounce. Though the book was well structured and the story flowed. I see some people calling this book “ woke”. It’s not its history. The first colonists were not the greatest of allies to the Native Americans. It’s fact how bad they treated them. Selling them into slavery and basically destroying a culture. History doesn’t lie and sometimes it uncovers nasty things. This is truly a sad story that needs more attention.

Great information however infuriating, though a bit repetitive

I have been extremely interested in the topic of Native American history for the past 3 years and this has been on my “want to read” list for awhile now. Though I am grateful to have received the information of this book, I found it to be quite repetitive and a bit too lengthy. I also wish that this had been written by a native American, I would like to hear an actual Wampanoag perspective from the first person voice. Having said that this is useful reference material for reshaping the discussion I will have around my thanksgiving table with my family, and what I will teach my children about colonial / native relations.