Nikommo is one of thirteen traditional Narragansett thanksgivings the tribe traditionally recognizes throughout the year, and will be celebrated in the beginning of December. Thanksgiving, the holiday we know today, is just one of them.
Loren Spears, director of the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, RI said the Narragansett have thirteen thanksgivings, one for each new moon of the year.
“We went by the lunar calendar, and at each moon there was a lunar harvest. We sometimes today interchange the term ‘moon’ with ‘thanksgiving.’ So the moon is the timing and the thanksgiving is the ceremony,” Spears said.
Thanksgivings often coincide with the food being harvested or gathered at any given time throughout the year, they include thanksgivings for strawberries, green corn, and fish among others.
The wintertime Nikommo Thanksgiving is a celebration of giving, Spears says, the traditional gathering includes storytelling, music and crafts.
“We sometimes call it today, giving until it hurts, because a gift doesn’t have as much meaning if you’re not giving something that you really love yourself,” Spears explained. “It’s meaningful to you and meaningful to the person that you’re giving it to.”
The Narragansett Nikommo Celebration takes place on December 1st at the Tomaquag Museum, and is open to the public with a donation of a gift for someone in need.
