From The Archives: Strawberry Thanksgiving

Hello and Happy Wuttahimneash! Welcome to another installment of the Belongings Blog’s From the Archives series where Archivist Anthony Belz shares some of the interesting things found in the Tomaquag Museum Archives. This installment celebrates the Strawberry Moon, better known as Strawberry Thanksgiving, by highlighting some of its history over the years here at the Tomaquag Museum. We will begin with the origin stories of Strawberry Thanksgiving as told by Handsome Lake, a Seneca Prophet and Red Wing, a Narragansett/Wampanoag Saunkskwa, (or Female Sachem) and the Tomaquag Museum’s co-founder, that come from a press release from June 1985. Following these origin stories, we will again look to Red Wing’s knowledge from a newspaper column she wrote from an unknown newspaper on an unknown date. Next is a handwritten prayer by Red Wing from June 1986, and the earliest documentation of the Strawberry Thanksgiving celebration at the museum represented in the archive. The museum’s original home was located in Tomaquag Valley in Ashaway, Rhode Island and included here are one of the two earliest images from what we believe to be the very first Strawberry Thanksgiving at the Tomaquag Museum from June 26,1960. Also included is a press release written in June 1961 by the museum’s co-founder Eva L. Butler. Next, you’ll see a flyer made for the Strawberry Thanksgiving Festival at Dovecrest in 1977 and from the late 1970s, a poster made by Choctaw artist Diosa Gurule Summers. Finally, as a treat, I have shared Red Wing’s My Favorite Recipe for Strawberry Indian Bread.

In the archives, the scope of the collection of Strawberry Thanksgiving related materials include accounting ledgers from Dovecrest Restaurant and the museum, recipes, handwritten prayers, stories and detailed, handwritten itinerary for the Strawberry festival at the museum by Red Wing, as well as an audio recording of her telling the Strawberry story and singing the Strawberry Song from a commercial recording, a play written and directed by Red Wing from 1951 called Strawberry Moon, photographs and a variety of promotional materials such as flyers, press releases, advertising, a poster and newspaper clippings.

Please enjoy this look back at Strawberry Thanksgivings past at the Tomaquag Museum. Please feel free to comment below!

Strawberry Thanksgiving Press Release. Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum. June 1985. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

The Indian Strawberry Thanksgiving by Red Wing. Unknown newspaper, unknown date. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Thanks. Red Wing. Strawberry Thanksgiving Prayer, June 1986. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Thanks.

To Thee Great Spirit we bring our thanks to Thee for the many gifts from Mother Earth.

To-day we thank you for the strawberries growing close to Mother Earth, sweet and red.

We thank you for other berries that become ripe thru the summer. 

Our Father, who many moons ago, got so many plants, nuts, fruit berries & vegetables from Thee which they have passed on to us. 

Our hearts are grateful and since the strawberry was given as a peace offering, help us be a peaceful people and to love our neighbor and to lift our hand to help those who may be unfortunate around us. 

Bless our country and all our fellowmen, in Jesus’ name we ask, Amen.

Strawberry Thanksgiving. Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum. Ashaway, Rhode Island. June 25 or 26, 1960. Unknown dancer. (Tall Oak Weeden in green regalia in background) Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Excerpt from Press Release for Strawberry Thanksgiving, Tomaquag Museum. June 19, 1961. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Strawberry Thanksgiving Flyer, June 1977. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

Strawberry Thanksgiving Poster by Diosa Gurule Summers, late 1970s. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

My Favorite Recipe. Indian Strawberry Bread. Red Wing. Unknown year. Tomaquag Museum Archives.

My Favorite Recipe

Indian Strawberry Bread

2 Cups of Corn Meal

1 Egg

½ tsp of Salt 

2 tbsp Shortening 

Just strawberries and their juice

Enough to moisten mixture to cornbread consistency, sort of soft, but not too stiff.

Use white fine corn meal, add salt and melted shortening (butter or crisco) 

Beat egg a little, and add moistening your mixture with strawberries and their juice

(using frozen strawberries melt them first and they have a little juice with them)

(using fresh strawberries, sugar them and let them set awhile until there is juice)

Use a 9 inch pan, bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until it seems done and golden on top.

Or if you are used to box mixture, get a “jiffy corn muffin” box, add an egg and instead of milk, use the strawberry juice to the mixture.