You Learn Something New Everyday

Once again I did some research for today’s blog and learned some interesting stuff. I get the feeling I am the only person who did not know this stuff.  I got my information for today’s blog from two sites: http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/BiographyTisquantum.php, a short and concise entry on “Squanto,” and http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/squanto.html?c=y&page=1, a fascinating article by Charles C. Mann about the native politics and culture at the time of the Pilgrims.  If I were writing a research paper, I would have looked at more than two sources and cited them extensively, but I am writing a blog that I want posted by noon, so I am synthesizing the information from two sites and going from there.

Even though I have taken quite a few American history classes, I knew very little about the Pilgrims. Most of my higher level classes focused more on either the revolutionary period or on the Civil War, so I have the stuff we learned in elementary school and some brief gloss-overs in my head. I know a little more about the Pilgrims because of European history and learning about the Protestant Reformation (really cool stuff actually, thank you Dr. Hayden and Ms. Endicott) but I know almost nothing about the native people of the area.

So apparently Squanto’s real name was Tisquantum and he was kind of a douche but he was a douche for a reason. He was raised in his tribe in the area of Patuxet, which white people called Plymouth. The Europeans who were exposed to the Wampanoag confederation of tribes (to which his tribe belonged) generally were impressed by how well these tribes lived. (Who would have thought living in an area for generations would mean you would adapt a good lifestyle?) Charles C. Mann writes in his article that Tisquantum (it takes longer to write his real name but it annoys me far less) was training to be one of the tribal leader’s body guards and advisers until he was captured by Thomas Hunt and brought back to Europe.

Thomas Hunt had orders from the famous John Smith to hang out in the new world and not touch anything while Smith made a quick run to England.  He did not listen, of course, (everyone knows you have to be careful who you leave at your house while you go on a beer run) and he lured a delegation of the Wampanoags on to his ship and killed most of them and kidnapped 17 others including Tisquantum. Hunt sails to Spain to try and sell his stuff. He has to go to Spain because the English were pissed that he stole their stuff and pissed off the Wampanoags who were being helpful. Anyway, the Catholic Church took the ship and made Hunt release the captives because the Pope had said being mean to the Native Americans was no okay.

Tisquantum goes to England and learns English and stuff  and gets back to his home area. There are details here but if you want to know them read the articles.  His tribe is gone because they captured some dirty Frenchmen who gave them diseases and they died out. He found what was left of his tribe and went to the leader of the Wampanoags to try and find a home.  Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags) immediately but him in captivity because he felt Tisquantum is untrustworthy.

Enter the Pilgrims.

Massasoit watches the Pilgrims struggle for a winter. The Pilgrims were completely ill suited for living there and I personally think the natives got a kick at watching these self superior white folks try to survive. After they survive a winter and seem okay Massasoit sends in Tisquantum to translate. This is where we get the legend of they kindly savage Squanto teaching our brave forefathers how to plant and build to survive in this new unoccupied land.

Tisquantum did teach the Pilgrims how to survive and he did translate for the two factions. He did this to save his own ass since he was not really well liked back with the Wampanoags. Anyway, the Pilgrims survive, YaY, there is a feast, YaY, and then Tisquantum does something stupid.

He gathers what is left of his tribe and plots to turn the Pilgrims against the other tribes. He sets up it up for one of his tribe to tell the white folks that the other tribe is planning an ambush. He thought the Pilgrims would race off and shoot up the other tribe. Instead the English leader sent one of the other native’s wife off to check it out and they find out that Tisquantum was trying some trickery. The Wampanoags want him dead. The English need him to translate. The Wampanoags threaten the settlers for breech of contract and the English think about turning him over since they screwed up their harvest and needed food to make it through the winter. A ship arrives in the nick of time to resupply the settlers and they keep Tisquantum and thumb their noses at Wampanoag.

Apparently, these Pilgrims felt like you had to be honest and faithful when it was convenient to self interest.

Happy Thanksgiving!