While certain people in the United States view Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude and a way to spend time with their loved ones, other families retell the “First Thanksgiving” as a yearly tradition.

What really happened centuries ago has been overlooked by millions of Americans. It is said that in 1621, after landing in Plymouth Rock and having a successful harvest, the governor of the settlement invited a friendly Indigenous tribe, the Wampanoag tribe, to indulge in a feast. This story has been proven to be false by several reputable sources. Ramona Peters, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, educates the public of the true story behind the “festive day.”

Peters uncovered several lies, which include the fact that the English didn’t land at Plymouth Rock, they did not encounter empty land, and the government didn’t proclaim the holiday until 1777.

Many have been taught that the Pilgrims sailed to the Americas for religious freedom. However, that has also been proven wrong. The true story follows Separatists who wanted to own land, make money and used religious theocracy to rule the land — the opposite of religious freedom. When they arrived on land, they indeed found a village, spring and fertile fields, but the Indigenous Americans who lived there were all wiped out due to rampant diseases.

As the first winter killed half of the Pilgrims, a member of the Abnaki tribe visited the colony, and helped the pilgrims with the assistance of Tisquantum, the local Indigenous American tribe. There have been many moments where the Indigenous Americans and the pilgrims had bad relationships, but they also had good moments. Squanto became a translator and teacher for the pilgrims. He taught them how to fish, grow corn and distinguish poisonous plants. Sadly, even with the indegenous people being kind, there were two confirmed victims of the slave trade.

The real history of Thanksgiving is a story of broken promises, violent clashes and increasing losses of the Indigenous communities. As time began to come by, tensions between the indigenous people and the English rose. The English wanted to expand their land, and to force their norm on the indigenous people. This ultimately caused King Philip’s war, as Metacomet, Massasoit’s son, led an uprising against the New England settlements. The attack was unsuccessful, and almost killed off the Wampanoag people.

The reason Thanksgiving exists today is thanks to Sarah Joseph Hale, also known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving.” She spent 36 years writing to politicians and President Abraham Lincoln to make the day a national holiday. As the height of the Civil War kicked in, Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving an annual celebration, to be held on the last Thursday of November. For many historians, it is still considered as a way to encourage Americans to ask God to heal the nation.

People can choose to celebrate Thanksgiving how they used to, or adapt it and actually celebrate the real story and honor the indigenous people. Even after Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the celebration as a national holiday, people have tried to re-write history, and force it to fit with the “American” version. Today, Americans are seeing this attempt again as Donald Trump announced the return of Columbus Day, calling him the “original American hero,” completely ignoring the crimes he committed against the original Americans.