A free class to the first three people who tell me who the Indian in the banner at the top of the page is.

update, Nov. 21 - The correct answer is Massasoit! Congratulations to Heather Greenfield, Marco Martinili and Rachel Bowser, each of whom will receive a free class coupon. Several of you incorrectly identified our feathered friend as Squanto, which was a good guess but the statue depicts Massasoit, leader (sachem) of the Pokanoket, of the Wampanoag Confedreacy.

It was during harvest season in 1621 that Plymouth Governor William Bradford declared it time to gather and rejoice in a meal that was part spiritual devotion and part harvest festival. The meal became what is now known as the first Thanksgiving (although it wasn’t called that until a couple hundred years later) when Massasoit arrived with a five deer and a whole bunch of Indians.

I always think of Thanksgiving as a bittersweet holiday. In my family it has always been a celebration but many Indians consider it a time of mourning. If you don’t know the true history of the early years of this country I suggest you start with Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by dee Brown.

The image in the banner was used without permission (it was a last minute idea — I’ll drop them a line in the next day or two and let them know). It’s of sculpture by Cyrus Edwin Dallin and is available at the Montague Gallery in Concord, Mass.