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Biography

"Tisquantum, more commonly known as Squanto, was a member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the Native American population in Southern New England and the Mayflower Pilgrims who made their settlement at the site of Tisquantum's former summer village.[1]
He acted as an interpreter between the Pilgrims and the local natives.[2]
He was known by Governor William Bradford.[3]
He was known by Ferdinando Gorges.[4]
He had no known siblings, spouse, or children.

Research Notes

Squanto's Travels Long before the Pilgrims arrived, Squanto had travelled to Europe and returned. Several noteworthy people acted for and against Squanto during this part of his life. In 1614, Squanto, aged about 30, was captured at his summer camp by Thomas Hunt near where the Mayflower landed in 1620. Squanto and 19 other members of his tribe were lured aboard Hunt's ship with the promise of trade. The twenty captives were confined to the ship, and Hunt abducted seven more from the Nauset tribe across Cape Cod Bay. Then he set sail for Spain where he could get the best price for his cod. Hunt sold him as a slave in Malaga, Spain. Some friendly Spanish friars ransomed him, educated him, and taught him Christianity.[1][5]
Eventually, he made his way to England. Squanto arrived in England about the same time that Pocahontas arrived in 1616. Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and Squanto all lived near each other and had plenty of opportunity to talk to each other. Squanto lived in Cornhill, London, and lived with Master John Slany. Slany was a merchant and ship builder.[6][1]
Squanto was used as a guide and interpreter on voyages to try to establish a colony. He sailed to Newfoundland, returned again to England, and eventually returned to the coast of Maine.[1]
In early1619, "Squanto", Tisquantum probably met Samoset at Monhegan. This would be Squanto's first stopover at Monhegan while on a fishing ship. The two later played key roles in meeting the Pilgrims at Plymouth.[5]
On 23 Jun 1619, Squanto was allowed to be left at Saco by Captain Dermer. This was the second time that Squanto would have had an opportunity to meet Samoset.[5]
Toward the end of 1619, Squanto sailed with Dermer down the coast of New England to Squanto's home. Upon his return to his home village, where he eventually met the Pilgrims, he found that an unidentified viral infection had wiped out all of his people. He was the last of the Patuxets. [5]
Not having a home to return to, Squanto went with Dermer to Pokanoket to see Massasoit. Whatever transpired, Dermer returned with Squanto in 1620. However, this time Massasoit met them with hostility because of the English treachery a year earlier, when Indians were killed after the promise of trade. Massasoit caught up with them at Martha's Vineyard where Dermer received 14 mortal wounds. Dermer fled to Virginia where he died. Squanto went to live with the Pokanokets, a tribe belonging to the Wampanoag nation, who lived close to where the Patuxet tribe had lived at Plymouth. Only 25 percent of the Wampanoag population survived the epidemic.[1]
Squanto met Samoset again in his own Wampanoag territory when Samoset arrived in the summer of 1620, eight months before Samoset first met the colonists at Plymouth.[5]
In Nov 1620, the Mayflower anchored off Cape Cod and were met with distrust by the Nauset natives. The Nauset drove them away and the colonists decided it was not safe and landed at Plymouth in Wampanoag territory. On 23 Dec 1620, the settlers went on shore and started to cut down trees for their houses. The first winter was brutal and only 52 of the original 102 settlers survived.[5]
When Massasoit learned of the colonists landing at Plymouth, he was faced with the dilemma of whether to make an alliance with them or drive them out. All of the shamans got together for three days in a dismal swamp, cursed the colonists, and tried to drive them out by supernatural means. But Squanto urged Massasoit to become friends with the colonists because they would be a good alliance against his enemies, the Narragansetts.[1]
On 17 Feb 1621, the colonists and two Wampanoag faced each other at a distance. Each motioned to the other that they should come to them. Neither side trusted the other, so contact was not made that day. It wouldn't be until 16 Mar 1621 that contact would be made and Samoset would finally become documented. Samoset would have been about 30 years old then.[5]
The first meeting between the Plymouth colonists and Massasoit is recorded in Bradford's History of 'Plimouth Plantation:'
“But about ye 16. of March [1621/2] a certaine Indian came bouldly amongst them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but marvelled at it.... His name was Samaset; he tould them also of another Indian whos name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better English then him selfe. Being, after some time of entertainmente & gifts, dismist, a while after he came againe, & 5. more with him ... and made way for ye coming of their great Sachem, called Massasoyt; who, about 4. or 5. days after, came with the cheefe of his friends & other attendance, with the aforesaid Squanto. With whom, after frendly entertainment, & some gifts given him, they made a peace with him (which hath now continued this 24. years) "[7]
Samoset would have had plenty of opportunity to learn English and their customs because the fishermen would come ashore to dry their fish and preserve them for shipment back to Europe. Fishing and trading for furs was more profitable than colony building, so fishing dominated the coast line. Monhegan Island was the perfect spot because that was where the best fishing was. On 16 Mar 1621, Samoset told the Pilgrims at Plymouth that he was from Monhegan Island and that he learned English from the fishermen that came to fish there. He explained that Pemaquid was 5 days away by land and 1 day away by water. He also rattled off the names of many captains, commanders, and masters that came there. He even told them the names of all the Chiefs of New England and the number of warriors they had.[5][8][9]
First Contacts — Having promised to introduce the Pilgrims to his countryman who spoke English better than he, Samoset arranged next for Squanto to become the second native person who spoke with the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Squanto will next serve as interpreter between the Pilgrims and for his majesty Massasoit Ousamequin Wampanoag.[5]
Samoset stayed with the colonists for several days until Wednesday, 21 March, 1622, when he left to fetch Squanto. The next day, on Thursday, he returned with Squanto. Both the colonists and the Natives were afraid to make the first move towards friendship. Squanto went back and forth several times between the two groups and facilitated the beginning of a friendship and peace that would last throughout all of Massasoit's lifetime.
The purpose of Samoset's bold visit to the colony was to establish trust and arrange for a meeting between the colonists and King Massasoit. Samoset also explained that Squanto would be the interpreter because he could speak better English than he could and that he would be leaving soon to go back to his village, of which he was the sagamore. Squanto worked to broker peaceable relations between the Pilgrims and the Pokanokets. Because he spoke English, Squanto played a key role in the early meetings in March 1621. Several meetings between the colonists and Massasoit's Wampanoag tribe followed. Samoset's mission was successful because an agreement of peace was later made between them. This peace treaty would last 50 years until King Philip's war. Samoset is regarded as the noble Indian who first welcomed the Pilgrims to the shores of New England and saved them from destruction by their enemies and starvation. It is a matter of record that food from Pemaquid kept the remaining Pilgrims alive in the winter and spring of 1622 when their provisions had run out.[8][10]
For the next 20 months, Squanto lived in Plymouth with the family of Stephen Hopkins. He served as an interpreter, guide, and advisor. He introduced the colonists to the fur trade. This helped the colonists to pay back what they owed their financial sponsors in England. Governor Bradford relied heavily on him. Squanto showed the colonists how to plant and fertilize corn with herring, where to catch fish, and how to get other commodities. He showed them how to get a bucketful of eels by treading them out of the mud with his feet. Following his advice, the Pilgrims were able to plant 20 acres of Indian corn and 6 acres of barley and peas. Squanto, the perfect diplomat, became involved with every contact that the colonists made with the surrounding Indians during the 20 months that he lived with them. One of these acts of diplomacy was accompanying Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins to Massasoit on July 2nd. The purpose of the visit was threefold. They got assurances from Massasoit that his 30 villages would keep the peace treaty, that Massasoit would tell the Nauset that the settlers wanted to make restitution, and that he would let Squanto visit his villages to seek trading partners for the Pilgims.[1]
Squanto's next diplomatic mission came when a young boy, John Billington, wandered off into a Manumett village. The Manumetts turned him over to the Nausets. Ten settlers and Squanto sailed to Cape Cod to retrieve the boy. Squanto helped the settlers make peace with the Nauset with gifts and a promise of repayment for the Indian corn that the settlers stole the previous winter. Bradford made good on that promise and peace with the Nauset prevailed.[1]
No sooner had they gotten back to Plymouth when they learned that Massasoit had been captured by the Narragansetts. Corbitant, a former sachem under Massasoit, didn't want peace with the Pilgrims. When Squanto and Hobomok, a Pokanoket who was living with the colonists, went looking for Massasoit, they were captured by Corbitant. While Squanto was being held at knifepoint, Hobomok broke free and ran to alert the Pilgrims.[1]
Miles Standish and a dozen men marched 14 miles with Hobomok as a guide to Nemasket before daybreak. The village was completely surprised and they found Squanto unharmed. Corbitant wasn't there. He had returned to Pocaset. The villagers were warned that there would be retribution if Corbitant caused any more trouble.[1]
The threat worked because it resulted in a firmer peace. Nine sub-sachems came to Plymouth and declared their allegiance to King James by signing a document. Even Corbitant made his peace through Massasoit.[1]
On 18 August 1621, Squanto, two other Indian interpreters, and ten settlers took a shallop across Boston Harbor to confront the Massachusetts Indians who had frequently threatened them. Obbatinewat met them and agreed to submit to King James in exchange for the colonists' promise to protect him from his enemies.[1]
On Friday, 21 September, Squanto led the colonists to Block Island to meet another tribe that had threatened them. The colonists treated them fairly and forced them to trade all of their furs. They returned to Plymouth with a lot of beaver. The colonists felt that they would have been better off if they had settled there. There were many islands in the harbor, but now they were empty because so many Indians had died.[1]
That fall, there was a good harvest of Indian corn and an abundance of venison, fish, and fowl, including turkeys. The Pilgrims had a harvest festival and invited the Indians. This was the first Thanksgiving which became a tradition. Massasoit and 90 of his men joined them, staying three days. Massasoit brought five deer to the celebration, which included the shooting of arms and other recreation.[1]
In January of 1622, the Narragansett sent a messenger to Plymouth with a bundle of arrows wrapped in rattlesnake skin. Since Squanto was away from the settlement, Standish detained the messenger until the messenger explained that Canonicus, head of the Narragansett, was very dissatisfied with the gifts sent by the English. The gifts did not honor his greatness. Bradford ordered the messenger to be released. When Squanto returned, he explained that the arrows and snakeskin were a challenge. Bradford stuffed the snakeskin with powder and shot and had a messenger return it to Canonicus with a defiant message. This so terrified Canonicus that he refused to touch it and had it returned to Plymouth by a circuitous route.[1]
While piloting a ship of settlers on a trading expedition around dangerous shoals off Cape Cod for Governor William Bradford, Squanto became ill. Bradford stayed with him for several days until he died. Bradford described his death as a great loss.[1]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 "Wikipedia contributors, "Squanto," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Squanto&oldid=1187904757 (accessed December 5, 2023).
  2. ↑ Alexander Young. "Chronicles of the Pilgrim fathers of the colony of Plymouth, from 1602-1625" 1841. Boston, C. C. Little and J. Brown. (Accessed 18 Nov 2022) https://archive.org/details/chroniclesofpilg00youn
  3. ↑ Mourt's Relation. By William Bradford (section 1), Edward Winslow (sections 2-6), and Robert Cushman (section 7). (1622) (Accessed 18 Nov 2022) https://archive.org/details/relationoriourna00daws
  4. ↑ Ferdinando Gorges, Plymouth, March 13, 1606/7. "Letter of Ferdinando Gorges to Henry Challons" hosted by Native Northeast Portal (Accessed 18 Nov 2022) https://nativenortheastportal.com/node/16569
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Jody Bachelder. "Here First: Samoset and the Wawenock of Pemaquid, Maine." Rowman & Littlefield, 2022, p. 11.
  6. ↑ https://earlyamericanists.com/2017/11/21/did-squanto-meet-pocahontas-and-what-might-they-have-discussed/ (Accessed 22 Nov 2023)
  7. ↑ Bradford, William. History of 'Plimouth Plantation' digtized at: Bradford
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; Mourt's Relation: A Relation or Journal of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England" https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/66359/pg66359-images.html#c5
  9. ↑ Cartland, J. Henry. "Twenty Years at Pemaquid" p.96/300 (Accessed 19 Nov 2023) https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/history/colonialpemaquid/research/books/Twenty_Years_at_Pemaquid.pdf
  10. ↑ Cartland, J. Henry. "Twenty Years at Pemaquid" p.87-88, 97/300. (Accessed 19 Nov 2023) https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/discover_history_explore_nature/history/colonialpemaquid/research/books/Twenty_Years_at_Pemaquid.pdf
Further reading:
  • Leonard A. Adolf. "Squanto's Role in Pilgrim Diplomacy". Ethnohistory. Vol. 11, No. 3 (Summer, 1964), pp. 247-261 (15 pages) Published By: Duke University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/480471
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