Practically every American elementary school kid can rattle off the story of the first Thanksgiving: that the Pilgrims, fleeing from persecution in England, sailed to the New World aboard the Mayflower, hoping for a new life where they could worship freely; that instead of landing closer to the southern coast, they came ashore in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts; that in their first year, half of the immigrants died from sickness and starvation; that the rest would have followed had it not been for the kindness of nearby Native Americans exhibited through Squanto, who, in English, taught them how to fish, hunt and grow crops. Finally, in 1621, during their first harvest together, the Native Americans and Pilgrims joined together in a feast to celebrate God’s provision.
Squanto literally saved the Pilgrims’ lives with skill and knowledge. But just how did a Native American man learn to speak English before actually meeting the Pilgrims?
Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, was from the Patuxet tribe who lived around modern-day Massachusetts and Rhode Island. We’re not sure when Squanto was born, but we do know that around 1605, Captain George Weymouth, who was exploring the New England territory for Sir Ferdinando Gorges, came across Squanto and a couple of other Native Americans and kidnapped them, thinking Gorges and other investors might want to see the people of the New World. When Squanto arrived in England, though, Gorges took him into his home, taught him English and hired him as an interpreter and guide for his company.
After almost 10 years away from his homeland, Squanto returned from England with John Smith (yes, of Pocahontas fame), probably working as a guide, while Smith mapped the harbors around Cape Cod. When he was finished with the project, Smith went back to England but left one of his men, Thomas Hunt, to continue trading with the Native Americans. Smith ultimately hoped the relationship would be the building block of a new colony. However, when Smith left, Hunt decided to jump on a get-rich-quick scheme. Promising to trade luxurious goods, Hunt invited 24 Indians onto his ship, but instead of sharing treasure with them, he kidnapped them. The malicious captain set off for Malaga, Spain, where he began selling the Native Americans as slaves. When local friars heard that Native Americans were being sold, they rushed to the market and quickly took the foreigners under their protection. The friars brought the Native Americans to their monastery where they gave them shelter and taught them about Christianity.
Though we’re not told how, Squanto somehow made his way from Spain to London, where he eventually moved into the home of John Slaney, the treasurer of the Newfoundland Company. Seeing Squanto’s experience as a great asset, Slaney hired him, probably as an interpreter and eventually sent Squanto back to America on a ship with a captain named Thomas Dermer, who had actually worked with Captain John Smith in the past. Finally, in 1619, now having been gone almost 15 years, Squanto arrived back to his homeland expecting to find his tribe warm and welcoming; instead, he found desolation. His people had been wiped out from smallpox just one year before. With his tribe gone, Squanto went to live with a neighboring people, the Wampanoag.
A year later, the Pilgrims arrived and Massasoit, the Wampanoag Chief, quickly called Squanto to his side to act as interpreter for the two peoples. The Pilgrims and Native Americans quickly entered into an alliance, and the rest is history. Well, kind of.
See original