WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.560 Now one you're putting. I got a string going on here. 2 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:07.280 Something just killing my dog. Something killed your dog, my dog. 3 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:09.279 We're flying through the or over the tree. I don't 4 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:14.359 know how it did it, okay, damn, and I'm really confused. 5 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:16.440 All I saw was my dog coming over the fence, 6 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:18.120 and he was dead once you hit the ground. 7 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:18.160 Like. 8 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:20.079 I didn't see any cars. All I saw was my 9 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:38.880 dog coming over the fence. Say, what are you putting? 10 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:43.679 We got some wonder or something crawling around out here. 11 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:51.520 Did you see what it was? 12 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:51.880 It was? 13 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.159 It was seeing enough. I'm out here looking through the 14 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.039 window now and I don't see anything. I don't want 15 00:00:56.039 --> 00:01:03.960 to go outside. Jesus quiet, you better, Hello, get the 16 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:06.439 Boddy out here. Quin, I'm out there. I thought of 17 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:10.439 a mention about Tech nine. I don't know easy out there. Yeah, 18 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:11.319 I'm right. 19 00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:16.159 Happy, Thanksgiving everyone. I hope wherever you are right now, 20 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:19.719 you're surrounded by good food, good people, and maybe a 21 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.359 little bit of that trip to fan drowsiness that makes 22 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:26.519 the afternoon nap feel so well deserved. But before you 23 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:28.959 settle into that food coma, I want you to think 24 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.480 about something. We all know the story, right The Pilgrims 25 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:39.519 the Wampanoague Plymouth Rock Squanto, teaching the colonists how to 26 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:43.319 plant corn. It's the version we learned in elementary school, 27 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:45.920 the one that shows up on greeting cards and in 28 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:49.120 school pageants every November. But what if I told you 29 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:51.920 that's not the whole story. What if there was someone 30 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.439 else at that table, someone the history books don't mention, 31 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:00.319 someone that the colonists themselves decided to keep secret, asking 32 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:04.000 the truth down through families for four hundred years. What 33 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.920 if the first Thanksgiving wasn't just a meeting between two 34 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:10.479 peoples but three. Now I know what some of you 35 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:15.199 are thinking. Here we go another wild theory. But stick 36 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.240 with me here, because this isn't just speculation. This is 37 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:22.159 a story that's been whispered in certain families since sixteen 38 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:26.800 twenty one, a story about ancient agreements, about guardians of 39 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:29.479 the forest, and about a promise that's been kept for 40 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:34.080 four centuries. Today, on this special holiday edition of the show, 41 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:36.439 we're going deep into a tale that will make you 42 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:39.800 look at Thanksgiving in a whole new way. This is 43 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:44.800 the story of the first guest. The morning mist rolled 44 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.000 across Plymouth Harbor like a living thing, thick and heavy 45 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:51.039 with the promise of an early winter. It was late 46 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.960 November sixteen twenty one, and the small settlement of English 47 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.319 colonists had barely survived their first year in this strange 48 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.400 new world. Half their number had perished during that brutal winter, 49 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:05.879 and those who remained looked more like scarecrows than the 50 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:09.400 brave adventurers who'd crossed the Atlantic just fourteen months before. 51 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:13.159 William Bradford stood at the edge of the settlement, his 52 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:16.639 weathered hands gripping his musket as he surveyed the tree line. 53 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.400 The forest was different here than anything he'd known in England. 54 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:24.439 It was older, deeper, and it held secrets that made 55 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:28.199 even the bravest men whisper prayers under their breath. The 56 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:32.080 trees themselves seemed to watch, their ancient trunks twisted into 57 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:35.080 shapes that looked almost like faces in the dim morning light. 58 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.159 Edward Winslow approached, his boots crunching on the frost covered ground. 59 00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:45.280 Governor Bradford Squanto has returned from his journey to Massasoit's village. 60 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:49.479 He brings word that the Wampanoag will attend our harvest celebration. 61 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:54.080 Bradford nodded his eyes still fixed on the forest. How 62 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:59.439 many will come? Ninety souls, perhaps more Massasoid himself will 63 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:03.960 lead them. The Governor's eyebrows rose. That was far more 64 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:07.639 than they'd expected. Their own number was barely fifty three, 65 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:12.159 including women and children. We'll need more food, send men 66 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:16.160 to hunt. We cannot appear weak or unprepared before our guests. 67 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:21.360 Winslow hesitated. There was something in his expression, a mixture 68 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:25.399 of uncertainty and fear that seemed out of place. Winslow 69 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:29.439 had faced starvation, disease, and the unknown terrors of this 70 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:33.079 new world without flinching. What could unsettle him? 71 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:34.720 Now? What is it? 72 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:39.399 Edward speak plainly? Squanto mentioned something else. He said the 73 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:43.959 Wampanoag would bring someone special, someone they call the first guest. 74 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:47.600 He wouldn't explain further, only said that we must show 75 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:53.199 proper respect and prepare extra food, much extra food. Bradford frowned. 76 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:57.199 The first guest? Is this some chief from another tribe? 77 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:02.800 A spiritual leader? I asked the same. Squanto only smiled 78 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.399 and said we would understand when the time came. But Governor, 79 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:11.040 I've never seen Squanto nervous before, not one facing hostile tribes, 80 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:15.399 not one translating difficult negotiations. But when he spoke of 81 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:19.040 this first guest, his hands trembled. The two men stood 82 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:21.680 in silence for a moment, the weight of the unknown 83 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:25.480 pressing down on them like the morning missed. Bradford squared 84 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:30.120 his shoulders. We faced the impossible before edward. We crossed 85 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.800 a nocean, survived a winter that should have killed us all, 86 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:37.360 and made peace with people we cannot fully understand. Whatever 87 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.879 this first guest may be, we will face it with 88 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:40.959 faith and courage. 89 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:43.079 But even as he spoke. 90 00:05:42.839 --> 00:05:45.800 These brave words, Bradford couldn't shake the feeling that they 91 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:50.040 were about to encounter something beyond their understanding, something that 92 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:53.319 would challenge everything they thought they knew about this new world. 93 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:58.120 Three days passed in a blur of preparation. The colonists 94 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:02.160 worked from dawn to dusk, wild turkey and deer, gathering 95 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.680 shellfish from the shore, and preparing what vegetables they'd managed 96 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.600 to grow in their first successful harvest. The women, led 97 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.199 by Susannah White and Eleanor Billington, worked miracles with their 98 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:17.360 limited resources, turning corn meal and dried berries into dishes 99 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:21.920 that almost reminded the colonists of home. Young John Howland, 100 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:25.839 who nearly drowned falling overboard during the Mayflower's crossing, had 101 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:29.000 become one of the settlement's best hunters. He spent his 102 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.800 days in the forest with Miles Standish and John Alden, 103 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:34.759 tracking deer through the underbrush and learning the ways of 104 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.199 this wild land. But on the morning before the feast, 105 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:40.920 something strange happened that would haunt him for the rest 106 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:44.639 of his days. He was tracking a particularly large buck 107 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.480 through a grove of ancient oaks when the forest went silent, 108 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:51.040 not the normal quiet of animals hiding from a hunter, 109 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:54.079 but a complete absence of sound that made the hair 110 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.680 on his neck stand on end. Even the wind seemed 111 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.040 to hold its breath. The buck he'd been tracking stood 112 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:04.959 frozen in a small clearing ahead, its entire body rigid 113 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:09.160 with fear. Holand raised his musket, But before he could fire, 114 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:13.120 something moved in the shadows beyond the deer, something massive. 115 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:15.959 At first he thought it was a bear standing on 116 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:20.160 its hind legs, but bears don't stand that tall, bears 117 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.560 don't have arms that long, and bears certainly don't have 118 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:26.959 eyes that gleam with an intelligence that seemed almost human. 119 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.079 The creature stepped partially into the light, and Howland's musket 120 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.920 fell from nerveless fingers. It was covered in dark reddish 121 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:38.959 brown hair, standing at least eight feet tall. Its face 122 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.279 was neither man nor beast, but something in between, with 123 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:45.879 deep set eyes that regarded him with what looked like curiosity. 124 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.879 For a moment that stretched into eternity, hunter and creature 125 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:53.000 stared at each other across the clearing. Then the thing 126 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:56.959 did something that nearly stopped Howland's heart. It raised one 127 00:07:57.079 --> 00:08:00.959 massive hand, palm outward and what was un unmistakably a 128 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:05.240 gesture of peace, the same gesture he'd seen the wampanoagues. 129 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:09.439 The deer bolted, crashing through the underbrush, and the spell 130 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.160 was broken. The creature melted back into the shadows with 131 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:17.120 a grace that seemed impossible for something so large. By 132 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:19.920 the time Howland fumbled his musket back into his hands, 133 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.120 it was gone, leaving only massive footprints and the memory 134 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.720 of those intelligent eyes. He ran back to the settlement, 135 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:31.759 his heart pounding, his mind racing, But when he tried 136 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.480 to tell the others what he'd seen, the words died 137 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:38.279 in his throat. How could he explain, how could he 138 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.799 make them believe. Captain Standish would think him mad. Governor 139 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:45.080 Bradford would worry he'd been sampling too much of the 140 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.960 beer stores. Only Squanto, when Howland finally worked up the 141 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:53.919 courage to approach him, seemed unsurprised. The Ptuxi guide listened 142 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:57.399 to his halting description with a knowing smile. You have 143 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.440 seen the first people, the ones who were here before 144 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:04.879 all others. My people call them by many names. When 145 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:08.600 to go to some though that name carries fear. Others 146 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:13.320 say Genosqua or when Digo. But the oldest name, the 147 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:17.559 truest name, is Saskets, the wild men of the woods. 148 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:22.240 But what are they, Howland asked. Squanto was quiet for 149 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.639 a long moment, looking toward the forest. They are our 150 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:28.960 elder brothers. They walk this land when the ice covered 151 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:32.080 the world. They taught the first humans how to survive, 152 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:36.480 how to hunt, how to respect the forest. Most of 153 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.799 your people would call them demons or monsters, but they 154 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.919 are neither. They are the keepers of the old ways, 155 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:47.039 the guardians of the wild places. Will they come to 156 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:52.000 the feast, Squanto's smile widened. The first guest always comes 157 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:57.000 to important gatherings. It is tradition older than memory Massasoit 158 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:59.639 would not dare hold such a feast without inviting them. 159 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.120 And you English, whether you know it or not, have 160 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:06.320 settled in a place they protect. They have been watching 161 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:09.960 you since your ship arrived. Howland felt a chill run 162 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:13.759 down his spine watching us. How else do you think 163 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:16.919 you survived that first winter? How many times did your 164 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:20.600 hunters find deer exactly where they needed them? How many 165 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:23.720 times did storms that should have destroyed your houses suddenly 166 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:27.840 change direction? The Saskets helped you, just as they once 167 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:31.320 helped my people. You are guests in their land, and 168 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.440 they have chosen to let you stay. That night, Howland 169 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:39.519 barely slept. He lay on his rough straw mattress, listening 170 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.440 to the sounds of the forest, wondering if those sounds 171 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:46.200 included footsteps too large to be human. The morning of 172 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:49.759 the feast dawned clear and cold. The colonists rose early, 173 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:54.159 stoking fires and making final preparations. The long tables had 174 00:10:54.200 --> 00:10:57.360 been set up outside despite the chill, because there simply 175 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.679 wasn't room in any building for the number of guests 176 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:04.039 they expected. Around midday, a cry went up from the watchman. 177 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:08.600 The Wampanoagu were approaching they came through the forest like 178 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.639 a river of humanity. Ninety warriors and their families, dressed 179 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:16.080 in their finest deer skins and adorned with feathers and beads. 180 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:21.320 At their head walked Massasoit, himself tall and dignified, his 181 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:26.240 face painted in ceremonial colors. Beside him walked his brother Quadequina, 182 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.840 and several other important men of the tribe. But it 183 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:32.559 was the figure walking behind them that drew every eye 184 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:36.279 and stopped every conversation. He was a giant of a man, 185 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:40.159 standing nearly seven feet tall, wrapped in a massive bear 186 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:43.559 skin cloak that covered him from head to toe. His 187 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:45.799 face was hidden in the shadow of a deep hood, 188 00:11:46.200 --> 00:11:48.799 and he walked with a strange rolling gait that seemed 189 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:52.600 almost awkward for someone of his size. The Wampanoagu gave 190 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:55.159 him a wide berth, treating him with a deference that 191 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:59.679 exceeded even what they showed to Massasoit. Governor Bradford stepped 192 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:02.600 forward to greet the sachem, but his eyes kept drifting 193 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:07.159 to the cloaked figure. Massasoit noticed and spoke rapidly to Squanto, 194 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.960 who translated, the great Sachem says you honor his people 195 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.480 with this feast. He brings his finest warriors to celebrate 196 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.759 the harvest and the peace between our peoples. And he 197 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:20.879 brings a special guest, one who must be shown the 198 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.519 highest respect. This is the speaker for the first people. 199 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.000 He comes to observe and to judge whether the peace 200 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:32.279 will hold. Bradford, Ever, the diplomat, despite his inner turmoil, 201 00:12:32.679 --> 00:12:36.000 bowed deeply. All who come in peace are welcome at 202 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:40.039 our table. The cloaked figure began to speak. From within 203 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:43.120 the hood came a voice unlike anything the colonists had 204 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:47.720 ever heard. It was deep, resonating, like distant thunder, and 205 00:12:47.799 --> 00:12:50.559 though the words were in the Wampa Noag tongue, they 206 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:55.480 seemed to carry meaning beyond language. Squanto translated. He says, 207 00:12:55.480 --> 00:12:59.320 he smells honesty in your words, but also fear. Fear 208 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:03.120 is wise and the forest, but honesty is wiser. He 209 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:06.799 will sit at your feast. The next few hours passed 210 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:10.600 in a blur of activity. The colonists and Wampanoag worked 211 00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:14.360 side by side preparing the feast. The native warriors had 212 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:18.159 brought five deer, which they expertly butchered and prepared for roasting. 213 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.200 The colonial women found themselves learning new ways to prepare 214 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:25.759 corn and squash from the Wampanoague women, while the men 215 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:29.279 competed in games of skill and strength. Through it all, 216 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:33.799 the cloaked figure sat apart watching the children. Both English 217 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:37.559 and natives, seemed drawn to him, despite their parents obvious nervousness. 218 00:13:38.519 --> 00:13:41.480 Little Peregrine White, barely a year old and the first 219 00:13:41.559 --> 00:13:44.799 English child born in New England, toddled toward the giant 220 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:48.960 figure with the fearlessness of the very young. His mother, Susannah, 221 00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:52.399 gasped and started forward, but the cloaked figure raised a 222 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:57.919 massive hand and she froze slowly. Gently, the figure reached 223 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.600 out to the child. Emerged from the cloaked sleeve was 224 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:05.200 a hand covered in thick, reddish brown hair, with fingers 225 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.240 longer than any human should be, but the touch was 226 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:12.759 gentle as a summer breeze. Peregrine laughed a pure sound 227 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.440 of joy and grabbed one of the massive fingers with 228 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:20.080 his tiny hands. For a moment, the clearing was absolutely silent. 229 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:23.320 Then from within the hood came a sound that might 230 00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:27.360 have been laughter, deep and rumbling, like distant thunder. The 231 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.039 tension broke. If a baby could accept this strange being, 232 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:34.919 perhaps they all could. As the sun began to set, 233 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:38.440 the feast was ready. The tables groaned under the weight 234 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:41.840 of roasted deer and turkey, bowls of corn and squash, 235 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:45.360 platters of fish and shellfish, and bread made from the 236 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.799 colonist's precious wheat stores. Massasoit stood and spoke at length 237 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:53.600 in his own language, with squanto translating, we gather here 238 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:57.360 as two people's becoming one people. The earth has provided 239 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:00.320 for us. All the deer gave their live so we 240 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:04.639 might live, and stay tuned for more Sasquatch ott to see. 241 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:11.440 We'll be right back after these messages. The corn grew 242 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:15.000 tall so we might eat. The English have shown courage 243 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.919 in coming to this land and wisdom in seeking peace. 244 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:22.840 But there is older wisdom here, older even than the Wampanoag. 245 00:15:23.720 --> 00:15:27.480 Tonight we honor that wisdom. He nodded to the cloaked 246 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:31.240 figure who stood. The colonists held their breath as massive 247 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:34.519 hands reached up and pulled back the hood. What was 248 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:37.879 revealed was a face from the dawn of time. It 249 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.120 was covered in hair, yes, but the features were noble, 250 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:45.559 almost human, but not quite. The eyes were deep brown, 251 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.720 filled with an intelligence and sadness that seemed to hold 252 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:51.960 the weight of millennia. The nose was broad and flat, 253 00:15:52.440 --> 00:15:55.000 the mouth wide, with lips that seemed ready to smile 254 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:59.559 or snarl with equal ease. Several of the colonial women gasped. 255 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:02.679 A few of the men reached for weapons they weren't carrying. 256 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:06.240 But Governor Bradford, showing the courage that had carried him 257 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:10.320 across an ocean, stepped forward and extended his hand. You 258 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:14.039 are welcome at our table, friend. The Sasquatch looked at 259 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:18.120 the extended hand for a long moment, then, with careful deliberation, 260 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:20.919 it reached out and took Bradford's hand in its own. 261 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:25.519 The Governor's hand disappeared entirely in that massive grip, but 262 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:29.759 the shake was gentle, almost delicate. And then the creature spoke, 263 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:35.240 not in the Wampanoagu tongue, but in broken halting English. Friend, 264 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:39.320 long time we watch you different from others who came before. 265 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:45.000 You stay, you learn, you respect the land. The colonists 266 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:48.279 were stunned. Winslow was the first to find his voice. 267 00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:52.919 You speak our language. The Sasquatch's mouth curved in what 268 00:16:53.080 --> 00:16:57.679 might have been a smile. We learn, always learn. Listen 269 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:01.600 to your words in the forest, Watch you struggle, watch 270 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:06.599 you survive, Watch you choose peace over war. It turned 271 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:10.720 to address both groups, switching between languages, with squanto translating 272 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:14.480 when needed. Long ago, when ice covered the land, we 273 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:17.880 helped the first humans who came here, taught them to hunt, 274 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:22.200 to build, to survive. When the ice went away, we 275 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:28.240 retreated to the deep forests, the high mountains. We became legend, story, myth. 276 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:33.759 But we never left, never stopped watching, never stopped protecting 277 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.440 the land and those who respect it. The creature moved 278 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.559 to the table, its movement surprisingly graceful for something so large. 279 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:47.319 Tonight we feast together, three peoples as one. This is good, 280 00:17:48.200 --> 00:17:51.599 This is how it should be. As the feast progressed, 281 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:56.160 the initial fear and awkwardness began to fade. The Sasquatch, 282 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.000 who told them to call him by the name his 283 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:02.400 people used among themselves, yah Yell, which meant standing tall, 284 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:06.400 proved to have an appetite that matched his size. He 285 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:11.319 consumed enormous quantities of food with obvious relish, particularly enjoying 286 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:15.279 the colonist's bread and the Wampanoag's special preparation of venison. 287 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.720 But it was when the storytelling began that the evening 288 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:23.480 truly became magical. It started with Massasoit sharing the story 289 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:26.920 of how his people came to this land. Then Elder 290 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:31.359 William Brewster, his voice strong despite his advanced years, told 291 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:34.599 of the colonist's journey across the sea and their reasons 292 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:38.680 for leaving England. But when Yahiel began to speak, everyone 293 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:42.000 fell silent. I tell you now of the first Thanksgiving, 294 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:46.359 not this one, the first one, when my people and 295 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:50.160 the humans first shared food in peace. He spoke of 296 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:53.000 a time when the world was different, when I stretched 297 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.440 from horizon to horizon, and massive beasts walked the land. 298 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:01.119 His people, the Sasquatch, had lived here for countless generations, 299 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.559 adapted to the cold, living in harmony with the great 300 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:11.000 mammoths and dire wolves. Then came the humans, small, weak, freezing, 301 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:14.240 They followed the animals across the ice bridge from the 302 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:19.640 old world. Many died. We watched from the forests, curious. 303 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:22.920 These new beings were like us, But they had no 304 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:26.000 fur to keep them warm, no great strength to hunt 305 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:30.400 the large beasts. But they had something else. They had innovation. 306 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.079 They made tools, they made fire, They worked together in 307 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:40.119 ways we had never seen the Wampanoa ignited, knowingly this 308 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:43.599 was a story their eldest Shamans told, though most believed 309 00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:47.039 it to be myth. My ancestor, the one we call 310 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:52.119 first Speaker, made a choice. He approached the humans like tonight. 311 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.640 There was fear at first, but hunger and cold make 312 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:59.400 strange allies. He taught them which plants were safe to eat, 313 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.799 how to track and snow, how to find shelter. In return, 314 00:20:04.200 --> 00:20:06.920 they taught us about fire that could be carried, about 315 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:11.200 tools that cut better than claws. Yahiel stood and walked 316 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:15.839 to the fire, his massive form casting strange shadows. That 317 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.119 first shared meal, that first Thanksgiving was seal meat and roots, 318 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:23.680 eaten in an ice cave while a blizzard raged outside. 319 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:29.640 But it began something, a partnership, a promise. My people 320 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:33.599 would guard the wild places, keep the ancient knowledge. The 321 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:38.960 humans would grow, spread, build, but always we would be connected. 322 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:43.880 Young John Howland, emboldened by ale and amazement, asked, but 323 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:47.119 why do you hide? Why don't more people know about you? 324 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:51.119 Yahelle turned to him, and Howland was surprised to see 325 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:55.680 sadness in those ancient eyes. Because humans changed. As you 326 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:59.599 grew numerous, you grew fearful. You forgot the old agreements. 327 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.559 You started to see us not as elder brothers, but 328 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:05.759 as monsters. We became the thing in the dark that 329 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.799 steals children, when in truth we often saved lost children 330 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:13.680 and returned them to their tribes. He gestured to the Wampanoag. 331 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.119 These people remember, they keep the old ways. They leave 332 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.839 offerings in the deep forest. They teach their children respect, 333 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:26.319 not fear. But others come with fire and steel, cutting 334 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:30.319 down the ancient trees, killing without need. We learned to 335 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:35.240 hide deeper, to become shadow and story. William Bradford spoke up, 336 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:39.599 and what of us, the English? You said we were 337 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:43.519 different from others who came before? Yahel studied him for 338 00:21:43.599 --> 00:21:48.680 a long moment. Spanish came to the south, they sought gold, slaves, 339 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:52.440 They brought disease and death. French came to the north, 340 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:58.039 they wanted furs, trade. Some were good, some bad. But 341 00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:02.039 you came to stay to build homes, not just trading posts, 342 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:06.880 to plant seeds, not just take This is interesting to us, 343 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:11.759 but we've cut down trees, Winslow protested. We've built houses, 344 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:16.200 planted fields where forests stood. Yes, yeah, yell agreed, but 345 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:19.680 you cut what you need not more. You plant food, 346 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:23.200 not just take it. You sought peace with the Wampanoague 347 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.000 when you could have tried war. These are good signs, 348 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:29.640 but there will be tests ahead. More of your people 349 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:33.799 will come. They will want more land, more trees, more 350 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:38.920 of everything. The question is will you remember tonight? Will 351 00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.240 you remember that this land is shared? Will you teach 352 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:45.039 your children about the first people? Or will we become 353 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.759 monsters in your stories too? The question hung in the 354 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.039 air like smoke from the fire. It was Governor Bradford 355 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:55.319 who answered, I cannot speak for all who will come after, 356 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:59.079 but I can promise that we will remember. We will 357 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.799 write this down, make it part of our history. Our 358 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:05.119 children will know that we were not the first here, 359 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.759 that we were welcomed, that we have obligations to both 360 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:14.160 the native peoples and to you. Yahiel nodded, writing, yes, 361 00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:18.960 this is powerful magic. You have stories that don't change 362 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:23.480 with telling. Perhaps this will help. The night grew deeper 363 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:27.480 and more stories were shared. The Wampanoague warriors told of 364 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:31.839 hunting expeditions where they'd glimpsed the Sasquatch, always at a distance, 365 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:37.400 always watching. One warrior, a young man named Hobamock, told 366 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:39.680 of being saved from a bear by a sasquatch when 367 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:42.480 he was a child, though his parents hadn't believed him. 368 00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:47.519 The colonists shared their own stories of mysterious happenings. Mary 369 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:50.559 Chilton told of seeing massive footprints near the stream where 370 00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:53.960 she gathered water. John Alden spoke of tools that went 371 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:59.319 missing and then reappeared, repaired and sharpened. Stephen Hopkins mentioned 372 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.519 finding when built around their shelters during the worst storms 373 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:06.039 of winter, construction too massive for any colonists to have 374 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:06.880 built in secret. 375 00:24:07.880 --> 00:24:08.359 That was us. 376 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:12.720 Yahyel confirmed you were dying. The land had not accepted you. 377 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:16.759 Yet we helped, as we helped the first humans long ago. 378 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:20.720 As the moon rose full and bright, Yahiel stood and 379 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:24.279 made a gesture to mass Asoit, the sachem nodded and 380 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:28.400 spoke to his people. Several warriors brought forward large bundles 381 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:33.319 wrapped in deer skin gifts. Yahiel announced, from my people 382 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.799 to yours, to seal the friendship. The bundles were opened 383 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:42.240 to reveal treasures beyond imagination. There were pelts from animals 384 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:45.599 the colonists had never seen, So soft and warm, they 385 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:48.799 seemed to hold the heat of summer. There were stones 386 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:52.079 that gleamed with inner fire, crystals that caught and held 387 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:55.559 the moonlight. Most remarkably, there were tools made from a 388 00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:59.079 black stone that was sharper than any steel the colonists possessed. 389 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:03.240 These are from the old time, Yahel explained, made by 390 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:06.200 my people when the world was young. Use them well. 391 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:10.359 They will never break, never dull, if used with respect. 392 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:14.440 The colonists were overwhelmed. They had little to give in 393 00:25:14.519 --> 00:25:18.359 return that seemed worthy of such gifts. But young Peregrine 394 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:22.359 White's mother, Susannah, had an idea. She went to her 395 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:25.960 house and returned with something wrapped in cloth. This was 396 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:28.920 my mother, she said, unwrapping a small mirror in a 397 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:33.119 decorated silver frame. It came from London, from my family 398 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:37.240 for generations. She offered it to Yahyel, who took it 399 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:41.240 with surprising delicacy. When he looked into it, his eyes 400 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:46.160 widened with wonder. I see myself truly, not in water's reflection, 401 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:51.039