How to Give Thanks with the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (Exclusive)

Being grateful is easy when things are good. The wonderful things in life stand out: our families and friends, the beauty of the world and the joy of simply being alive — these are obvious and we’re happy to enumerate them for anyone who will listen. But when things go wrong, gratitude goes out the window, leaving us able to recognize only what we’ve lost or lack. In those difficult moments, we can’t see that focusing on the negative is a mistake because the worse things get, the more powerless we feel and the more likely we are to just give up, leading to more loss and proving our pessimism right.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There’s another option that’s much more challenging but worth the effort. In times of turmoil, we need to recognize and appreciate what supports us, and not just as stress relief or distraction from what’s happening around us. Gratitude in hard times provides focus on what we want to change as well as the motivation to make it happen.

In Haudenosaunee culture, The Thanksgiving Address is geared to exactly that. Resembling a prayer, it’s a formal expression of appreciation for every element in nature meant not only to give thanks, but to rededicate ourselves and recognize our ongoing responsibility to protect those elements, now and in the future. It’s acknowledgment that we only enjoy these good things because those who came before us took care of them.

The Address gives thanks to the food plants, the animals, the waters, trees, winds, stars and the Creator — everything in the natural world and as generally or as specifically as needed or desired. One version may mention every species of bird individually or simply as a group, depending on the speaker and the occasion. These days, the Address is often used before meetings or gatherings to get everyone in attendance in a good mind and ready to work together, evidenced by the refrain — Now our minds are one. 

The Address is spoken at gatherings for a reason. In a society centered on the individual, it’s important to remember that we are all connected in this world, whether we like it or not. We protect what we have not just for ourselves, but for the entire community as it exists now and will in the future. If we abdicate the responsibility, we won’t be the only ones affected. Our stewardship of the natural world is ongoing, passed down from one generation to the next.

People are often concerned about participating in things like the Thanksgiving Address if they’re not Indigenous but no culture has a copyright on gratitude. It doesn’t matter what language you speak or which elements you focus on. Everyone is free to craft their own version, replacing the “we” with “I” and letting the words flow if it can help you comprehend just how vast our armoury of Good Things is. Feeling gratitude can and should be a daily event and take whatever form works for you. Focusing on the good doesn’t mean ignoring the bad. It’s not an expression of submission, it’s a source of power.

When the world seems to be falling apart, it’s even more important to recognize what is still strong, what still stands and where we can look for support. Today, the sun still shines, birds wheel and soar in the sky and the wind still makes the grasses dance. Just because parts of our world are crumbling, doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on the whole thing. As long as there are things to be grateful for, there is reason to continue to fight to keep them.

So even when it’s not easy, even when the good things seem few and far apart — try. Continue to feel gratitude for the natural world that supports us, for the stars and moon bright in the night sky, and for those who love us. We are all here for such a short time. Say the words and feel the beauty and hope.

Now our minds are one.

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Cheryl Isaac’s The Others is available now, wherever books are sold.