"Imagine putting the collective American Indian story on the big screen. Our story has everything: betrayal, passion and violence to spare. It could make a bundle.

But money isn’t everything, my elders remind me.

Besides, in the feel-good atmosphere of Thanksgiving, we are chided to be aware of what we have.This mood generally lasts for one day when we are usually too full to move. It is a tradition to watch football while stuffed and dish the latest gossip with family members. But that’s okay. I do love a good observance.

Doing the holiday thing temporarily lulls us before the official First Day of Christmas Shopping. This year will be different for me. In this year’s frenzied, frantic, free-for-all I became acquainted with a man who was moved to pity and rescued a starving group of refugees. He won no awards for it but his selfless act changed our collective destiny.

Squanto, or Tisquantum as he was also called, came from a tribe that I believe no longer exists. The Patuxet called the area around Plymouth Rock their traditional home, which is only a road trip away from Canada.

This first Thanksgiving tale is one oft retold. We all have spent time in school coloring pictures of plain Pilgrims and exotic Indians. Unbeknownst to us, those coloring assignments were among our first encounters with racial profiling."

Get the Story:
S.E. Ruckman: Native American tale has epic potential (The Native American Times 11/24)

Related Stories:
S.E. Ruckman: Oklahoma benefits from Indians (11/11)
S.E. Ruckman: Race card played during election (11/5)