by Ramona Taylor

Created on: November 03, 2009

On November 21, 1620, the Pilgrims were a new people in a new land. Winter was approaching and they had little time to prepare. After 66 days at sea, they stepped out into a rocky, cold and inhospitable land. The Pilgrims had barely survived their first winter and were unsure of how they would make it through the spring of 1621. However, they were not alone in the New World.

In the 1600s, the Wampanoag Confederacy lived in southeastern Massachusetts, including the Islands of Cape Cod, and Rhode Island. The Confederation consisted of over 50 groups, which included the Pawtuxet and their population numbered close to 12,000. The Wampanoag, ''People of the First Light'' were a semi-sedentary people with a head sachem as their leader. The Wampanoag tribesmen first encountered the English around 1614. And, as a result of these early encounters, some of its members were kidnapped, killed or sold into slavery. The Plymouth branch of the Pawtuxet was wiped out by disease secondary to exposure from European exposure.

First Encounters

From reports, the first reported encounter between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims occurred on December 18, 1620. While scouting the New World, a group of Pilgrim men were attacked by a group of Wampanoag. Using musket fire, the attack ended.

Over time, the Pilgrims would find baskets of seeds left for them. There were no major conflicts between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims in the early years of the Plymouth settlement.

The Spring of 1621

When the Pilgrims barely survived their first winter in the New World, the Head Sachem of the Wampanoags, Massasoit, sent Samoset to investigate the Europeans intentions. On March 16, 1621, the settlers were more than surprised when Samoset, a minor chief of the Abenanki tribe of Maine, entered their settlement and spoke English to them. After some time, Samoset returned to Massasoit with a report. Soon, Massasoit sent Tisquantum, better known as Squanto, to assist the Pilgrims.

Squanto lived with the Pilgrims and taught them how to grow and catch food. Many school children are told the story of how Squanto showed the Pilgrim farmers how to plant corn in the rocky soil. Squanto also taught the Pilgrims how to find edible native foods, such as berries and nuts. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to hunt deer, bears and turkeys and how to catch fish using nets.

Peace Treaties and Alliances

On a warm day in spring, Samoset and Squanto returned to the Plymouth settlement. When they arrived they brought skins

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