Squanto (1585?-1622), Native American of the Wampanoag tribe of what is now Massachusetts. Also known as Tisquantum, he proved an invaluable friend to white settlers in New England in the early 17th century. Early in his life he was captured and sold as a slave in Spain but eventually escaped and went to England. When he returned to New England in 1619 as pilot for an English sea captain, he escaped and discovered that his people had been destroyed by a plague. Two years later he helped the starving Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony to survive by teaching them both fishing and the planting of corn. He developed a friendship with the Massachusetts settlers and acted as interpreter at the Treaty of Plymouth, signed in 1621 between the Native American chief Massasoit and Governor William Bradford.
Squanto acted as a guide and interpreter for European settlers in what is now Massachusetts, helping them explore and survive in the new territories in North America. He first aided the starving Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony in 1621, teaching them rudimentary fishing and agriculture. A year later, Squanto became ill and died while guiding members of the new Massachusetts government around Cape Cod.
He is also listed in 100 Native Americans Who Shaped American History.
Monday, March 24, 2008
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