The Words That Come Before All Else
As the nation gathers each November to celebrate Thanksgiving, the season also offers an opportunity to reflect on the many traditions of gratitude that have long existed across this land.
Before gatherings begin and important conversations take place, many Haudenosaunee communities open with words of gratitude known as the Thanksgiving Address, or Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen — “the words before all else.”
More than a formal introduction, the Thanksgiving Address is a living tradition that recognizes the many relationships that sustain life. It offers gratitude for the people gathered together, the natural world, and the responsibilities that come with being part of a larger whole.
For Along the Hudson, this tradition reflects a deeper understanding of place — one where rivers, forests, animals, and communities exist within an interconnected landscape.
A Living Tradition
The Thanksgiving Address has roots among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, one of the oldest continuing systems of governance in North America. The Confederacy is composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Nations, whose traditions have long emphasized balance, responsibility, and respect for the world around them.
The address is shared at ceremonies, gatherings, meetings, and community events. Its words follow a sequence of acknowledgments, beginning with the people present and extending outward to the natural world — including the waters, plants, animals, winds, sun, moon, stars, and other forces that sustain life.
Rather than placing humanity above nature, the Thanksgiving Address reminds listeners that people are part of a larger living system.
Image: Hiawatha Belt, national wampum belt of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Courtesy of the Onondaga Nation.
A Relationship with the Land
The lands surrounding the Hudson River have long been home to Indigenous peoples, including the Mohican people whose homelands extend through the Hudson Valley, as well as Haudenosaunee Nations whose territories and relationships extended across much of the Northeast.
These communities developed enduring relationships with the waterways, forests, and landscapes that supported their communities. The Thanksgiving Address carries forward an understanding of the environment as more than a resource, reflecting a responsibility to care for the land and maintain balance with the world around us.
Words That Continue Forward
The Thanksgiving Address has endured through generations because its message remains relevant. It invites us to pause, recognize what sustains us, and consider the responsibilities that come with those gifts.
As we look across the Hudson River and the landscapes surrounding it, the address offers a reminder that the natural world is not simply a backdrop to human history, but an essential part of the story itself.
Before we begin, we give thanks. Before we move forward, we acknowledge what makes life possible.
Words carried across generations — reminding us that gratitude is not only something we express, but something we practice.