Before we sit down to feast, my family and I enjoy an assortment of appetizers. Appetizers are a common dish in American culture where you eat a small amount of food before dinner is served and converse with family members. At this time I spoke with my youngest brother who is included in my nuclear family. My nuclear family consists of my mom, my dad, one older brother and two younger brothers. After asking my youngest brother what Thanksgiving meant to him he replied:

“It’s the time where you get together and express the privileges that you have.”

In American culture, the holiday of Thanksgiving allows us to count our blessings and spend time with our close kinship group. It has taught me that family plays a big role in shaping a person into who they are.

Kenneth J. Guest, Essentials of Cultural Anthropology (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016), Page 236.
Alex Ingalls, interviewed by Julia Ingalls, November 23, 2017.

Something I admire about my family is their ability to be so accepting of others. Our holidays include more than just our blood relatives, but friends that became so close, they’re considered family. While the kind of kinship we share with our “adopted family members” isn’t related by blood, they are our family of choice and are treated just like any other individual in my immediate family. Referring to people as family who aren’t necessarily related by blood is very common in American culture.

Ana, Lara. “Kinship.” Class lecture, Anthropology 161: World Cultures, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, November 1, 2017.

With many of my cousins and I being older and in college, Thanksgiving is the time where everyone is home from school with the chance to spend quality time with one another and catch up on conversations. Conversing with family members during the holidays is an important part of American culture and allows us to be appreciative of being surrounded by our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. These family members consist mostly of my blood relatives, but also my family members that are related to me through affinal ties.

Kenneth J. Guest, Essentials of Cultural Anthropology (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016), Page 246.

Enjoying beverages before the meal is something that my family has done for every holiday. We take time to visit with our family members and catch up with the ones we haven’t seen in awhile. During this time, I asked my father what was the meaning Thanksgiving meant to him and how it represents our culture. He replied:

“It’s the bonds that keep people together. Thanksgiving is the time in American culture where people come together. Despite differences individuals have with one another, it’s a time where we can all set issues aside and value the bonds of family.”

Michael Ingalls, interviewed by Julia Ingalls, November 23, 2017.

At Thanksgiving, having the table set before the guests arrive is something that has always been done in my family. Forks to the left of the plate, with knives and spoons to the right and a glass for water in the right corner diagonal to the plate. Part of the American culture that I’ve been exposed to is the etiquette of placing silverware correctly on the table. My grandmother taught me this when I was younger, explaining that it is a life skill every child should know how to do. This is a result of family of orientation, in which I grew up to learn valuable life skills.

Kenneth J. Guest, Essentials of Cultural Anthropology (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016), Page 255.

Thanksgiving originated when The Mayflower set sail to the New World, arriving in October of 1621. The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower were greeted by the Wampanoag Indians and together the Pilgrims and Indians enjoyed a harvest lasting three days, referred to as the “First Thanksgiving.” It wasn’t until 1789 that President George Washington declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is sought to bring families together and dedicate time to give thanks.

This year, I analyzed what Thanksgiving taught me about the relationship between American culture and kinship. Kinship is the “system of meaning and power that culture creates to determine who is related to whom and to define their mutual expectations, rights, and responsibilities.” Growing up in a large Catholic family, the holidays have always been a special time of year for my family and I. Every year, we gather with my mom’s side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner consisting of 25-30 people. I’m fortunate enough to have almost all my family on my mom’s side live in Oregon. This year, I had a different outlook on this holiday. Instead of just experiencing Thanksgiving like I normally would, I took the time to analyze the way my family members behaved while comprehending the deeper meaning behind this holiday. I analyzed how my family members interacted with one another and what this holiday meant to my culture.

After looking deeper into the way I celebrate Thanksgiving, it taught me that the relationship between American culture and kinship is highly influenced by holidays. Not only do holidays like Thanksgiving bring my family together, but being surrounded by the people who love and care about me makes me much more appreciative for what I have and opens my eyes to how my kinship group has shaped my culture. I was able to see the kinship ties in American culture through my family by how we interact with one another and how American culture is so family orientated. It’s tradition to spend a holiday like Thanksgiving with your kinship group, as well as friends who are family of choice.

Kenneth J. Guest, Essentials of Cultural Anthropology (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016), Glossary: A5.