Punchline | Morgan Haynes

Nindians & Pilmans

It was Thanksgiving time, the leaves were turning, the air was crisp and my little niece Savannah was full of excitement. There were pictures of pilgrims and turkeys all around her classroom. That day the preschool students had drawn their very own personal turkey using their hand as the blueprint. The teacher had read them a story about the pilgrims and the Indians and their first Thanksgiving Feast.

Savannah came home all excited, sharing her grand turkey picture, oh so proud that she knew all about thanksgiving. She was telling me about the thanksgiving story in great detail, all the while her eyes big with excitement and awh. What a story she could tell about how the “Nindians” and “Pilmans” joined together in friendship. She animatedly told of how they shared the corn that they grew and about all of the resources they had to create this first thanksgiving feast.

We too had been planning our Thanksgiving dinner and I was telling Savannah who we had invited to share that special thanksgiving and what we were planning for our family meal. All of the sudden that happy excited face turned very serious, those big round eyes narrowed, and a furrowed brow appeared. Rather concerned she said "Auntie how are we going to get a turkey? My daddy doesn't even have a gun."