Chief squanto biography
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Squanto
(1580-1622)
Who Was Squanto?
Squanto was born circa 1580 near Plymouth, Massachusetts. Little is known about his early life. In 1614, he was kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt, who brought him to Spain where he was sold into slavery. Squanto escaped, eventually returning to North America in 1619. He then returned to the Patuxet region, where he became an interpreter and guide for the Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth in the 1620s. He died circa November 1622 in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Early Life and Capture
Born circa 1580 near Plymouth, Massachusetts, Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, is best remembered for serving as an interpreter and guide for the Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth in the 1620s. Historians know little about Squanto's life. A Patuxet Indian born in present-day Massachusetts, Squanto is believed to have been captured as a young man along the Maine coast in 1605 bygd Captain George Weymouth, who had been commissioned by Plymouth Company owner Sir Ferdin
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For generations, the dominant cultural narrative of America’s Thanksgiving holiday has told how a Native American man named Squanto showed the Pilgrims how to get food after they arrived on the Mayflower in Massachusetts in 1620. Having fled their native England, the new émigrés endured hardship and privation in both their journey and their adjustment to the new land. Those who survived in the early settlement are said to have gathered with the Native people in a feast of gratitude, establishing the time-honored tradition of having a “Thanksgiving” dinner on the fourth Thursday of November.
The historical details of this somewhat mythologized story are far more complicated—as was the life of Squanto, whose actual name was Tisquantum. He and his Indigenous relatives would have been quite familiar with the tradition of “thanksgiving” because it was, and still is, an essential aspect of their regular spiritual practices, one that predates by many generations the American hol
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Biography of Squanto, Native Who Guided the Pilgrims
Tisquantum, better known by his nickname Squanto, was a member of the Patuxet band of the Wampanoag tribe. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but historians estimate that he was born around 1580. Squanto is best known for his work as a guide and interpreter for early settlers in Southern New England. His advice and assistance were integral to the survival of early Pilgrims, including the Mayflower Pilgrims.
Fast Facts: Squanto
- Full Name: Tisquantum
- Nickname: Squanto
- Known For: Serving as a liaison between Indigenous populations and Mayflower Pilgrims
- Born: Circa 1580 in southern New England (now Massachusetts, United States)
- Died: 1622 in Mamamoycke (now Chatham, Massachusetts, United States)
- Key Accomplishments: Helped early Pilgrims survive harsh, unfamiliar conditions.
Early Years
Very little is known about Squanto's early years. Historians don't know exactly when or where he was b