by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: October 23, 2009   Last Updated: November 25, 2010

The Pilgrims certainly had a difficult journey over the course of those 66 days aboard the Mayflower. From the time they decided where to make their settlement until the following spring, they endured the hardship of a ferocious winter and disease that afflicted so many that before Spring even arrived, more than half were dead. Little did they know that come that spring of 1621, their luck would change for the better, and that luck would come in the form of help from an English speaking Indian by the name of Squanto.

*Who was Squanto? -

Squanto was a Patuxet Indian whose tribe had owned the land on which the Pilgrims had settled. He had been invited by one of the early explorers to return to England with him for a while, and during that time, he learned English. When Squanto began to feel homesick and wanted to return home, his host arranged for Squanto to return to America on board a ship.

He did return to America, but as he walked back to his tribe, he was tricked into coming on board another ship, under the guise of visiting. That captain had concocted a ruse, however, and Squanto became one of 20 Indians who were kidnapped and held hostage aboard that ship as it sailed to Spain.

Upon arriving in Spain, Squanto was sold into slavery. He wound up with some benevolent monks who took care of him. They taught him about Christian beliefs and customs and Squanto even became a Christian. They arranged for Squanto to get to England where he knew people and could get passage back to America.

All of this happened over the course of a good decade, and that is how long it took Squanto to be able to return to America and to his tribe and his family. When he was finally able to return to America after his horrible ordeal, he discovered that his entire family and the tribe had been wiped out by "the great sickness." The neighboring Wampanoag tribe invited him to live in their village. The Wampanoag chief was a man by the name of Massasoit.

*Squanto joins Massasoit on his return to New Plymouth -

Massasoit, knowing that Squanto spoke and understood English asked Squanto to go return with him when he went back to talk to the White Men. Squanto stayed with the Wampanoag until he learned that the White Men were building a town near where his village used to be. This occurred on March 22, 1621.

*Talking to the colonists -

The chief and Squanto talked to the settlers and then the chief went in for a meeting. The result of that meeting was an agreement that the Pilgrims

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