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The First Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving was probably not what we think it was.

The Thanksgiving we now celebrate--a feast of togetherness between the and the Native Americans--was not the original gathering.

It is true that Squanto and his fellow Native Americans helped the Pilgrims to grow crops and get sap from trees and survive the harsh winters of what would become New England. But the very first harvest feast that these two peoples enjoyed was not called Thanksgiving.

Rather it was a celebration of the fall harvest, when vegetables were pulled from the ground and off stalks and made ready for a big meal.

Pilgrims and Native Americans dined together at the same tables, yes, and they played games together and demonstrated their bow-and-arrow and musket-shooting skills to each other. But they didn't call it Thanksgiving until 1624.

That year, , the governor of the Plymouth Colony, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was really a day of fasting and prayer. (Remember, fasting is when you William Bradford don't eat. So, Thanksgiving started out as a day of not eating.) And the day the members of the Plymouth Colony celebrated this day of fasting and prayer in thanksgiving was November 29.

So we have two ideas coming together: a day of thanksgiving for the fall harvest, on which people fasted and prayed, and a great feast to celebrate the bounty of the fall harvest. Since both activities celebrated the same thing--the fall harvest--it's only natural that they eventually merged (like so many other American holidays).

This merged celebration continued informally through the years, until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday of November a national holiday called Thanksgiving.

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The First Thanksgiving The first Thanksgiving was probably not what we think it was. The Thanksgiving we now celebrate--a feast of togetherness between the and the Native Americans--was not the original gathering. It is true that Squanto and his fellow Native Americans helped the Pilgrims to grow crops and get sap from trees and survive the harsh winters of what would become New England.

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You are the historian: Thanksgiving Interactive

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You are the historian: Thanksgiving Interactive

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Take a trip through time as a history detective with our newly-updated, interactive game, You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving!
Plimoth Patuxet Museums has reimagined and redesigned You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving, its popular interactive game that has entertained school-aged children and families since 2002! In conjunction with FableVision Studios, a multimedia production company, and an Indigenous Advisory Committee, Plimoth Patuxet Museums has created a new online game that explores Wampanoag life prior to European settlement and the year leading up to the 1621 harvest feast, today known as the "First Thanksgiving." The game investigates the interactions between the Wampanoag people of Patuxet and the earliest colonists known as the Pilgrims by exposing players to archaeological artifacts from the museum's collections, primary source documents, and oral stories told from generation to generation.

You Are The Historian directly responds to the increased demand for nuanced and fact-based history told from both an Indigenous and Colonial perspective. The Museum has created an experience that will transport visitors to Patuxet, the pre-European homeland of the Wampanoag, and immerse them in a story of cultural change and persistence that spans 12,000 years. Students will be able to further explore the rich historical context of the Indigenous and Colonial experiences during their earliest encounters through magical time travel, an anonymous tipster, mysterious riddles, historic artifacts and archives, and plain, old-fashioned smart thinking!
NOTE FOR TEACHERS: Click here for the original 2002 version of You are the Historian. Please email programs@plimoth.org with any questions. What You'll Need
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(Images L - R: English children play "King Pin," a traditional bowling game; Wampanoag girls get water at one of the freshwater springs that give Patuxet its name.)

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Teacher & Educator Resources
You are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving is a production of Plimoth Patuxet Museums, Inc. Copyright 2020.
Plimoth's online teacher end educator resources can help you plan a lesson or classroom unit and prepare your students for a virtual or in-person field trip, or a school or outreach program. We also provide resources for students, including student-friendly research materials and virtual exhibits featuring objects from our Museum's collections. Click here to access the Teacher Guide for the original 2002 You are the Historian interactive.

Click here to explore additional educational resources and curated collections for historians of all ages available through our Museum Shops.

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Thanksgiving Interactive: You are the Historian

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Take a trip through time as a history detective with our newly-updated, interactive game, You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving! Plimoth Patuxet Museums has reimagined and redesigned You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving, its popular interactive game that has entertained school-aged children and families since 2002!

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Did the Pilgrims intend to land at Plymouth? (higher lexile)

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Did the Pilgrims intend to land at Plymouth? (higher lexile)

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history.com

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History of Native Americans and Settlers

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History of Native Americans and Settlers

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Newsela | The New England colonies and Native Americans

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After only five years, the Plymouth Colony was no longer financially dependent on England due to the roots and local economy it had build along side native Massachusetts tribes.

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Kids learn about the history of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony of Colonial America including the Mayflower voyage, establishing a Puritan settlement, their leaders, Squanto, the Native Americans, and Thanksgiving.

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Kids learn about the history of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony of Colonial America including the Mayflower voyage, establishing a Puritan settlement, their leaders, Squanto, the Native Americans, and Thanksgiving.

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The pilgrims were passengers on board the Mayflower who settled Plymouth Colony in 1620.

The group were some of the first puritans to settle in North America during the Great Puritan Migration in the 17th century.

The success of Plymouth colony later paved the way for other Puritans to settle similar colonies in New England.

The following is an overview of the Mayflower pilgrims:

Where Were the Pilgrims From?

The Separatist church congregation that the Mayflower pilgrims were members of was originally centered around the town of Scrooby, England. Scrooby is a small village in Nottinghamshire that borders South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

The group was so spread out across the area though that they formed two different groups, according to Bradford:

"These people became 2. disctincte bodys or churches & in regarde of distance of place did congregate severally; for they were of sundrie townes & villages, some in Nottinghamshire, some of Lincolnshire, and some of Yorkshire, wher they border nearest togeather."

A preacher named John Smith was the pastor of one of the groups and a preacher named Richard Clifton was the pastor of the other.

What Religion Were the Pilgrims?

The Mayflower pilgrims were members of a Puritan sect within the Church of England known as separatists. At the time there were two types of puritans within the Church of England: separatists and non-separatists.

Separatists felt that the Church of England was too corrupt to save and decided to separate from it. Non-separatists felt that the church could still be reformed and remained in the church to do so.

The separatists refused to attend services at the Church of England and instead held their own services where their pastor preached that everyone had a right to discuss and interpret the Bible, that parishioners should take an active part in services and how anyone could depart from the official Book of Common Prayer and speak directly to God.

In 1604, the Church introduced 141 cannons, which was a sort of test to flush out nonconformists. These canons declared that anyone who rejected the practices of the Church of England excommunicated themselves and it required all clergymen to accept and publicly acknowledge the royal supremacy and authority of the Prayer Book.

Realizing how dangerous it had become to worship their religion in public, the separatists began holding their services in private homes, such as at William Brewster's home Scrooby manor.

Various members of the group were eventually detained and fined for their beliefs, such as William Brewster, who was summoned to his local ecclesiastical court in 1607 for being "disobedient in matters of Religion."

Brewster was fined £20, which is the equivalent of $5,000 today, but he refused to appear in court or pay the fine.

When & Why Did the Pilgrims Leave England?

The pilgrims decided to leave England for Holland because they were being persecuted for their religion and felt they had no other choice but to leave, according to William Bradford in his book Of Plimoth Plantation:

"But after these things they could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted & persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them. For some were taken & clapt up in prison, others had their houses besett & watcht night and day, & hardly escaped their hands; and ye most were faine to flie & leave their howses & habitations, and the means of their livelihood. Yet these & many other sharper things which afterward befell them, were no other then they looked for, and therefore were ye better prepared to bear them by ye assistance of Gods grace & sprite. Yet seeing them selves thus molested, and that ther was no hope of their continuance ther, by a joynte consente they resloved to goe into ye low-countries, wher they heard was freedoms of religion for all men..."

The group first attempted to leave for Holland sometime near the end of 1607. Due to a statute passed in the reign of Richard II, no one could leave England without a license, which the group did not have.

They arranged for a Dutch ship to meet them at Scotia Creek at Boston, Lincolnshire, to sneak them out of the country, but the captain betrayed them and turned them into the authorities, according to Bradford:

"But when he had them & their goods abord, he betrayed them, having before hand complotted with ye serchers & other officers so to doe; who tooke them, and put them into open boats, & ther rifled & ransaked them, searching them to their shirts for money, yea even ye women furder then became modestie; and then carried them back into ye town, & made them a spectackle & wonder to ye multitude, which came flocking on all sids to behould them. Being thus first, by the chatchpoule officers, rifled, & stripte of their money, books, and much other goods, they were presented to ye magistrates, and messengers sente to informe ye lords of ye counsell of them; and so they were comited to ward."

Bradford goes on to explain that after a month in prison, most of the group was released after their charges were dismissed, but seven members of the group, including William Brewster, remained in jail for a while longer.

The group made a second and final attempt to leave England the following spring in 1608. The group again hired a Dutch ship to take them to Holland.

The group traveled to the meeting place in Immingham, England into two separate boats, one with the women and children and one with the men.

The two boats arrived at the meeting place a day before the ship. The women and children were sea sick from the journey and entered a creek to rest in shallow water but their boat got stuck during low tide and had to wait for the tide to come back in.

When the ship arrived, the captain began boarding the boat full of men but the authorities arrived in pursuit of the fleeing pilgrims and the captain decided to depart without the remaining passengers or cargo, according to Bradford:

"But after ye first boat full gott abord, & she was ready to goe for more, the Mr. espied a greate company, both horse & foote, with bills, & gunes, & other weapons; for ye countrie was raised to take them. Ye Dutch-man seeing ye, swore his countries oath, 'sacremente,' and having ye wind faire, waiged his anchor, hoysed sayles, & away. But ye poore men which were gott abord, were in great distress for their wives and children, which they saw thus to be taken, and were left destitute of their helps; and them selves also, not having a cloath to shifte them with, more then they had on their baks, & some scare a peney aboute them, all they had being abord ye barke. It drew tears from their eyes, and any thing they had they would have given to have been a shore againe; but all in vaine, there was no remedy, they must thus sadly part."

The women were arrested but were not charged and eventually made the journey to Holland too and were reunited with their husbands in Amsterdam.

Two separatists communities, one from London and the other from Gainsborough, already existed in Amsterdam when the pilgrims arrived but these groups were so torn with dissension that the pilgrims decided to move to Leiden in South Holland in 1609 in an effort to find peace.

Why Did the Pilgrims Come to the New World?

After living in Holland for about 11 or 12 years, the group began to grow weary of living in the Netherlands.

One of the reasons for this was the fact that a longstanding "twelve years' truce" between the Dutch Republic and Catholic-run Spain was about to come to an end, which meant war was imminent and if Spain won and regained their rule over Holland, the pilgrims could lose their religious freedom.

To make matters worse, King James of England formed an alliance with the Dutch on the condition that he would have control over all English congregations in Holland.

As a result, Dutch authorities began to harass the pilgrims. The printing presses that the Separatists used to print pamphlets were smashed and some of the pilgrims had rocks thrown at them.

Another reason is that the only jobs available to the group in Holland was in the textile industry, which was hard, physical labor that made many of them "decreped in their early youth" (Bradford 24).

They also found it hard to recruit other separatists from England to join them in the Netherlands because of these hard working conditions, according to Bradford:

"And first, they saw & found by experience the hardness of ye place & cuntrie to be such, as few in comparison would come to them. For many yet came to them, and many more yet desired to be with them, could not endure yet great labor and hard fare, with other inconveniences which they underwent & were contended with...But it was thought that if a better and easier place of living could be had, it would draw many, & take away these discouragments."

Yet another reason is that many members of the group were getting older and some had even passed away, which caused their numbers to dwindle.

They feared that within a few years the group might have to separate "by necessities pressing them, or sinke under their burdens, or both" (Bradford 25).

In addition, they feared their children were being corrupted by the ways of the Dutch, according to Bradford:

"But that which was more lamentable, and of all sorrowes most heavie to be borne, was that many of their children, by these occasions, and ye great licentiousness of youth in yet countrie, and ye manifold temptations of the place, were drawne away by evill examples into extravagante & dangerous courses, getting ye raines off their neks, & departing from their parents. Some became souldiers, others took upon them farr viages by sea, and other some worse courses, tending to dissolutness & the danger of their soules, to ye great greefe of their parents and dishonour of God. So that they saw their posteritie would be in danger to degenerate & be corrupted."

Lastly, they also hoped to spread Christianity to "those remote parts of ye world" even if they were merely "stepping-stones unto others for ye performing of so great a work" (Bradford 24).

After deciding to leave, they settled on the New World as their destination due to its remoteness, according to Bradford:

"The place they had thoughts on was some of the those vast & unpeopled countries of America, which are frutfull & fitt for habitation, being devoyd of all civill inhabitants, wher there are only savage & brutish men, which range up and downe, little otherwise then ye wild beasts of the same."

The areas of the New World they considered moving to were either Guiana or Virginia. Guiana was eventually ruled out because the climate was too hot and they feared the Spanish would eventually drive them out.

Instead, the group decided on the English colony of Virginia, even though they feared they might be "troubled and persecuted for the cause of religion, as if they lived in England, and it might be worse" (Bradford 28) but they also feared that if they lived too far away from civilization they might not survive.

The compromise was to live within the colony of Virginia but separate from the other colonists, according to Bradford:

"But at length ye conclusion was, to live as a distincte body by them selves, under ye generall government of Virginia; and by their friends to sue to his majestie that he would be pleased to grant them freedome of religion..."

The pilgrims made a deal with the Virginia company to pay for their voyage and in exchange they agreed to build the colony and harvest supplies to send back to England.

The group also secured a patent that allowed them to build a colony near the mouth of the Hudson River in North America, which was then considered Northern Virginia.

In May of 1620, the pilgrims hired two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, to take them to the mouth of the Hudson River.

On July 22, 1620, the pilgrims traveled from Delfthaven, Holland to Southampton, England on board the Speedwell to meet up with the Mayflower.

The Speedwell began leaking during its journey to England so the pilgrims spent a week in Southampton waiting while the necessary repairs were made.

On August 5, 1620, the two ships set sail for the New World but the Speedwell began leaking again and pulled into Dartmouth on August 12 for repairs.

On August 21, 1620, the two ships set sail again but the Speedwell began leaking yet again and both ships returned to Plymouth, England.

A few weeks later, when the repairs failed to fix the Speedwell, some of the pilgrims on the Speedwell boarded the Mayflower, while others gave up and went home, and the Mayflower set sail alone from Plymouth, England on September 16, 1620.

How Many Pilgrims Were on the Mayflower?

There were 46 pilgrims (Separatists) on board the Mayflower.

In addition to the pilgrims there were also 30 non-separatists, dozens of personal servants and 36 crewmen as well as two dogs and some farm animals.

Who Were the Mayflower Pilgrims?

The pilgrims on board the Mayflower were:

Isaac Allerton
Mary Allerton
Bartholomew Allerton
Remember Allerton
Mary Allerton
William Bradford
Dorothy Bradford
William Brewster
Mary Brewster
Love Brewster
Wrestling Brewster
John Carver
Catherine Carver
James Chilton
Mrs. James Chilton
Mary Chilton
Francis Cook
John Cook
John Crackstone
John Crackstone (son)
Moses Fletcher
Edward Fuller
Ann Fuller
Samuel Fuller (son)
Samuel Fuller
John Goodman
Digory Priest
Thomas Rogers
Joseph Rogers
Edward Tilley
Ann Tilley
John Tilley
Joan Tilley
Elizabeth Tilley
Thomas Tinker
Mrs. Thomas Tinker
Son of Thomas Tinker
John Turner
First son of John Turner
Second son of John Turner
William White
Susanna White
Resolved White
Thomas Williams
Edward Winslow
Elizabeth Winslow

In late November, Susanna White also gave birth to a baby, Peregrine White, on board the Mayflower while it was anchored in Cape Cod Harbor.

When Did the Pilgrims Arrive in New England?

The Mayflower passengers first sighted shore on November 9, 1620. The pilgrims quickly realized once they reached shore that they were in New England.

After discussing the matter, they turned the ship south and began to sail for the mouth of the Hudson River but ran into bad weather and had to turn back for Cape Cod, according to Bradford.

"After some deliberation had amongst them selves & with ye Mr. of ye ship, they tacked aboute and resolved to stande for ye southward (ye wind & weather being faire) to finde some place aboute Hudsons river for their habitation. But after they had sailed yet course aboute halfe ye day, they fell amongst deangerous shoulds and roring breakers, and they were so farr intangled ther with as they concieved them selves in great danger; & ye wind shrinking upon them withall, they resolved to bear up againe for the Cape..."

With winter fast approaching and dwindling supplies on board, the group decided to stay in New England.

On November 11, 1620, the group drew up a social contract, now known as the Mayflower compact, to establish basic law and order in the colony since they didn't have a patent for that area.

Where Did the Pilgrims First Land?

On November 11, 1620, the Mayflower first landed at what is now modern-day Provincetown, Massachusetts.

While anchored at Provincetown, some of the passengers went on several expeditions on land but got involved in a skirmish with the local natives, an event known as the First Encounter, and decided to pick up anchor and sail to nearby Plymouth harbor where they landed in mid-December.

Where Did the Pilgrims Settle?

After the group landed in Plymouth, they began to build "ye first house for common use to receive them and their goods" on Christmas day (Bradford 88.)

This common house was about twenty square feet in size and was located on the south side of Leyden Street near the downward slope of the hill.

On January 9, 1621, the group began building two rows of houses, which were located on each side of modern-day Leyden Street.

Due to the fact there wasn't enough adequate shelter for all 19 families yet, many of the pilgrims spent the winter on board the Mayflower.

The site of the original village stretched East to West between Burial Hill and Water street and North to South between North Street and Leyden Street.

The village was located at the site of an abandoned Wampanoag village called Patuxet where approximately 2,000 Wampanoags had lived before an epidemic decimated the village in 1618-19, prompting the surviving Wamponaog to abandon it.

Why Were the Mayflower Pilgrims Called Pilgrims?

A pilgrim is a person who travels to a sacred place for religious purposes, a journey that is known as a pilgrimage.

The name "pilgrims" wasn't applied to the Mayflower pilgrims until the late 1700s, after excerpts of William Bradford's manuscript, Of Plymouth Plantation, was printed in Nathaniel Morton's book New England's Memorial in 1669.

In one of the excerpts, Bradford compares the colonists to pilgrims when describing the last church service they held before they left Holland to meet up with the Mayflower in England:

"And the time being come that they must depart, they were accompanied with most of their brethren out of the city, unto a town sundry miles off called Delftshaven, where the ship lay ready to receive them. So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits."

Bradford compared them to pilgrims because they were embarking on what they saw as a religious journey.

Even though Bradford was only referring to the members of their church congregation at the time, the term "pilgrim" was later applied to all of the Mayflower passengers, whether they were a separatist or not, and also to some of the Plymouth colonists who arrived later on, according to an article on the Plimoth Plantation website:

"'Pilgrim' became (by the early 1800s at least) the popular term applied to all the Mayflower passengers - and even to other people arriving in Plymouth in those early years - so that the English people who settled Plymouth in the 1620s are generally called the Pilgrims."

Prior to this, the Mayflower pilgrims were called the Forefathers or the Pilgrim Fathers and Pilgrim Mothers.

In fact, December 22 is a holiday called Forefather's Day that is celebrated in Plymouth, Mass in honor of the pilgrim's landing at Plymouth in December of 1620.

How Did the Pilgrims Dress?

Contrary to public opinion, the pilgrims didn't really wear all black clothing and hats and shoes with buckles on them. These are 19th century depictions of them that are not historically accurate.

The pilgrims instead wore late Jacobean-era clothing like doublets, breeches, waistcoats and petticoats in a variety of colors. Check out this article titled What Did the Pilgrims Wear? for more information.

If you want to learn more about the Mayflower pilgrims, check out the following article about the best books about the Mayflower pilgrims.

Sources:
Huish, Marcus Borne. The American Pilgrim's Way in England: To Homes and Memorials of the Founders of Virginia, The New England States and Pennsylvania. London: The Fine Art Society, 1907. Print.
Worrall, Simon. "Pilgrims' Progress." Smithsonian Magazine, November 2006, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pilgrims-progress-135067108/
"Mayflower Pilgrims Origins." Experience Nottinghamshire, www.experiencenottinghamshire.com/mayflower-pilgrims/pilgrim-fathers-origins
McGrath, Charles. "In the Pilgrim's Footsteps, Through England and the Netherlands." The New York Times, 17 Nov. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/travel/on-the-pilgrims-path-through-england-and-the-netherlands.html?mcubz=0
"6,000 Year-Old Indian Village Unearthed." United Press International, 6 Nov. 1986, www.upi.com/Archives/1986/11/06/6000-year-old-Indian-village-unearthed/4517531637200/
Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation. Edited by Charles Deane, Boston: Privately Printed, 1856
Mourt's Relation or Journal of the Plantation at Plymouth. Boston: John Kimball Wiggin, 1865.
MacQuarrie, Brian. Boston Globe, 23 Nov. 2016, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/22/clues-pilgrims-original-settlement-unearthed/PpLwWF9OiAZaCSG0Eft0GN/story.html
Moneymaker, Will. "Mayflower Passengers: Not All Were There For Religious Reasons." Ancestral Findings, Ancestral Findings LLC, ancestralfindings.com/mayflower-passengers-not-religious-reasons/
"Pilgrim Fathers' Memorial." Visit Boston UK, www.visitbostonuk.com/venue/pilgrim-fathers-memorial/
"Pilgrim Memorial, Scotia Creek." Mayflower 400, www.mayflower400uk.org/explore/boston/boston-attractions/the-pilgrim-memorial-scotia-creek/
"Why the Pilgrim Fathers Left England." BBC.co.uk, British Broadcast Corporation, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/47688.stm
"Pilgrim History." General Society of Mayflower Descendants, www.themayflowersociety.org/the-pilgrims/pilgrim-history
"Who Were the Pilgrims?" Plimoth Plantation, www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/who-were-pilgrims

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The pilgrims were passengers on board the Mayflower who settled Plymouth Colony in 1620. The group were some of the first puritans to settle in North America during the Great Puritan Migration in the 17th century. The success of Plymouth colony later paved the way for other Puritans to settle similar colonies in New England.

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The people we know as Pilgrims have become so surrounded by legend that we are tempted to forget that they were real people. Against great odds, they made the famous 1620 voyage aboard the ship Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony, but they were also ordinary English men and women. To understand them, it is important that we look beyond the legend. This story will help you get to know these people, now known as the Pilgrims, through their first years in New England.

England was a Roman Catholic nation until 1534, when King Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547) declared himself head of a new national church called the Church of England. Although he and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603), changed some things that made the Church of England different from the Roman Catholic Church, a few people felt that the new Church retained too many practices of the Roman Church. They called for a return to a simpler faith and less structured forms of worship. In short, they wanted to return to worshipping in the way the early Christians had. Because these people wanted to purify the church, they came to be known as "Puritans." Another group, considered very radical, went even further. They thought the new Church of England was beyond reform. Called "Separatists," they demanded the formation of new, separate church congregations. This opinion was very dangerous; in England in the 1600s, it was illegal to be part of any church other than the Church of England.

The Separatist church congregation that established Plymouth Colony in New England was originally centered around the town of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, England. Members included the young William Bradford and William Brewster. Like others who refused to follow the Church of England's teachings, some of them were harassed, fined or even sent to jail. When they felt they could no longer suffer these difficulties in England, they chose to flee to the Dutch Netherlands. There, they could practice their own religion without fear of persecution from the English government or its church.

The Pilgrims in Holland (the Netherlands)

Although they had religious freedom, life in the Netherlands was not easy. The Separatists had to leave their homeland and friends to live in a foreign country without a clear idea of how they would support themselves. The congregation stayed briefly in Amsterdam and then moved to the city of Leiden. There they remained for the next 11 or 12 years. Most found work in the cloth trades, while others were carpenters, tailors and printers. Their lives required hard work. Even young children had to work. Some older children were tempted by the Dutch culture and left their families to become soldiers and sailors. Their parents feared that they would lose their identity as English people. To make matters worse, the congregation worried that another war might break out between the Dutch and Spanish. They decided to move again.

The Move to America

After careful thought, the congregation decided to leave Holland to establish a farming village in the northern part of the Virginia Colony. At that time, Virginia extended from Jamestown in the south to the mouth of the Hudson River in the north, so the Pilgrims planned to settle near present-day New York City. There they hoped to live under the English government, but they would worship in their own, separate church. Because their own money wasn't enough to establish their village, they entered into an agreement with financial investors. The company of investors would provide passage for the colonists and supply them with tools, clothing and other supplies. The colonists in turn would work for the company, sending natural resources such as fish, timber and furs back to England. All assets, including the land and the Pilgrims' houses, would belong to the company until the end of seven years when all of it would be divided among each of the investors and colonists. The colonists and investors had many disagreements, but eventually the Pilgrims were able to leave Europe for America.

The entire congregation could not come to America together. Those who could settle their affairs in Leiden went first while the greater number, including their pastor John Robinson, remained behind. The congregation purchased a small ship, Speedwell, to transport them across the sea and to use for fishing and trading in America. At Southampton, a port in England, they were joined by a group of English colonists who had been gathered by the investors. Speedwell and Mayflower - a ship rented by the investors - departed for America together. After twice turning back to England because Speedwell leaked, they were forced to leave the ship. As a result, many families were divided when some passengers had to be turned back for lack of space. A month after first leaving England, on September 6, 1620, Mayflower set out alone with 102 passengers.

Arrival at Plymouth

Mayflower arrived in New England on November 11, 1620 after a voyage of 66 days. Although the Pilgrims had originally intended to settle near the Hudson River in New York, dangerous shoals and poor winds forced the ship to seek shelter at Cape Cod. Because it was so late in the year and travel around Cape Cod was proving difficult, the passengers decided not to sail further and to remain in New England. It was here, in Cape Cod Bay, that most of the adult men on the ship signed the document that we know as the Mayflower Compact. It laid the foundation for the community's government.

A party of the most able men began exploring the area to find a suitable place to settle. After several weeks, the exploring party arrived at what appeared to be an abandoned Wampanoag community. The plentiful water supply, good harbor, cleared fields, and location on a hill made the area a favorable place for settlement.

Mayflower arrived in Plymouth Harbor on December 16, 1620 and the colonists began building their town. While houses were being built, the group continued to live on the ship. Many of the colonists fell ill. They were probably suffering from scurvy and pneumonia caused by a lack of shelter in the cold, wet weather. Although the Pilgrims were not starving, their sea-diet was very high in salt, which weakened their bodies on the long journey and during that first winter. As many as two or three people died each day during their first two months on land. Only 52 people survived the first year in Plymouth. When Mayflower left Plymouth on April 5, 1621, she was sailed back to England by only half of her crew.

Building a Town & Relationships with Native People

Although they occasionally caught glimpses of Native People, it wasn't until four months after their arrival that the colonists met and communicated with them. In March 1621, they made a treaty of mutual protection with the Pokanoket Wampanoag leader, Ousamequin (also known as Massasoit to the Pilgrims). The treaty had six points. Neither party would harm the other. If anything was stolen, it would be returned and the offending person returned to his own people for punishment. Both sides agreed to leave their weapons behind when meeting, and the two groups would serve as allies in times of war. Squanto, a Wampanoag man who had been taken captive by English sailors and lived for a time in London, came to live with the colonists and instructed them in growing Indian corn.

In the fall of 1621, the colonists marked their first harvest with a three-day celebration. Massasoit and 90 of his men joined the English for feasting and entertainment. In the 1800s this famous celebration became the basis for the story of the First Thanksgiving.

Over the next six years, more English colonists arrived and many of the people who had to stay behind in England or Holland when Mayflower left England were able to join their families. By 1627, Plymouth Colony was stable and comfortable. Harvests were good and families were growing. In 1627, about 160 people lived in Plymouth Colony.

Why "Pilgrims"?

A pilgrim is a person who goes on a long journey often with a religious or moral purpose, and especially to a foreign land. After the Mayflower arrived, the first baby born was a boy. His parents (William and Susannah White) named him Peregrine - a word which means travelling from far away and also means pilgrim. The writer of Mourt's Relation in 1622 refers to the Plymouth Colonists as pilgrims. Governor William Bradford calls the Plymouth settlers pilgrims when he writes about their departure from Leiden, Holland to come to America: "They knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country; and quieted their spirits." Governor Bradford also wrote a poem in which he refers to himself as a pilgrim.

'Pilgrim' became (by the early 1800s at least) the popular term applied to all the Mayflower passengers - and even to other people arriving in Plymouth in those early years - so that the English people who settled Plymouth in the 1620s are generally called the Pilgrims.

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The people we know as Pilgrims have become so surrounded by legend that we are tempted to forget that they were real people. Against great odds, they made the famous 1620 voyage aboard the ship Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony, but they were also ordinary English men and women.

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The Pilgrims

Written for KidsPast by: Brandon Guymon

A Pilgrim is someone who travels for religious reasons. The Pilgrims who traveled to the New World and founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620 were Separatists. The Pilgrims left England because they were tired of the Government telling them what to believe and how to live.

The Pilgrims left for the New World on August 15, 1620. Did you know they originally left with two ships? It's true! The first ship was named the Speedwell. The second ship, and the most famous, was the Mayflower. The Speedwell never made the trip with the Pilgrims. Soon after they left England the Speedwell started to leak. The Pilgrims had to turn back to fix the Speedwell. The Pilgrims tried again and again set sail for the New World with both ships but the Speedwell started to leak every time so the Pilgrims had to turn back. They tried again a third time, this time only sailing on the Mayflower, leaving the Speedwell behind.

We don't know exactly how big the Mayflower was because we don't know what happed to it. Some people think the ship never returned to England but was used by the Pilgrims to build houses and barns. Other people think the ship returned to England and was turned into scrap very soon after the Pilgrims' trip. We do know about the type of ships the people used at the time. The most common ship of a similar size to the Mayflower is a three-masted Carrack. Carracks typically had four decks, were 25 feet (7.5m) wide and 90 to 110 feet (27 to 33m) long. That is about as wide as a typical two-lane road and as long as a third of a football field.
Did You Know?
The Speedwell was unable to make the voyage because the crew kept sabotaging the ship so they wouldn't have to make the trip to the New World.

The Pilgrims were finally successful in sailing on September 16, 1620. They didn't reach the new world until November 9, 1620. That's 65 days of being trapped in a very small ship with about 102 other passengers plus 25 or 30 people to crew the ship. On reaching the new world many people waded to the land. They started to explore and took baths. After 65 days they probably needed a bath!

The Pilgrims didn't settle in the first place they came to when they reached the New World. The Pilgrims would have to explore to find a suitable place to live. Meanwhile, the Pilgrims would have to stay aboard the Mayflower, only going to shore when needed. Exploration was delayed because the smaller boat used to carry people ashore was damaged during the trip across the ocean and would need to be repaired. Eventually, on December 26, 1620, the explorers found a place to live. The explorers tied the boat to a large rock on the shore and used the rock to step out of the boat and onto the land. Later, this rock would come to be known as Plymouth Rock. Although we are not sure of exactly which rock it was, a rock that seems to be in the right place has been engraven with €œ1620€ to commemorate the historic landing of the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims now had a place to settle but now many of them were sick. Only 6 or 7 people were well enough to work at any one time. By January 19, 1621, the first common house was built. By February the first town, Plymouth Plantation, was mostly completed. The first winter was very difficult for the Pilgrims. Nearly half of the people who set out to build a new life would die before the spring.

On March 16, 1621, a Native American named Samoset walked into the Plymouth settlement and said, €œWelcome Englishmen.€ That was the start of the friendship between a tribe of Native Americans and the Pilgrims. The Native Americans almost didn't become friends with the Pilgrims because they had fought with earlier English Sailors and Explorers. Also, while the Pilgrims were exploring, they stole some of the Native American's corn and other food.

Samoset introduced the Pilgrims to another Native American named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to farm Native American style using fish for fertilizer to grow corn, or maize. Squanto and Samoset also helped the Pilgrims arrange a peace agreement with the Great Chief Massasoit. Part of the agreement was the Native Americans and the Pilgrims would help each other in war. There were other Native American Tribes that were not friendly to Massasoit's people and the Pilgrims.

The spring and summer of 1621 went better for the Pilgrims. By the fall of 1621 they were able to have a feast in celebration of their harvest and their new lives. The Pilgrims invited Massasoit and his Native Americans. In diaries, the Pilgrims wrote down what they ate at the feast. They said they ate fish, venison, waterfowl (ducks and geese), wild turkeys, corn, and other vegetables they were able to grow.

The Pilgrims and the Massasoit people were able to live in peace for many years. One of the most important things the Pilgrims did was prove that regular people could live in and govern themselves in the New World.

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The Pilgrims Written for KidsPast by: Brandon Guymon A Pilgrim is someone who travels for religious reasons. The Pilgrims who traveled to the New World and founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620 were Separatists. The Pilgrims left England because they were tired of the Government telling them what to believe and how to live.

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Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth

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Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth

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Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1622, Part I

Caleb Johnson, a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, provides the following comments on this hypertext version:

Mourt's Relation was written primarily by Edward Winslow, although William Bradford appears to have written most of the first section. Written between November 1620 and November 1621, it describes in detail what happened from the landing of the Pilgrims at Cape Cod, though their exploring and eventual settling at Plymouth, to their relations with the surrounding Indians, up to the First Thanksgiving and the arrival of the ship Fortune. Mourt's Relation was first published in London in 1622, presumably by George Morton (hence the title, Mourt's Relation).

This version of Mourt's Relation is based on a University Microfilm (Ann Arbor, Michigan) facimilie edition of the original 1622 edition, to which I have updated the spelling to modern American-English standards. Then I adapted the general paragraphing scheme from the 1969 Dwight Heath version, which is clearly more appropriate for web page presentation.

Our thanks to Mr. Johnson for presenting this hypertext version of Mourt's Relation. Go to Mr. Johnson's Mayflower History page.

A RELATION OR JOURNAL

OF THE PROCEEDINGS

OF THE PLANTATION

settled at Plymouth

in NEW ENGLAND

Wednesday, the sixth of September, the winds coming east north east, a fine small gale, we loosed from Plymouth, having been kindly entertained and courteously used by divers friends there dwelling, and after many difficulties in boisterous storms, at length, by God's providence, upon the ninth of November following, by break of the day we espied land which was deemed to be Cape Cod, and so afterward it proved. And the appearance of it much comforted us, especially seeing so goodly a land, and wooded to the brink of the sea. It caused us to rejoice together, and praise God that had given us once again to see land. And thus we made our course south south west, purposing to go to a river ten leagues to the south of the Cape, but at night the wind being contrary, we put round again for the bay of Cape Cod; and upon the 11th of November we came to an anchor in the bay, which is a good harbor and pleasant bay, circled round, except in the entrance which is about four miles over from land to land, compassed about to the very sea with oaks, pines, juniper, sassafras, and other sweet wood; it is a harbor wherein a thousand sail of ships may safely ride: there we relieved ourselves with wood and water, and refreshed our people, which our shallop was fitted to coast the bay, to search for a habitation; there was the greatest store of fowl that ever we saw.

And every day we saw whales playing hard by us, of which in that place, if we had instruments and means to take them, we might have made a very rich return, which to our great grief we wanted. Our master and his mate, and others experienced in fishing, professed we might have made three or four thousand pounds worth of oil; they preferred it before Greenland whale-fishing, and purpose the next winter to fish for whale here. For cod we assayed, but found none, there is good store, no doubt, in their season. Neither got we any fish all the time we lay there, but some few little ones on the shore. We found great mussels, and very fat and full of sea-pearl, but we could not eat them, for they made us all sick that did eat, as well sailors as passengers; they caused to cast and scour, but they were soon well again.

The bay is so round and circling, that before we could come to anchor we went round all the points of the compass. We could not come near the shore by three quarters of an English mile, because of shallow water, which was a great prejudice to us, for our people going on shore were forced to wade a bow shot or two in going a-land, which caused many to get colds and coughs, for it was nigh times freezing cold weather.

This day before we came to harbor, observing some not well affected to unity and concord, but gave some appearance of faction, it was thought good there should be an association and agreement that we should combine together in one body, and to submit to such government and governors as we should by common consent agree to make and choose, and set our hands to this that follows word for word.

In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant, and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names; Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord King James, of England, France and Ireland eighteenth and of Scotland fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620.

The same day, so soon as we could we set ashore 15 or 16 men, well armed, with some to fetch wood, for we had none left; as also to see what the land was, and what inhabitants they could meet with. They found it to be a small neck of land; on this side where we lay is the bay, and the further side the sea; the ground or earth, sand hills, much like the downs in Holland, but much better; the crust of the earth a spit's depth excellent black earth; all wooded with oaks, pines, sassafras, juniper, birch, holly, vines, some ash, walnut; the wood for the most part open and without underwood, fit either to go or ride in; at night our people returned, but found not any person, nor habitation, and laded their boat with juniper, which smelled very sweet and strong and of which we burnt the most part of the time we lay there.

Monday, the 13th of November, we unshipped our shallop and drew her on land, to mend and repair her, having been forced to cut her down in bestowing her betwixt the decks, and she was much opened with the people's lying in her, which kept us long there, for it was 16 or 17 days before the carpenter had finished her. Our people went on shore to refresh themselves, and our women to wash, as they had great need. But whilst we lay thus still, hoping our shallop would be ready in five or six days at the furthers, but our carpenter made slow work of it, so that some of our people, impatient of delay, desired for our better furtherance to travel by land into the country, which was not without appearance of danger, not having the shallop with them, nor means to carry provision, but on their backs, to see whether it might be fit for us to seat in or no, and the rather because as we sailed into the harbor there seemed to be a river opening itself into the main land; the willingness of the persons was liked, but the thing itself, in regard of the danger, was rather permitted than approved, and so with cautions, directions, and instructions, sixteen men were set out with every man his musket, sword, and corslet, under the conduct of Captain Miles Standish, unto whom was adjoined, for counsel and advice, William Bradford, Stephen Hopkins, and Edward Tilley.

Wednesday, the 15th of November, they were set ashore, and when they had ordered themselves in the order of a single file and marched about the space of a mile, by the sea they espied five or six people with a dog, coming towards them, who were savages, who when they saw them, ran into the wood and whistled the dog after them, etc. First they supposed them to be Master Jones, the master, and some of his men, for they were ashore and knew of their coming, but after they knew them to be Indians they marched after them into the woods, lest other of the Indians should lie in ambush; but when the Indians saw our men following them, they ran away with might and main and our men turned out of the wood after them, for it was the way they intended to go, but they could not come near them. They followed them that night about ten miles by the trace of their footings, and saw how they had come the same way they went, and at a turning perceived how they ran up a hill, to see whether they followed them. At length night came upon them, and they were constrained to take up their lodging, so they set forth three sentinels, and the rest, some kindled a fire, and others fetched wood, and there held our rendezvous that night.

In the morning so soon as we could see the trace, we proceeded on our journey, and had the track until we had compassed the head of a long creek, and there they took into another wood, and we after them, supposing to find some of their dwellings, but we marched through boughs and bushes, and under hills and valleys, which tore our very armor in pieces, and yet could meet with none of them, nor their houses, nor find any fresh water, which we greatly desired, and stood in need of, for we brought neither beer nor water with us, and our victuals was only biscuit and Holland cheese, and a little bottle of aquavitae, so as we were sore athirst. About ten o'clock we came into a deep valley, full of brush, wood-gaile, and long grass, through which we found little paths or tracks, and there we saw a deer, and found springs of fresh water, of which we were heartily glad, and sat us down and drunk our first New England water with as much delight as ever we drunk drink in all our lives.

When we had refreshed ourselves, we directed our course full south, that we might come to the shore, which within a short while after we did, and there made a fire, that they in the ship might see where we were (as we had direction) and so marched on towards this supposed river. And as we went in another valley we found a fine clear pond of fresh water, being about a musket shot broad and twice as long. There grew also many fine vines, and fowl and deer haunted there; there grew much sassafras. From thence we went on, and found much plain ground, about fifty acres, fit for plow, and some signs where the Indians had formerly planted their corn. After this, some thought it best, for nearness of the river, to go down and travel on the sea sands, by which means some of our men were tired, and lagged behind. So we stayed and gathered them up, and struck into the land again, where we found a little path to certain heaps of sand, one whereof was covered with old mats, and had a wooding thing like a mortar whelmed on the top of it, and an earthen pot laid in a little hole at the end thereof. We, musing what it might be, digged and found a bow, and, as we thought, arrows, but they were rotten. We supposed there were many other things, but because we deemed them graves, we put in the bow again and made it up as it was, and left the rest untouched, because we thought it would be odious unto them to ransack their sepulchers.

We went on further and found new stubble, of which they had gotten corn this year, and many walnut trees full of nuts, and great store of strawberries, and some vines. Passing thus a field or two, which were not great, we came to another which had also been new gotten, and there we found where a house had been, and four or five old planks laid together; also we found a great kettle which had been some ship's kettle and brought out of Europe. There was also a heap of sand, made like the former—but it was newly done, we might see how they had paddled it with their hands—which we digged up, and in it we found a little old basket full of fair Indian corn, and digged further and found a fine great new basket full of very fair corn of this year, with some thirty-six goodly ears of corn, some yellow, some red, and others mixed with blue, which was a very goodly sight. The basket was round, and narrow at the top; it held about three or four bushels, which was as much as two of us could lift up from the ground, and was very handsomely and cunningly made. But whilst we were busy about these things, we set our men sentinel in a round ring, all but two or three which digged up the corn. We were in suspense what to do with it and the kettle, and at length, after much consultation, we concluded to take the kettle and as much of the corn as we could carry away with us; and when our shallop came, if we could find any of the people, and come to parley with them, we would give them the kettle again, and satisfy them for their corn. So we took all the ears, and put a good deal of the loose corn in the kettle for two men to bring away on a staff; besides, they that could put any into their pockets filled the same. The rest we buried again, for we were so laden with armor that we could carry no more.

Not far from this place we found the remainder of an old fort, or palisade, which as we conceived had been made by some Christians. This was also hard by that place which we thought had been a river, unto which we went and found it so to be, dividing itself into two arms by a high bank. Standing right by the cut or mouth which came from the sea, that which was next unto us was the less; the other arm was more than twice as big, and not unlike to be a harbor for ships. But whether it be a fresh river, or only an indraught of the sea, we had no time to discover, for we had commandment to be out but two days. Here also we saw two canoes, the one on the one side, the other on the other side; we could not believe it was a canoe, till we came near it. So we returned, leaving the further discovery thereof to our shallop, and came that night back again to the fresh water pond, and there we made our rendezvous that night, making a great fire, and a barricade to windward of us, and kept good watch with three sentinels all night, every one standing when his turn came, while five or six inches of match was burning. It proved a very rainy night.

In the morning we took our kettle and sunk it in the pond, and trimmed our muskets, for few of them would go off because of the wet, and so coasted the wood again to come home, in which we were shrewdly puzzled, and lost our way. As we wandered we came to a tree, where a young sprit was bowed down over a bow, and some acorns strewed underneath. Stephen Hopkins said it had been to catch some deer. So as we were looking at it, William Bradford being in the rear, when he came looked also upon it, and as he went about, it gave a sudden jerk up, and he was immediately caught by the leg. It was a very pretty device, made with a rope of their own making and having a noose as artificially made as any roper in England can make, and as like ours as can be, which we brought away with us. In the end we got out of the wood, and were fallen about a mile too high above the creek, where we saw three bucks, but we had rather have had one of them. We also did spring three couple of partridges, and as we came along by the creek we saw great flocks of wild geese and ducks, but they were very fearful of us. So we marched some while in the woods, some while on the sands, and other while in the water up to the knees, till at length we came near the ship, and then we shot off our pieces, and the long boat came to fetch us. Master Jones and Master Carver being on the shore, with many of our people, came to meet us. And thus we came both weary and welcome home, and delivered in our corn into the store, to be kept for seed, for we knew not how to come by any, and therefore were very glad, purposing, so soon as we could meet with any inhabitants of that place, to make them large satisfaction. This was our first discovery, whilst our shallop was in repairing.

Our people did make things as fitting as they could, and time would, in seeking out wood, and helving of tools, and sawing of timber to build a new shallop. But the discommodiousness of the harbor did much hinder us for we could neither go to nor come from the shore, but at high water, which was much to our hindrance and hurt, for oftentimes they waded to the middle of the thigh, and oft to the knees, to go and come from land. Some did it necessarily, and some for their own pleasure, but it brought to the most, if not to all, coughs and colds, the weather proving suddenly cold and stormy, which afterwards turned to scurvy, whereof many died.

When our shallop was fit—indeed, before she was fully fitted, for there was two days' work after bestowed on her—there was appointed some twenty-four men of our own, and armed, then to go and make a more full discovery of the rivers before mentioned. Master Jones was desirous to go with us, and we took such of his sailors as he thought useful for us, so as we were in all about thirty-four men. We made Master Jones our leader, for we thought it best herein to gratify his kindness and forwardness. When we were set forth, it proved rough weather and cross winds, so as we were constrained, some in the shallop, and others in the long boat, to row to the nearest shore the wind would suffer them to go unto, and then to wade out above the knees. The wind was so strong as the shallop could not keep the water, but was forced to harbor there that night, but we marched six or seven miles further, and appointed the shallop to come to us as soon as they could. It blowed and did snow all that day and night, and froze withal; some of our people that are dead took the original of their death here.

The next day, about eleven o'clock, our shallop came to us and we shipped ourselves, and the wind being good, we sailed to the river we formerly discovered, which we named Cold Harbor, to which when we came we found it not navigable for ships, yet we thought it might be a good harbor for boats, for it flows there twelve foot at high water. We landed our men between the two creeks and marched some four or five miles by the greater of them, and the shallop followed us. At length night grew on, and our men were tired with marching up and down the steep hills and deep valleys which lay half a foot thick with snow. Master Jones, wearied with marching, was desirous we should take up our lodging, though some of us would have marched further, so we made there our rendezvous for that night, under a few pine trees. And as it fell out, we got three fat geese and six ducks to our supper, which we ate with soldiers' stomachs, for we had eaten little all that day. Our resolution was next morning to go up to the head of this river, for we supposed it would prove fresh water, but in the morning our resolution held not, because many liked not the hilliness of the soil, and badness of the harbor. So we turned towards the other creek, that we might go over and look for the rest of the corn that we left behind when we were here before.

When we came to the creek we saw the canoe lie on the dry ground, and a flock of geese in the river, at which one made a shot and killed a couple of them, and we launched the canoe and fetched them and when we had done, she carried us over by seven or eight at once. This done, we marched to the place where we had the corn formerly, which place we called Cornhill, and digged and found the rest, of which we were very glad. We also digged in a place a little further off, and found a bottle of oil. We went to another place which we had seen before, and digged, and found more corn, viz. Two or three baskets full of Indian wheat, and a bag of beans, with a good many of fair wheat ears. Whilst some of us were digging up this, some others found another heap of corn, which they digged up also, so as we had in all about ten bushels, which will serve us sufficiently for seed. And sure it was God's good providence that we found this corn, for else we know not how we should have done, for we knew not how we should find or meet with any Indians, except it be to do us a mischief. Also, we had never in all likelihood seen a grain of it if we had not made our first journey, for the ground was now covered with snow, and so hard frozen that we were fain with our cutlasses and short swords to hew and carve the ground a foot deep, and then wrest it up with levers, for we had forgot to bring other tools. Whilst we were in this employment, foul weather being towards, Master Jones was earnest to go aboard, but sundry of us desired to make further discovery and to find out the Indians' habitations. So we sent home with him our weakest people, and some that were sick, and all the corn, and eighteen of us stayed still, and lodged there that night, and desired that the shallop might return to us next day and bring us some mattocks and spades with them.

The next morning we followed certain beaten paths and tracks of the Indians into the woods, supposing they would have led us into some town, our houses. After we had gone a while, we light upon a very broad beaten path, well nigh two feet broad. Then we lighted all our matches and prepared ourselves, concluding that we were near their dwellings, but in the end we found it to be only a path made to drive deer in, when the Indians hunt, as we supposed.

When we had marched five or six miles into the woods and could find no signs of any people, we returned again another way, and as we came into the plain ground we found a place like a grave, but it was much bigger and longer than any we had yet seen. It was also covered with boards, so as we mused what it should be, and resolved to dig it up, where we found, first a mat, and under that a fair bow, and there another mat, and under that a board about three quarters long, finely carved and painted, with three tines, or broaches, on the top, like a crown. Also between the mats we found bowls, trays, dishes, and such like trinkets. At length we came to a fair new mat, and under that two bundles, the one bigger, the other less. We opened the greater and found in it a great quantity of fine and perfect red powder, and in it the bones and skull of a man. The skull had fine yellow hair still on it, and some of the flesh unconsumed; there was bound up with it a knife, a packneedle, and two or three old iron things. It was bound up in a sailor's canvas cassock, and a pair of cloth breeches. The red powder was a kind of embalment, and yielded a strong, but not offensive smell; it was as fine as any flour. We opened the less bundle likewise, and found of the same powder in it, and the bones and head of a little child. About the legs and other parts of it was bound strings and bracelets of fine white beads; there was also by it a little bow, about three quarters long, and some other odd knacks. We brought sundry of the prettiest things away with us, and covered the corpse up again. After this, we digged in sundry like places, but found no more corn, nor any thing else but graves.

There was variety of opinions amongst us about the embalmed person. Some thought it was an Indian lord and king. Others said the Indians have all black hair, and never any was seen with brown or yellow hair. Some thought it was a Christian of some special note, which had died amongst them, and they thus buried him to honor him. Others thought they had killed him, and did it in triumph over him.

Whilst we were thus ranging and searching, two of the sailors, which were newly come on the shore, by chance espied two houses which had been lately dwelt in, but the people were gone. They, having their pieces and hearing nobody, entered the house and took out some things, and durst not stay but came again and told us. So some seven or eight of us went with them, and found how we had gone within a flight shot of them before. The houses were made with long young sapling trees, bended and both ends stuck into the ground. They were made round, like unto an arbor, and covered down to the ground with thick and well wrought mats, and the door was not over a yard high, made of a mat to open. The chimney was a wide open hole in the top, for which they had a mat to cover it close when they pleased. One might stand and go upright in them. In the midst of them were four little trunches knocked into the ground, and small sticks laid over, on which they hung their pots, and what they had to seethe. Round about the fire they lay on mats, which are their beds. The houses were double matted, for as they were matted without, so were they within, with newer and fairer mats. In the houses we found wooden bowls, trays and dishes, earthen pots, handbaskets made of crabshells wrought together, also an English pail or bucket; it wanted a bail, but it had two iron ears. There was also baskets of sundry sorts, bigger and some lesser, finer and some coarser; some were curiously wrought with black and white in pretty works, and sundry other of their household stuff. We found also two or three deer's heads, one whereof had been newly killed, for it was still fresh. There was also a company of deer's feet stuck up in the houses, harts' horns, and eagles' claws, and sundry such like things there was, also two or three baskets full of parched acorns, pieces of fish, and a piece of a broiled herring. We found also a little silk grass, and a little tobacco seed, with some other seeds which we knew not. Without was sundry bundles of flags, and sedge, bulrushes, and other stuff to make mats. There was thrust into a hollow tree two or three pieces of venison, but we thought it fitter for the dogs than for us. Some of the best things we took away with us, and left the houses standing still as they were.

So it growing towards night, and the tide almost spent, we hasted with our things down to the shallop, and got aboard that night, intending to have brought some beads and other things to have left in the houses, in sign of peace and that we meant to truck with them, but it was not done, by means of our hasty coming away from Cape Cod. But so soon as we can meet conveniently with them, we will give them full satisfaction. Thus much of our second discovery.

Having thus discovered this place, it was controversial amongst us what to do touching our abode and settling there; some thought it best, for many reasons, to abide there. As first, that there was a convenient harbor for boats, though not for ships. Secondly, good corn-ground ready to our hands, as we saw by experience in the goodly corn it yielded, which would agree with the ground, and be natural seed for the same. Thirdly, Cape Cod was like to be a place of good fishing, for we saw daily great whales of the best kind for oil and bone, come close aboard our ship, and in fair weather swim and play about us. There was once one, when the sun shone warm, came and lay above water as if she was been dead, for a good while together, within half a musket shot of the ship, at which two were prepared to shoot to see whether she would stir or no. He that gave fire first, his musket flew to pieces, both stock and barrel, yet, thanks be to God, neither he nor any man else was hurt with it, though many were about. But when the whale saw her time, she gave a snuff, and away. Fourthly, the place was likely to be healthful, secure, and defensible.

But the last and especial reason was, that now the heart of winter and unseasonable weather was come upon us, so that we could not go upon coasting and discovery without danger of losing men and boat, upon which would follow the overthrow of all, especially considering what variable winds and sudden storms do there arise. Also, cold and wet lodging had so tainted our people, for scarce any of us were free from vehement coughs, as if they should continue long in that estate it would endanger the lives of many, and breed diseases and infection amongst us. Again, we had yet some beer, butter, flesh, and other such victuals left, which would quickly be all gone, and then we should have nothing to comfort us in the great labor and toil we were like to undergo at the first. It was also conceived, whilst we had competent victuals, that the ship would stay with us, but when that grew low, they would be gone and let us shift as we could.

Others again, urged greatly the going to Anguum, or Angoum, a place twenty leagues off to the northwards, which they had heard to be an excellent harbor for ships, better ground, and better fishing. Secondly, for anything we knew, there might be hard by us a far better seat, and it should be a great hindrance to seat where we should remove again. Thirdly, the water was but in ponds, and it was thought there would be none in the summer, or very little. Fourthly, the water there must be fetched up a steep hill. But to omit many reasons and replies used hereabouts, it was in the end concluded to make some discovery within the bay, but in no case so far as Anguum. Besides, Robert Coppin, our pilot, made relation of a great navigable river and good harbor in the other headland of this bay, almost right over against Cape Cod, being in a right line not much above eight leagues distant, in which he had been once; and because that one of the wild men with whom they had some trucking stole a harping iron from them, they called it Thievish Harbor. And beyond that place they were enjoined not to go, whereupon a company was chosen to go out upon a third discovery. Whilst some were employed in this discovery, it pleased god that Mistress White was brought a-bed of a son, which was called Peregrine.

The 5th day, we, through God's mercy, escaped a great danger by the foolishness of a boy, one of Francis Billington's sons, who, in his father's absence, had got gunpowder and had shot a piece or two, and made squibs, and there being a fowling-piece charged in his father's cabin, shot her off in the cabin; there being a little barrel of powder half full, scattered in and about the cabin, the fire being within four feed of the bed between the decks, and many flints and iron things about the cabin, and many people about the fire, and yet, by God's mercy, no harm done.

Wednesday, the 6th of December, it was resolved our discoverers should set forth, for the day before was too foul weather, and so they did, though it was well o'er the day ere all things could be ready. So ten of our men were appointed who were of themselves willing to undertake it, to wit, Captain Standish, Master Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, John Tilley, Edward Tilley, John Howland, and three of London, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, and Edward Doty, and two of our seamen, John Allerton and Thomas English. Of the ship's company there went two of the master's mates, Master Clarke and Master Coppin, the master gunner, and three sailors. The narration of which discovery follows, penned by one of the company.

Wednesday, the 6th of December, we set out, being very cold and hard weather. We were a long while after we launched from the ship before we could get clear of a sandy point which lay within less than a furlong of the same. In which time two were very sick, and Edward Tilley had like to have sounded with cold; the gunner also was sick unto death, (but hope of trucking made him to go), and so remained all that day and the next night. At length we got clear of the sandy point and got up our sails, and within an hour or two we got under the weather shore, and then had smoother water and better sailing, but it was very gold, for the water froze on our clothes and made them many times like coats of iron. We sailed six or seven leagues by the shore, but saw neither river nor creek; at length we met with a tongue of land, being flat off from the shore, with a sandy point. We bore up to gain the point, and found there a fair income or road of a bay, being a league over at the narrowest, and some two or three in length, but we made right over the land before us, and left the discovery of this income till the next day. As we drew near to the shore, we espied some ten or twelve Indians very busy about a black thing—what it was we could not tell—till afterwards they saw us, and ran to and fro as if they had been carrying something away. We landed a league or two from them, and had much ado to put ashore anywhere, it lay so full of flat sands. When we came to shore, we made us a barricade, and got firewood, and set out our sentinels, and betook us to our lodging, such as it was. We saw the smoke of the fire which the savages made that night, about four or five miles from us.

In the morning we divided our company, some eight in the shallop, and the rest on the shore went to discover this place, but we found it only to be a bay, without either river or creek coming into it. Yet we deemed it to be as good a harbor as Cape Cod, for they that sounded it found a ship might ride in five fathom water. We on the land found it to be a level soil, though none of the fruitfullest. We saw two becks of fresh water, which were the first running streams that we saw in the country, but one might stride over them. We found also a great fish, called a grampus, dead on the sands; they in the shallop found two of them also in the bottom of the bay, dead in like sort. They were cast up at high water, and could not get off for the frost and ice. They were some five or six paces long, and about two inches thick of fat, and fleshed like a swine; they would have yielded a great deal of oil if there had been time and means to have taken it. So we finding nothing for our turn, both we and our shallop returned.

We then directed our course along the sea sands, to the place where we first saw the Indians. When we were there, we saw it was also a grampus which they were cutting up; they cut it into long rands or pieces, about an ell long, and two handful broad. We found here and there a piece scattered by the way, as it seemed, for haste. This place the most were minded we should call the Grampus Bay, because we found so many of them there. We followed the track of the Indians' bare feet a good way on the sands; at length we saw where they struck into the woods by the side of a pond. As we went to view the place, one said he thought he saw an Indian house among the trees, so went up to see. And here we and the shallop lost sight one of another till night, it being now about nine or ten o'clock.

So we light on a path, but saw no house, and followed a great way into the woods. At length we found where corn had been set, but not that year. Anon we found a great burying place, one part whereof was encompassed with a large palisade, like a churchyard, with young spires for or five yards long, set as close one by another as they could, two or three feet in the ground. Within it was full of graves, some bigger and some less; some were also paled about, and others had like an Indian house made over them, but not matted. Those graves were more sumptuous than those at Cornhill, yet we digged none of them up, but only viewed them, and went our way. Without the palisade were graves also, but not so costly. From this place we went and found more corn-ground, but not of this year. As we ranged we light on four or five Indian houses, which had been lately dwelt in, but they were uncovered, and had no mats about them, else they were like those we found at Cornhill but had not been so lately dwelt in. There was nothing left but two or three pieces of old mats, and a little sedge. Also, a little further we found two baskets full of parched acorns hid in the ground, which we supposed had been corn when we began to dig the same; we cast earth thereon again and went our way. All this while we saw no people.

We went ranging up and down till the sun began to draw low, and then we hasted out of the woods, that we might come to our shallop, which when we were out of the woods, we espied a great way off, and called them to come unto us, which they did as soon as they could, for it was not yet high water. They were exceedingly glad to see us (for they feared because they had not seen us in so long a time), thinking we would have kept by the shore side. So being both weary and faint, for we had eaten nothing all that day, we fell to making our rendezvous and get firewood, which always costs us a great deal of labor. By that time we had done, and our shallop come to us, it was within night, and we fed upon such victuals as we had, and betook us to our rest, after we had set out our watch. About midnight we heard a great and hideous cry, and our sentinels called, "Arm! Arm!" So we bestirred ourselves and shot off a couple of muskets, and the noise ceased; we concluded that it was a company of wolves or foxes, for one told us he had heard such a noise in Newfoundland.

About five o'clock in the morning we began to be stirring, and two or three which doubted whether their pieces would go off or no made trial of them, and shot them off, but thought nothing at all. After prayer we prepared ourselves for breakfast and for a journey, and it being now the twilight in the morning, it was thought meet to carry the things down to the shallop. Some said it was not best to carry the armor down; others said they would be readier; two or three said they would not carry theirs till they went themselves, but mistrusting nothing at all. As it fell out, the water not being high enough, they laid the things down upon the shore and came up to breakfast. Anon, all upon a sudden, we heard a great and strange cry, which we knew to be the same voices, though they varied their notes. One of our company, being abroad, came running in and cried, "They are men! Indians! Indians!" and withal, their arrows came flying amongst us. Our men ran out with all speed to recover their arms, as by the good providence of God they did. In the meantime, Captain Miles Standish, having a snaphance ready, made a shot, and after him another. After they two had shot, other two of us were ready, but he wished us not to shoot till we could take aim, for we knew not what need we should have, and there were four only of us which had their arms there ready, and stood before the open side of our barricade, which was first assaulted. They thought it best to defend it, lest the enemy should take it and our stuff, and so have the more vantage against us. Our care was no less for the shallop, but we hoped all the rest would defend it; we called unto them to know how it was with them, and they answered, "Well! Well!" every one and, "Be of good courage!" We heard three of their pieces go off, and the rest called for a firebrand to light their matches. One took a log out of the fire on his shoulder and went and carried it unto them, which was thought did not a little discourage our enemies. The cry of our enemies was dreadful, especially when our men ran out to recover their arms; their note was after this manner, "Woach woach ha ha hach woach." Our men were no sooner come to their arms, but the enemy was ready to assault them.

There was a lusty man and no whit less valiant, who was thought to be their captain, stood behind a tree within half a musket shot of us, and there let his arrows fly at us. He was seen to shoot three arrows, which were all avoided, for he at whom the first arrow was aimed, saw it, and stooped down and it flew over him; the rest were avoided also. He stood three shots of a musket. At length one took, as he said, full aim at him, and after which he gave extraordinary cry and away they all went. We followed them about a quarter of a mile, but we left six to keep our shallop, for we were careful about our business. Then we shouted all together two several times, and shot off a couple of muskets and so returned; this we did that they might see we were not afraid of them nor discouraged.

Thus it pleased God to vanquish our enemies and give us deliverance. By their noise we could not guess that they were less than thirty or forty, though some thought that they were many more. Yet in the dark of the morning we could not so well discern them among the trees, as they could see us by our fireside. We took up eighteen of their arrows which we have sent to England by Master Jones, some whereof were headed with brass, others with harts' horn, and others with eagles' claws. Many more no doubt were shot, for these we found were almost covered with leaves; yet, by the especial providence of God, none of them either hit or hurt us though many came close by us and on every side of us, and some coats which hung up in our barricade were shot through and through.

So after we had given God thanks for our deliverance, we took our shallop and went on our journey, and called this place, The First Encounter. From thence we intended to have sailed to the aforesaid Thievish Harbor, if we found no convenient harbor by the way. Having the wind good, we sailed all that day along the coast about fifteen leagues, but saw neither river nor creek to put into. After we had sailed an hour or two, it began to snow and rain, and to be bad weather. About the midst of the afternoon, the wind increased and the seas began to be very rough, and the hinges of the rudder broke so that we could steer no longer with it, but two men with much ado were fain to serve with a couple of oars. The seas were grown so great that we were much troubled and in great danger, and night grew on. Anon Master Coppin bade us be of good cheer; he saw the harbor. As we drew near, the gale being stiff and we bearing great sail to get in, split our mast in three pieces, and were like to have cast away our shallop. Yet, by God's mercy, recovering ourselves, we had the flood with us, and struck into the harbor.

Now he that thought that had been the place was deceived, it being a place where not any of us had been before, and coming into the harbor, he that was our pilot did bear up northward, which if we had continued we had been cast away. Yet still the Lord kept us, and we bore up for an island before us, and recovering of that island, being compassed about with many rocks, and dark night growing upon us, it pleased the Divine Providence that we fell upon a place of sandy ground, where our shallop did ride safe and secure all that night, and coming upon a strange island kept our watch all night in the rain upon that island. And in the morning we marched about it and found no inhabitants at all, and here we made our rendezvous all that day, being Saturday, 10th of December. On the Sabbath day we rested, and on Monday we sounded the harbor, and found it a very good harbor for our shipping. We marched also into the land, and found divers cornfields, and little running brooks, a place very good for situation, so we returned to our ship again with good news to the rest of our people, which did much comfort their hearts.

On the 15th day we weighed anchor, to go to the place we had discovered, and coming within two leagues of the land, we could not fetch the harbor, but were fain to put room again towards Cape Cod, our course lying west, and the wind was at northwest. But it pleased God that the next day, being Saturday the 16th day, the wind came fair and we put to sea again, and came safely into a safe harbor; and within half an hour the wind changed, so as if we had been letted but a little, we had gone back to Cape Cod.

This harbor is a bay greater than Cape Cod, compassed with a goodly land, and in the bay, two fine islands uninhabited, wherein are nothing but wood, oaks, pines, walnuts, beech, sassafras, vines, and other trees which we know not. This bay is a most hopeful place, innumerable store of fowl, and excellent good, and cannot but be of fish in their season; skote, cod, turbot, and herring, we have tasted of, abundance of mussels the greatest and best that ever we saw; crabs and lobsters, in their time infinite. It is in fashion like a sickle or fish-hook.

Monday the 18th day, we went a-land, manned with the master of the ship and three or four of the sailors. We marched along the coast in the woods some seven or eight miles, but saw not an Indian nor an Indian house; only we found where formerly had been some inhabitants, and where they had planted their corn. We found not any navigable river, but four or five small running brooks of very sweet fresh water, that all run into the sea. The land for the crust of the earth is, a spit's depth, excellent black mould, and fat in some places, two or three great oaks but not very thick, pines, walnuts, beech, ash, birch, hazel, holly, asp, sassafras in abundance, and vines everywhere, cherry trees, plum trees, and many other which we know not. Many kinds of herbs we found here in winter, as strawberry leaves innumerable, sorrel, yarrow, carvel, brooklime, liverwort, watercresses, great store of leeks and onions, and an excellent strong kind of flax and hemp. Here is sand, gravel, and excellent clay, no better in the world, excellent for pots, and will wash like soap, and great store of stone, though somewhat soft, and the best water that ever we drank, and the brooks now begin to be full of fish. That night, many being weary with marching, we went aboard again.

The next morning, being Tuesday the 19th of December, we went again to discover further; some went on land, and some in the shallop. The land we found as the former day we did, and we found a creek, and went up three English miles. A very pleasant river, at full sea a bark of thirty tons may go up, but at low water scarce our shallop could pass. This place we had a great liking to plant in, but that it was so far from our fishing, our principal profit, and so encompassed with woods that we should be in much danger of the savages, and our number being so little, and so much ground to clear, so as we thought good to quit and clear that place till we were of more strength. Some of us having a good mind for safety to plant in the greater isle, we crossed the bay which is there five or six miles over, and found the isle about a mile and a half or two miles about, all wooded, and no fresh water but two or three pits, that we doubted of fresh water in summer, and so full of wood as we could hardly clear so much as to serve us for corn. Besides, we judged it cold for our corn, and some part very rocky, yet divers thought of it as a place defensible, and of great security.

That night we returned again a-shipboard, with resolution the next morning to settle on some of those places; so in the morning, after we had called on God for direction, we came to this resolution: to go presently ashore again, and to take a better view of two places, which we thought most fitting for us, for we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December. After our landing and viewing of the places, so well as we could we came to a conclusion, by most voices, to set on the mainland, on the first place, on a high ground, where there is a great deal of land cleared, and hath been planted with corn three or four years ago, and there is a very sweet brook runs under the hillside, and many delicate springs of as good water as can be drunk, and where we may harbor our shallops and boats exceedingly well, and in this brook much good fish in their seasons; on the further side of the river also much corn-ground cleared. In one field is a great hill on which we point to make a platform and plant our ordnance, which will command all round about. From thence we may see into the bay, and far into the sea, and we may see thence Cape Cod. Our greatest labor will be fetching of our wood, which is half a quarter of an English mile, but there is enough so far off. What people inhabit here we yet know not, for as yet we have seen none. So there we made our rendezvous, and a place for some of our people, about twenty, resolving in the morning to come all ashore and to build houses.

But the next morning, being Thursday the 21st of December, it was stormy and wet, that we could not go ashore, and those that remained there all night could do nothing, but were wet, not having daylight enough to make them a sufficient court of guard to keep them dry. All that night it blew and rained extremely; it was so tempestuous that the shallop could not go on land so soon as was meet, for they had no victuals on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop went off with much ado with provision, but could not return; it blew so strong and was such foul weather that we were forced to let fall our anchor and ride with three anchors ahead.

Friday, the 22nd, the storm still continued, that we could not get a-land nor they come to us aboard. This morning good-wife Allerton was delivered of a son, but dead born.

Saturday, the 23rd, so many of us as could, went on shore, felled and carried timber, to provide themselves stuff for building.

Sunday, the 24th, our people on shore heard a cry of some savages (as they thought) which caused an alarm, and to stand on their guard, expecting an assault, but all was quiet.

Monday, the 25th day, we went on shore, some to fell timber, some to saw, some to rive, and some to carry, so no man rested all that day. But towards night some, as they were at work, heard a noise of some Indians, which caused us all to go to our muskets, but we heard no further. So we came aboard again, and left some twenty to keep the court of guard. That night we had a sore storm of wind and rain.

Monday, the 25 being Christmas day, we began to drink water aboard, but at night the master caused us to have some beer, and so on board we had divers times now and then some beer, but on shore none at all.

Tuesday, the 26th, it was foul weather, that we could not go ashore.

Wednesday, the 27th, we went to work again.

Thursday, the 28th of December, so many as could went to work on the hill where we purposed to build our platform for our ordnance, and which doth command all the plain and the bay, and from whence we may see far into the sea, and might be easier impaled, having two rows of houses and a fair street. So in the afternoon we went to measure out the grounds, and first we took notice of how many families there were, willing all single men that had no wives to join with some family, as they thought fit, that so we might build fewer houses, which was done, and we reduced them to nineteen families. To greater families we allotted larger plots, to every person half a pole in breadth, and three in length, and so lots were cast where every man should lie, which was done, and staked out. We thought this proportion was large enough at the first for houses and gardens, to impale them round, considering the weakness of our people, many of them growing ill with cold, for our former discoveries in frost and storms, and the wading at Cape Cod had brought much weakness amongst us, which increased so every day more and more, and after was the cause of many of their deaths.

Friday and Saturday, we fitted ourselves for our labor, but our people on shore were much troubled and discouraged with rain and wet, that day being very stormy and cold. We saw great smokes of fire made by the Indians, about six or seven miles from us, as we conjectured.

Monday, the 1st of January, we went betimes to work. We were much hindered in lying so far off from the land, and fain to go as the tide served, that we lost much time, for our shop drew so much water that she lay a mile and almost a half off, though a ship of seventy or eighty tons at high water may come to the shore.

Wednesday, the 3rd of January, some of our people being abroad to get and gather thatch, they saw great fires of the Indians, and were at their corn-fields, yet saw none of the savages, nor had seen any of them since we came to this bay.

Thursday, the 4th of January, Captain Miles Standish with four or five more, went to see if they could meet with any of the savages in that place where the fires were made. They went to some of their houses, but not lately inhabited, yet could they not meet with any. As they came home, they shot at an eagle and killed her, which was excellent meat; it was hardly to be discerned from mutton.

Friday, the 5th of January, one of the sailors found alive upon the shore a herring, which the master had to his supper, which put us in hope of fish, but as yet we had got but one cod; we wanted small hooks.

Saturday, the 6th of January, Master Martin was very sick, and to our judgment no hope of life, so Master Carver was sent for to come aboard to speak with him about his accounts, who came the next morning.

Monday, the 8th day of January, was a very fair day, and we went betimes to work. Master Jones sent the shallop, as he had formerly done, to see where fish could be got. They had a great storm at sea, and were in some danger; at night they returned with three great seals and an excellent good cod, which did assure us that we should have plenty of fish shortly.

This day, Francis Billington, having the week before seen from the top of a tree on a high hill a great sea as he thought, went with one of the master's mates to see it. They went three miles and then came to a great water, divided into two great lakes, the bigger of them five or six miles in circuit, and in it an isle of a cable length square, the other three miles in compass; in their estimation they are fine fresh water, full of fish, and fowl. A brook issues from it; it will be an excellent help for us in time. They found seven or eight Indian houses, but not lately inhabited. When they saw the houses they were in some fear, for they were but two persons and one piece.

Tuesday, the 9th of January, was a remarkable fair day, and we went to labor that day in the building of our town, in two rows of houses for more safety. We divided by lot the plot of ground whereon to build our town. After the proportion formerly allotted, we agreed that every man should build his own house, thinking by that course men would make more haste than working in common. The common house, in which for the first we made our rendezvous, being near finished wanted only covering, it being about twenty feet square. Some should make mortar, and some gather thatch, so that in four days half of it was thatched. Frost and foul weather hindered us much, this time of the year seldom could we work half the week.

Thursday, the 11th, William Bradford being at work (for it was a fair day) was vehemently taken with a grief and pain, and so shot to his huckle-bone. It was doubted that he would have instantly died; he got cold in the former discoveries, especially the last, and felt some pain in his ankles by times, but he grew a little better towards night and in time, though God's mercy in the use of means, recovered.

Friday, the 12th, we went to work, but about noon it began to rain that it forced us to give over work.

This day two of our people put us in great sorrow and care; there was four sent to gather and cut thatch in the morning, and two of them, John Goodman and Peter Brown, having cut thatch all the forenoon, went to a further place, and willed the other two to bind up that which was cut and to follow them. So they did, being about a mile and a half from our plantation. But when the two came after, they could not find them, nor hear any thing of them at all, though they hallooed and shouted as loud as they could, so they returned to the company and told them of it. Whereupon Master Leaver and three or four more went to seek them, but could hear nothing of them, so they returning, sent more, but that night they could hear nothing at all of them. The next day they armed ten or twelve men out, verily thinking the Indians had surprised them. They went seeking seven or eight miles, but could neither see nor hear any thing at all, so they returned, with much discomfort to us all.

These two that were missed, at dinner time took their meat in their hands, and would go walk and refresh themselves. So going a little off they find a lake of water, and having a great mastiff bitch with them and a spaniel, by the water side they found a great deer; the dogs chased him, and they followed so far as they lost themselves and could not find the way back. They wandered all that afternoon being wet, and at night it did freeze and snow. They were slenderly appareled and had no weapons but each one his sickle, nor any victuals. They ranged up and down and could find none of the savages' habitations. When it drew to night they were much perplexed, for they could find neither harbor nor meat, but, in frost and snow were forced to make the earth their bed and the element their covering. And another thing did very much terrify them; they heard, as they thought, two lions roaring exceedingly for a long time together, and a third, that they thought was very near them. So not knowing what to do, they resolved to climb up into a tree as their safest refuge, though that would prove an intolerable cold lodging; so they stood at the tree's root, that when the lions came they might take their opportunity of climbing up. The bitch they were fain to hold by the neck, for she would have been gone to the lion; but it pleased God so to dispose, that the wild beasts came not. So they walked up and down under the tree all night; it was an extreme cold night. So soon as it was light they traveled again, passing by many lakes and brooks and woods, and in one place where the savages had burnt the space of five miles in length, which is a fine champaign country, and even. In the afternoon, it pleased God, from a high hill they discovered the two isles in the bay, and so that night got to the plantation, being ready to faint with travail and want of victuals, and almost famished with cold. John Goodman was fain to have his shoes cut off his feet they were so swelled with cold, and it was a long while after ere he was able to go; those on the shore were much comforted at their return, but they on the shipboard were grieved at deeming them lost.

But the next day, being the 14th of January, in the morning about six of the clock the wind being very great, they on shipboard spied their great new rendezvous on fire, which was to them a new discomfort, fearing because of the supposed loss of men, that the savages had fired them. Neither could they presently go to them, for want of water, but after three quarters of an hour they went, as they had purposed the day before to keep the Sabbath on shore, because now there was the greatest number of people. At their landing they heard good tidings of the return of the two men, and that the house was fired occasionally by a spark that flew into the thatch, which instantly burnt it all up but the roof stood and little hurt. The most loss was Master Carver's and William Bradford's, who then lay sick in bed, and if they had not risen with good speed, had been blown up with powder, but, though God's mercy, they had no harm. The house was as full of beds as they could lie one by another, and their muskets charged, but, blessed be God, there was no harm done.

Monday, the 15th day, it rained much all day, that they on shipboard could not go on shore, nor they on shore do any labor but were all wet.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, were very fair sunshiny days, as if it had been in April, and our people, so many as were in health, wrought cheerfully.

The 19th day we resolved to make a shed to put our common provisions in, of which some were already set on shore, but at noon it rained, that we could not work. This day in the evening, John Goodman went abroad to use his lame feet, that were pitifully ill with the cold he had got, having a little spaniel with him. A little way from the plantation two great wolves ran after the dog; the dog ran to him and betwixt his legs for succor. He had nothing in his hand but took up a stick, and threw at one of them and hit him, and they presently ran both away, but came again; he got a pale-board in his hand, and they sat both on their tails, grinning at him a good while, and went their way and left him.

Saturday, 20th, we made up our shed for our common goods.

Sunday, the 21st, we kept our meeting on land.

Monday, the 22nd, was a fair day. We w so little, and so much ground to clear, so as we thought good to quit and clear that place till we were of more strength. Some of us having a good mind for safety to plant in the greater isle, we crossed the bay which is there five or six miles over, and found the isle about a mile and a half or two miles about, all wooded, and no fresh water but two or three pits, that we doubted of fresh water in summer, and so full of wood as we could hardly clear so much as to serve us for corn. Besides, we judged it cold for our corn, and some part very rocky, yet divers thought of it as a place defensible, and of great security.

That night we returned again a-shipboard, with resolution the next morning to settle on some of those places; so in the morning, after we had called on God for direction, we came to this resolution: to go presently ashore again, and to take a better view of two places, which we thought most fitting for us, for we could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December. After our landing and viewing of the places, so well as we could we came to a conclusion, by most voices, to set on the mainland, on the first place, on a high ground, where there is a great deal of land cleared, and hath been planted with corn three or four years ago, and there is a very sweet brook runs under the hillside, and many delicate springs of as good water as can be drunk, and where we may harbor our shallops and boats exceedingly well, and in this brook much good fish in their seasons; on the further side of the river also much corn-ground cleared. In one field is a great hill on which we point to make a platform and plant our ordnance, which will command all round about. From thence we may see into the bay, and far into the sea, and we may see thence Cape Cod. Our greatest labor will be fetching of our wood, which is half a quarter of an English mile, but there is enough so far off. What people inhabit here we yet know not, for as yet we have seen none. So there we made our rendezvous, and a place for some of our people, about twenty, resolving in the morning to come all ashore and to build houses.

But the next morning, being Thursday the 21st of December, it was stormy and wet, that we could not go ashore, and those that remained there all night could do nothing, but were wet, not having daylight enough to make them a sufficient court of guard to keep them dry. All that night it blew and rained extremely; it was so tempestuous that the shallop could not go on land so soon as was meet, for they had no victuals on land. About eleven o'clock the shallop went off with much ado with provision, but could not return; it blew so strong and was such foul weather that we were forced to let fall our anchor and ride with three anchors ahead.

Friday, the 22nd, the storm still continued, that we could not get a-land nor they come to us aboard. This morning good-wife Allerton was delivered of a son, but dead born.

Saturday, the 23rd, so many of us as could, went on shore, felled and carried timber, to provide themselves stuff for building.

Sunday, the 24th, our people on shore heard a cry of some savages (as they thought) which caused an alarm, and to stand on their guard, expecting an assault, but all was quiet.

Monday, the 25th day, we went on shore, some to fell timber, some to saw, some to rive, and some to carry, so no man rested all that day. But towards night some, as they were at work, heard a noise of some Indians, which caused us all to go to our muskets, but we heard no further. So we came aboard again, and left some twenty to keep the court of guard. That night we had a sore storm of wind and rain.

Monday, the 25th day, we went on shore, some to fell drink water aboard, but at night the master caused us to have some beer, and so on board we had divers times now and then some beer, but on shore none at all.

Tuesday, the 26th, it was foul weather, that we could not go ashore.

Wednesday, the 27th, we went to work again.

Thursday, the 28th of December, so many as could went to work on the hill where we purposed to build our platform for our ordnance, and which doth command all the plain and the bay, and from whence we may see far into the sea, and might be easier impaled, having two rows of houses and a fair street. So in the afternoon we went to measure out the grounds, and first we took notice of how many families there were, willing all single men that had no wives to join with some family, as they thought fit, that so we might build fewer houses, which was done, and we reduced them to nineteen families. To greater families we allotted larger plots, to every person half a pole in breadth, and three in length, and so lots were cast where every man should lie, which was done, and staked out. We thought this proportion was large enough at the first for houses and gardens, to impale them round, considering the weakness of our people, many of them growing ill with cold, for our former discoveries in frost and storms, and the wading at Cape Cod had brought much weakness amongst us, which increased so every day more and more, and after was the cause of many of their deaths.

Friday and Saturday, we fitted ourselves for our labor, but our people on shore were much troubled and discouraged with rain and wet, that day being very stormy and cold. We saw great smokes of fire made by the Indians, about six or seven miles from us, as we conjectured.

Monday, the 1st of January, we went betimes to work. We were much hindered in lying so far off from the land, and fain to go as the tide served, that we lost much time, for our shop drew so much water that she lay a mile and almost a half off, though a ship of seventy or eighty tons at high water may come to the shore.

Wednesday, the 3rd of January, some of our people being abroad to get and gather thatch, they saw great fires of the Indians, and were at their corn-fields, yet saw none of the savages, nor had seen any of them since we came to this bay.

Thursday, the 4th of January, Captain Miles Standish with four or five more, went to see if they could meet with any of the savages in that place where the fires were made. They went to some of their houses, but not lately inhabited, yet could they not meet with any. As they came home, they shot at an eagle and killed her, which was excellent meat; it was hardly to be discerned from mutton.

Friday, the 5th of January, one of the sailors found alive upon the shore a herring, which the master had to his supper, which put us in hope of fish, but as yet we had got but one cod; we wanted small hooks.

Saturday, the 6th of January, Master Martin was very sick, and to our judgment no hope of life, so Master Carver was sent for to come aboard to speak with him about his accounts, who came the next morning.

Monday, the 8th day of January, was a very fair day, and we went betimes to work. Master Jones sent the shallop, as he had formerly done, to see where fish could be got. They had a great storm at sea, and were in some danger; at night they returned with three great seals and an excellent good cod, which did assure us that we should have plenty of fish shortly.

This day, Francis Billington, having the week before seen from the top of a tree on a high hill a great sea as he thought, went with one of the master's mates to see it. They went three miles and then came to a great water, divided into two great lakes, the bigger of them five or six miles in circuit, and in it an isle of a cable length square, the other three miles in compass; in their estimation they are fine fresh water, full of fish, and fowl. A brook issues from it; it will be an excellent help for us in time. They found seven or eight Indian houses, but not lately inhabited. When they saw the houses they were in some fear, for they were but two persons and one piece.

Tuesday, the 9th of January, was a remarkable fair day, and we went to labor that day in the building of our town, in two rows of houses for more safety. We divided by lot the plot of ground whereon to build our town. After the proportion formerly allotted, we agreed that every man should build his own house, thinking by that course men would make more haste than working in common. The common house, in which for the first we made our rendezvous, being near finished wanted only covering, it being about twenty feet square. Some should make mortar, and some gather thatch, so that in four days half of it was thatched. Frost and foul weather hindered us much, this time of the year seldom could we work half the week.

Thursday, the 11th, William Bradford being at work (for it was a fair day) was vehemently taken with a grief and pain, and so shot to his huckle-bone. It was doubted that he would have instantly died; he got cold in the former discoveries, especially the last, and felt some pain in his ankles by times, but he grew a little better towards night and in time, though God's mercy in the use of means, recovered.

Friday, the 12th, we went to work, but about noon it began to rain that it forced us to give over work.

This day two of our people put us in great sorrow and care; there was four sent to gather and cut thatch in the morning, and two of them, John Goodman and Peter Brown, having cut thatch all the forenoon, went to a further place, and willed the other two to bind up that which was cut and to follow them. So they did, being about a mile and a half from our plantation. But when the two came after, they could not find them, nor hear any thing of them at all, though they hallooed and shouted as loud as they could, so they returned to the company and told them of it. Whereupon Master Leaver and three or four more went to seek them, but could hear nothing of them, so they returning, sent more, but that night they could hear nothing at all of them. The next day they armed ten or twelve men out, verily thinking the Indians had surprised them. They went seeking seven or eight miles, but could neither see nor hear any thing at all, so they returned, with much discomfort to us all.

These two that were missed, at dinner time took their meat in their hands, and would go walk and refresh themselves. So going a little off they find a lake of water, and having a great mastiff bitch with them and a spaniel, by the water side they found a great deer; the dogs chased him, and they followed so far as they lost themselves and could not find the way back. They wandered all that afternoon being wet, and at night it did freeze and snow. They were slenderly appareled and had no weapons but each one his sickle, nor any victuals. They ranged up and down and could find none of the savages' habitations. When it drew to night they were much perplexed, for they could find neither harbor nor meat, but, in frost and snow were forced to make the earth their bed and the element their covering. And another thing did very much terrify them; they heard, as they thought, two lions roaring exceedingly for a long time together, and a third, that they thought was very near them. So not knowing what to do, they resolved to climb up into a tree as their safest refuge, though that would prove an intolerable cold lodging; so they stood at the tree's root, that when the lions came they might take their opportunity of climbing up. The bitch they were fain to hold by the neck, for she would have been gone to the lion; but it pleased God so to dispose, that the wild beasts came not. So they walked up and down under the tree all night; it was an extreme cold night. So soon as it was light they traveled again, passing by many lakes and brooks and woods, and in one place where the savages had burnt the space of five miles in length, which is a fine champaign country, and even. In the afternoon, it pleased God, from a high hill they discovered the two isles in the bay, and so that night got to the plantation, being ready to faint with travail and want of victuals, and almost famished with cold. John Goodman was fain to have his shoes cut off his feet they were so swelled with cold, and it was a long while after ere he was able to go; those on the shore were much comforted at their return, but they on the shipboard were grieved at deeming them lost.

But the next day, being the 14th of January, in the morning about six of the clock the wind being very great, they on shipboard spied their great new rendezvous on fire, which was to them a new discomfort, fearing because of the supposed loss of men, that the savages had fired them. Neither could they presently go to them, for want of water, but after three quarters of an hour they went, as they had purposed the day before to keep the Sabbath on shore, because now there was the greatest number of people. At their landing they heard good tidings of the return of the two men, and that the house was fired occasionally by a spark that flew into the thatch, which instantly burnt it all up but the roof stood and little hurt. The most loss was Master Carver's and William Bradford's, who then lay sick in bed, and if they had not risen with good speed, had been blown up with powder, but, though God's mercy, they had no harm. The house was as full of beds as they could lie one by another, and their muskets charged, but, blessed be God, there was no harm done.

Monday, the 15th day, it rained much all day, that they on shipboard could not go on shore, nor they on shore do any labor but were all wet.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, were very fair sunshiny days, as if it had been in April, and our people, so many as were in health, wrought cheerfully.

The 19th day we resolved to make a shed to put our common provisions in, of which some were already set on shore, but at noon it rained, that we could not work. This day in the evening, John Goodman went abroad to use his lame feet, that were pitifully ill with the cold he had got, having a little spaniel with him. A little way from the plantation two great wolves ran after the dog; the dog ran to him and betwixt his legs for succor. He had nothing in his hand but took up a stick, and threw at one of them and hit him, and they presently ran both away, but came again; he got a pale-board in his hand, and they sat both on their tails, grinning at him a good while, and went their way and left him.

Saturday, 20th, we made up our shed for our common goods.

Sunday, the 21st, we kept our meeting on land.

Monday, the 22nd, was a fair day. We wrought on our houses, and in the afternoon carried up our hogshead of meal to our common storehouse. The rest of the week we followed our business likewise.

Monday, the 29th, in the morning cold frost and sleet, but after reasonable fair; both the long-boat and the shallop brought our common goods on shore.

Tuesday and Wednesday, 30th and 31st of January, cold frosty weather and sleet, that we could not work. In the morning the master and others saw two savages that had been on the island near our ship. What they came for we could not tell; they were going so far back again before they were descried, that we could not speak with them.

Sunday, the 4th of February, was very wet and rainy, with the greatest gusts of wind that ever we had since we came forth, that though we rid in a very good harbor, yet we were in danger, because our ship was light, the goods taken out, and she unballasted; and it caused much daubing of our houses to fall down.

Friday, the 9th, still the cold weather continued, that we could do little work. That afternoon our little house for our sick people was set on fire by a spark that kindled in the roof, but no great harm was done. That evening, the master going ashore, killed five geese, which he friendly distributed among the sick people. He found also a good deer killed; the savages had cut off the horns, and a wolf was eating of him; how he came there we could not conceive.

Friday, the 16th, was a fair day, but the northerly wind continued, which continued the frost. This day after noon one of our people being a-fowling, and having taken a stand by a creek-side in the reeds, about a mile and a half from our plantation, there came by him twelve Indians marching towards our plantation, and in the woods he heard the noise of many more. He lay close till they were passed, and then with what speed he could he went home and gave the alarm, so the people abroad in the woods returned and armed themselves, but saw none of them; only toward the evening they made a great fire, about the place where they were first discovered. Captain Miles Standish and Francis Cook, being at work in the woods, coming home, left their tools behind them, but before they returned their tools were taken away by the savages. This coming of the savages gave us occasion to keep more strict watch, and to make our pieces and furniture ready, which by the moisture and rain were out of temper.

Saturday, the 17th day, in the morning we called a meeting for the establishing of military orders among ourselves, and we chose Miles Standish our captain, and gave him authority of command in affairs. And as we were in consultation hereabouts, two savages presented themselves upon the top of a hill, over against our plantation, about a quarter of a mile and less, and made signs unto us to come unto them; we likewise made signs unto them to come to us, whereupon we armed ourselves, and stood ready, and sent two over the brook towards them, to wit, Captain Standish and Stephen Hopkins, who went towards them. Only one of them had a musket, which they laid down on the ground in their sight, in sign of peace, and to parley with them, but the savages would not tarry their coming. A noise of a great many more was heard behind the hill but no more came in sight. This caused us to plant our great ordnance in places most convenient.

Wednesday, the 21st of February, the master came on shore with many of his sailors, and brought with him one of the great pieces, called a minion, and helped us to draw it up the hill, with another piece that lay on shore, and mounted them, and a saller, and two bases. He brought with him a very fat goose to eat with us, and we had a fat crane, and a mallard, and a dried neat's tongue, and so we were kindly and friendly together.

Saturday, the 3rd of March, the wind was south, the morning misty, but towards noon warm and fair; the birds sang in the woods most pleasantly. At one of the clock it thundered, which was the first we heard in that country; it was strong and great clasps, but short, but after an hour it rained very sadly till midnight.

Wednesday, the 7th of March, the wind was full east, cold, but fair. That day Master Carver with five others went to the great pond, which seem to be excellent fishing places; all the way they went they found it exceedingly beaten and haunted with deer, but they saw none. Amongst other fowl, they saw one a milk-white fowl, with a very black head. This day some garden seeds were sown.

Friday, the 16th, a fair warm day towards; this morning we determined to conclude of the military orders, which we had begun to consider of before but were interrupted by the savages, as we mentioned formerly. And whilst we were busied hereabout, we were interrupted again, for there presented himself a savage, which caused an alarm. He very boldly came all alone and along the houses straight to the rendezvous, where we intercepted him, not suffering him to go in, as undoubtedly he would, out of his boldness. He saluted us in England, and bade us welcome, for he had learned some broken English among the Englishmen that came to fish at Monchiggon, and knew by name the most of the captains, commanders, and masters that usually came. He was a man free in speech, so far as he could express his mind, and of a seemly carriage. We questioned him of many things; he was the fist savage we could meet withal. He said he was not of these parts, but of Morattiggon, and one of the sagamores or lords thereof, and had been eight months in these parts, it lying hence a day's sail with a great wind, and five days by land. He discoursed of the whole country, and of every province, and of their sagamores, and their number of men, and strength. The wind being to rise a little, we cast a horseman's coat about him, for he was stark naked, only a leather about his waist, with a fringe about a span long, or little more; he had a bow and two arrows, the one headed, and the other unheaded. He was a tall straight man, the hair of his head black, long behind, only short before, none on his face at all; he asked some beer, but we gave him strong water and biscuit, and butter, and cheese, and pudding, and a piece of mallard, all which he liked well, and had been acquainted with such amongst the English. He told us the place where we now live is called Patuxet, and that about four years ago all the inhabitants died of an extraordinary plague, and there is neither man, woman, nor child remaining, as indeed we have found none, so as there is none to hinder our possession, or to lay claim unto it. All the afternoon we spent in communication with him; we would gladly have been rid of him at night, but he was not willing to go this night. Then we thought to carry him on shipboard, wherewith he was well content, and went into the shallop, but the wind was high and the water scant, that it could not return back. We lodged him that night at Stephen Hopkin's house, and watched him.

The next day he went away back to the Massasoits, from whence he said he came, who are our next bordering neighbors. They are sixty strong, as he saith. The Nausets are as near southeast of them, and are a hundred strong, and those were they of whom our people were encountered, as before related. They are much incensed and provoked against the English, and about eight months ago slew three Englishmen, and two more hardly escaped by flight to Monchiggon; they were Sir Ferdinando Gorges his men, as this savage told us, as he did likewise of the huggery, that is, fight, that our discoverers had with the Nausets, and of our tools that were taken out of the woods, which we willed him should be brought again, otherwise, we would right ourselves. These people are ill affected towards the English, by reason of one Hunt, a master of a ship, who deceived the people, and got them under color of trucking with them, twenty out of this very place where we inhabit, and seven men from Nauset, and carried them away, and sold them for slaves like a wretched man (for twenty pound a man) that cares not what mischief he doth for his profit.

Saturday, in the morning we dismissed the savage, and gave him a knife, a bracelet, and a ring; he promised within a night or two to come again, and to bring with him some of the Massasoits, our neighbors, with such beavers' skins as they had to truck with us.

Saturday and Sunday, reasonable fair days. On this day came again the savage, and brought with him five other tall proper men; they had every man a deer's skin on him, and the principal of them had a wild cat's skin, or such like on the one arm. They had most of them long hosen up to their groins, close made; and above their groins to their waist another leather, they were altogether like the Irish-trousers. They are of a complexion like our English gypsies, no hair or very little on their faces, on the heads long hair to their shoulders, only cut before, some trussed up before with a feather, broad-wise, like a fan, another a fox tail hanging out. These left (according to our charge given him before) their bows and arrows a quarter of a mile from our town. We gave them entertainment as we thought was fitting them; they did eat liberally of our English victuals. They made semblance unto us of friendship and amity; they sang and danced after their manner, like antics. They brought with them in a thing like a bow-case (which the principal of them had about his waist) a little of their corn pounded to powder, which, put to a little water, they eat. He had a little tobacco in a bag, but none of them drank but when he listed. Some of them had their faces painted black, from the forehead to the chin, four or five fingers broad; others after other fashions, as they liked. They brought three or four skins, but we would not truck with them at all that day, but wished them to bring more, and we would truck for all, which they promised within a night or two, and would leave these behind them, though we were not willing they should, and they brought us all our tools again which were taken in the woods, in our men's absence. So because of the day we dismissed them so soon as we could. But Samoset, our first acquaintance, either was sick, or feigned himself so, and would not go with them, and stayed with us till Wednesday morning. Then we sent him to them, to know the reason they came not according to their words, and we gave him a hat, a pair of stockings and shoes, a shirt, and a piece of cloth to tie about his waist.

The Sabbath day, when we sent them from us, we gave every one of them some trifles, especially the principal of them. We carried them along with our arms to the place where they left their bows and arrows, whereat they were amazed, and two of them began to slink away, but that the other called them. When they took their arrows, we bade them farewell, and they were glad, and so with many thanks given us they departed, with promise they would come again.

Monday and Tuesday proved fair days; we digged our grounds, and sowed our garden seeds.

Wednesday a fine warm day, we sent away Samoset.

That day we had again a meeting to conclude of laws and orders for ourselves, and to confirm those military orders that were formerly propounded and twice broken off by the savages' coming, but so we were again the third time, for after we had been an hour together on the top of the hill over against us two or three savages presented themselves, that made semblance of daring us, as we thought. So Captain Standish with another, with their muskets went over to them, with two of the master's mates that follow them without arms, having two muskets with them. They whetted and rubbed their arrows and strings, and made show of defiance, but when our men drew near them, they ran away; thus were we again interrupted by them. This day with much ado we got our carpenter that had been long sick of the scurvy, to fit our shallop, to fetch all from aboard.

Thursday, the 22nd of March, was a very fair warm day. About noon we met again about our public business, but we had scarce been an hour together, but Samoset came again, and Tisquantum, the only native of Patuxet, where we now inhabit, who was one of the twenty captives that by Hunt were carried away, and had been in England, and dwelt in Cornhill with Master John Slanie, a merchant, and could speak a little English, with three others, and they brought with them some few skins to truck, and some red herrings newly taken and dried, but not salted, and signified unto us, that their great sagamore Massasoit was hard by, with Quadequina his brother, and all their men. They could not well express in English what they would, but after an hour the king came to the top of a hill over against us, and had in his train sixty men, that we could well behold them and they us. We were not willing to send our governor to them, and they unwilling to come to us, so Tisquantum went again unto him, who brought word that we should send one to parley with him, which we did, which was Edward Winslow, to know his mind, and to signify the mind and will of our governor, which was to have trading and peace with him. We sent to the king a pair of knives, and a copper chain with a jewel at it. To Quadequina we sent likewise a knife and a jewel to hang in his ear, and withal a pot of strong water, a good quantity of biscuit, and some butter, which were all willingly accepted.

Our messenger made a speech unto him, that King James saluted him with words of love and peace, and did accept of him as his friend and ally, and that our governor desired to see him and to truck with him, and to confirm a peace with him, as his next neighbor. He liked well of the speech and heard it attentively, though the interpreters did not well express it. After he had eaten and drunk himself, and given the rest to his company, he looked upon our messenger's sword and armor which he had on, with intimation of his desire to buy it, but on the other side, our messenger showed his unwillingness to part with it. In the end he left him in the custody of Quadequina his brother, and came over the brook, and some twenty men following him, leaving all their bows and arrows behind them. We kept six or seven as hostages for our messenger; Captain Standish and Master Williamson met the king at the brook, with half a dozen musketeers. They saluted him and he them, so one going over, the one on the one side, and the other on the other, conducted him to a house then in building, where we placed a green rug and three or four cushions. Then instantly came our governor with drum and trumpet after him, and some few musketeers. After salutations, our governor kissing his hand, the king kissed him, and so they sat down. The governor called for some strong water, and drunk to him, and he drunk a great draught that made him sweat all the while after; he called for a little fresh meat, which the king did eat willingly, and did give his followers. Then they treated of peace, which was:

1. That neither he nor any of his should injure or do hurt to any of our people.

2. And if any of his did hurt to any of ours, he should send the offender, that we might punish him.

3. That if any of our tools were taken away when our people are at work, he should cause them to be restored, and if ours did any harm to any of his, we would do the likewise to them.

4. If any did unjustly war against him, we would aid him; if any did war against us, he should aid us.

5. He should send to his neighbor confederates, to certify them of this, that they might not wrong us, but might be likewise comprised in the conditions of peace.

6. That when their men came to us, they should leave their bows and arrows behind them, as we should do our pieces when we came to them.

Lastly, that doing thus, King James would esteem of him as his friend and ally.

All which the king seemed to like well, and it was applauded of his followers; all the while he sat by the governor he trembled for fear. In his person he is a very lusty man, in his best years, an able body, grave of countenance, and spare of speech. In his attire little or nothing differing from the rest of his followers, only in a great chain of white bone beads about his neck, and at it being his neck hangs a little bag of tobacco, which he drank and gave us to drink; his face was painted with a sad red like murry, and oiled both head and face, that he looked greasily. All his followers likewise, were in their faces, in part or in whole painted, some black, some red, some yellow, and some white, some with crosses, and other antic works; some had skins on them, and some naked, all strong, tall, all men in appearance.

So after all was done, the governor conducted him to the brook, and there they embraced each other and he departed; we diligently keeping our hostages, we expected our messenger's coming, but anon, word was brought us that Quadequina was coming, and our messenger was stayed till his return, who presently came and a troop with him, so likewise we entertained him, and conveyed him to the place prepared. He was very fearful of our pieces, and made signs of dislike, that they should be carried away, whereupon commandment was given they should be laid away. He was a very proper tall young man, of a very modest and seemly countenance, and he did kindly like of our entertainment, so we conveyed him likewise as we did the king, but divers of their people stayed still. When he was returned, then they dismissed our messenger. Two of his people would have stayed all night, but we would not suffer it. One thing I forgot, the king had in his bosom, hanging in a string, a great long knife; he marveled much at our trumpet, and some of his men would sound it as well as they could. Samoset and Tisquantum, they stayed all night with us, and the king and all his men lay all night in the woods, not above half an English mile from us, and all their wives and women with them. They said that within eight or nine days they would come and set corn on the other side of the brook, and dwell there all summer, which is hard by us. That night we kept good watch, but there was no appearance of danger.

The next morning divers of their people came over to us, hoping to get some victuals as we imagined; some of them told us the king would have some of us come see him. Captain Standish and Isaac Allerton went venturously, who were welcomed of him after their manner: he gave them three or four ground-nuts, and some tobacco. We cannot yet conceive but that he is willing to have peace with us, for they have seen our people sometimes alone two or three in the woods at work and fowling, when as they offered them no harm as they might easily have done, and especially because he hath a potent adversary the Narragansets, that are at war with him, against whom he thinks we may be some strength to him, for our pieces are terrible unto them. This morning they stayed till ten or eleven of the clock, and our governor bid them send the king's kettle, and filled it full of peas, which pleased them well, and so they went their way.

Friday was a fair day; Samoset and Tisquantum still remained with us. Tisquantum went at noon to fish for eels; at night he came home with as many as he could well lift in one hand, which our people were glad of. They were fat and sweet; he trod them out with his feet, and so caught them with his hands without any other instrument.

This day we proceeded on with our common business, from which we had been so often hindered by the savages' coming, and concluding both of military orders and of some laws and orders as we thought behooveful for our present estate, and condition, and did likewise choose our governor for this year, which was Master John Carver, a man well approved amongst us.

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Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1622, Part I

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Caleb Johnson, a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, provides the following comments on this hypertext version: Mourt's Relation was written primarily by Edward Winslow, although William Bradford appears to have written most of the first section.

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Plymouth Colony was a British colony in Massachusetts in the 17th century and was the first permanent colony in Massachusetts and the first colony in New England.

The following are some facts about Plymouth Colony:

Who Founded Plymouth Colony?

Plymouth colony was founded by the Plymouth Company during the Great Puritan Migration.

The Plymouth Company was a joint stock company founded in 1606 by King James I with the goal of establishing settlements along the east coast of North America.

Who Settled Plymouth Colony?

The Plymouth Company, which consisted of 70 investors, had an agreement with the settlers of the Plymouth Colony, the pilgrims, promising to finance their trip to North America and in return the settlers would repay the company from profits made by harvesting supplies, such as timber, fur and fish, which were then sent back to England to be sold.

Most of the pilgrims were from farming communities in Yorkshire, England but moved to Leiden, Holland in 1607 seeking religious freedom.

They found the religious freedom they were looking for there but they also found it hard for them to retain their English identity in a Dutch country and it was also hard for them to make a living there.

The pilgrims worked primarily in the cloth trade in Holland but the hours were long and grueling and were having a negative impact on the pilgrims' health. They were desperate to emigrate to North America and sought out the investors to help fund their trip in 1619.

Since the pilgrims didn't have enough people to join and help them build the colony, the investors recruited outsiders to join. These outsiders were not separatists and held different religious beliefs.

The Mayflower Voyage:

The pilgrims traveled to North America on a rented cargo ship called the Mayflower. The ship left Plymouth, England in September of 1620 and finally landed off the coast of Massachusetts in November.

The colonists were originally headed for Virginia, where they had a land patent to settle the area, but had drifted off course during the sea voyage and made landfall just as they ran out of supplies.

Although they didn't have official permission to settle in what is now modern day Massachusetts, they decided to stay and settle the area anyway because they had run out of supplies and winter was setting in.

The pilgrims first landed at what is now modern day Provincetown. After some skirmishes with the local Native-American tribe there, the pilgrims decided to sail to nearby Plymouth.

When the pilgrims arrived they landed at an abandoned Native-American village, called Patuxet, whose inhabitants had died in the infamous disease epidemic of 1616-1618.

There they found abundant cornfields planted by the Patuxet years ago and many areas, which had already been cleared by the Patuxet, where they could build their homes.

How Many Pilgrims Died the First Winter?

When the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, many of them were already weak from disease and a lack of food. The voyage had been long and they were short on supplies.

Over the course of the winter, the colony lost almost half of its people due to disease and starvation. In his diary, which was later published under the title Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford refers to this period as the "Starving Time":

"But that what was most sad and lamentable was, that in two or three months' time half of their company died, especially in January and February, being the depth of the winter, and wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases which this long voyage and their inaccommodate condition had brought upon them. So there died some times two or three of a day in the foresaid time, that of 100 and odd persons, scarce fifty remained."

About 50 of the 102 Mayflower passengers died over the course of the sea voyage and the first winter of 1620/21:

John Allerton, Mayflower crewmen, died sometime during the winter
Mary (Norris) Allerton, separatist and wife of Isaac Allerton, died February 25, 1621
Dorothy (May) Bradford, separatist and wife of William Bradford, drowned after she fell overboard at Provincetown Harbor on December 7, 1620
William Butten, servant, died November 6, 1620 on board the Mayflower
Richard Bitterridge, non-separatist, died December 21, 1620
Robert Carter, servant, died sometime during the winter
Richard Clarke, non-separatist, died sometime during the winter
James Chilton, separatist, died December 8, 1620
Mrs. James Chilton (first name unknown), separatist and wife of James Chilton, died sometime during the winter
John Crackstone, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Sarah Eaton, non-separatist and wife of Francis Eaton, died sometime during the winter
Thomas English, Mayflower crewmen, died sometime before the Mayflower returned to England in April 1621
Moses Fletcher, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Edward Fuller, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Mrs. Edward Fuller, separatist and wife of Edward Fuller, died sometime during the winter
John Goodman, separatist, died sometime during the winter
John Hooke, servant, died sometime during the winter
William Holbeck, servant, died sometime during the winter
John Langmore, servant, died sometime during the winter
Edmund Margesson, non-separatist, died sometime during the winter
Christopher Martin, non-separatist, died January 8, 1621
Mary (Prower) Martin, non-separatist and wife of Christopher Martin, died sometime during the winter
Ellen More, servant, died of illness in November of 1620
Jasper More, servant, died of illness on December 6, 1620
Mary More, servant, died sometime during the winter
William Mullins, non-separatist, died February 21, 1621
Alice Mullins, non-separatist and wife of William Mullins, died sometime during the winter
Joseph Mullins, son of William and Alice Mullins, died sometime during the winter
Solomon Prower, non-separatist, died December 24, 1620
Degory Priest, separatist, died January 1, 1621
John Rigsdale, non-separatist, died sometime during the winter
Alice Rigsdale, non-separatist and wife of John Ringsdale, died sometime during the winter
Thomas Rogers, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Elias Story, a person in the care of Edward Winslow, died sometime during the winter
Edward Tilley, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Ann (Cooper) Tilley, separatist and wife of Edward Tilley, died sometime during the winter
John Tilley, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley, separatist and wife of John Tilley, died sometime during the winter
Thomas Tinker, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Mrs. Thomas Tinker, separatists and wife of Thomas Tinker, died sometime during the winter
Son of Thomas Tinker (name unknown), died sometime during the winter
Edward Thompson, servant, died December 4, 1620
John Turner, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Both sons of John Turner (names unknown), died during the winter
William White, separatist, died February 21, 1621
Thomas Williams, separatist, died sometime during the winter
Roger Wilder, died sometime during the winter
Elizabeth (Barker) Winslow, separatist and wife of Edward Winslow, died March 24, 1621
Rose Standish, separatist and wife of Miles Standish, died January 29, 1621

Two more people, Governor John Carver and his wife Katherine, died in the spring and summer of that year.

Historians believe that most of the colonists were suffering from diseases and illnesses such as scurvy, which is caused by a lack of vitamin c found in many fruits and vegetables, and pneumonia, which was probably caused by the damp, cold weather. In addition, the lack of food made them weak and more susceptible to disease.

Bradford describes how seven of the colonists cared for the sick at great risk to their own health by fetching them wood, dressing and feeding them, washing their clothes and etc. Bradford identified two of these kindhearted people as Reverend William Brewster and Miles Standish.

Yet he also described many people, whom Bradford implied were either crewmen or non-separatists, who turned on each other as the sickness spread and began cursing each other for their bad fortune and refusing to help the ill, stating "if they died, let them die."

Another settler Phineas Pratt, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623, later told a disturbing story about what had been done with the sick men in the colony that winter.

Pratt testified in a court deposition in 1662 that the pilgrims told him they had dragged their sick men into the woods and propped them up against trees to serve as a decoy defense system against the Native-Americans:

"We asked them where the rest of our friends were that came in the first ship [the Mayflower.] They said that God had taken them away by death, and that before the second ship came, they were so distressed with sickness that they, fearing the savages should know it, had set up their sick men with their muskets upon their rests and their backs leaning against trees."

Bradford doesn't confirm this story in his diary, stating instead that the sick were cared for in their cabins but does acknowledge that the sick were later sent ashore by the crew and made to drink water so that the crew members could save the beer for themselves:

"As this calamity fell among the passengers that were to be left here to plant, and were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have more beer, and one in his sickness [who was the author, Bradford, himself] desiring but a small can of beer, it was answered that if he were their own father he should have none. The disease began to fall amongst them also, so as almost half of their company died before they went away, and many of their officers and lustier men, as the boatswain, gunner, three quartermasters, the cook and others. At which the Master was something strucken and and sent to the sick ashore and told the Governor he should send for beer for them that had need of it, though he drunk water homeward bound."

It is not know where the colonists who had died during the first year are buried but it is believed they were buried in unmarked graves in Cole's Hill Burial Ground in Plymouth.

Historians think the reason they were buried in unmarked graves was to avoid letting the local Native-Americans know how many of them had died and to avoid having their graves disturbed.

On April 5, 1621, the Mayflower and her crew departed Plymouth and returned to England. The ship was supposed to bring back goods that the colonists had harvested but returned empty due to the colonist's poor health that winter.

Squanto and the Wampanoag:

While the pilgrims were sick that winter, Bradford states that a number of Indians often appeared nearby but ran away whenever the pilgrims tried to approach them and even once stole the pilgrims' tools from their work site while they were away eating lunch.

Around March 16, Bradford says that an Indian approached them and spoke to them in broken English, which amazed the pilgrims. The Indian identified himself as Samoset and told them much about the native people of the area and said there was another Indian named Squanto who had been to England and could speak better English them himself.

After a while, Samoset returned for another visit and brought five more Indians with him and also brought back the tools that had been stolen from the pilgrim's work site.

Samoset arranged for the pilgrims to meet their leader, Massasoit, who arrived about four or five days later with Squanto and many others accompanying him.

Squanto was the sole survivor of the Patuxet tribe and had only survived the disease epidemic that wiped out his tribe because he had been captured by an English sea captain a few years earlier in 1614 and had been taken to Europe as a slave.

He returned a few years later in 1619 with an English explorer to find his village wiped out. Squanto then came across Massasoit and the Pokanoket tribe, which, like the Patuxet, were one of many tribes that made up the Wampanoag Nation, and they made Squanto their slave.

Massasoit explained to the pilgrims that his tribe had been fighting with a powerful tribe nearby, the Narragansett, and needed their help.

Massasoit proposed a peace treaty and an alliance with the pilgrims. Bradford stated that the terms of the treaty, which is now known as the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty, were:

1. That neither he nor any of his, should injure or do hurt to any of their people.
2. That if any of his did any hurt to any of theirs, he should send the offender that they might punish him.
3. That if any thing were taken away from any of theirs, he should cause it to be restored; and they should do the like to his.
4. That if any did unjustly war against him, they would aid him; and if any did war against them, he should aid them.
5. That he should send to his neighbors confederates to certify them of this, that they might not wrong them, but might be likewise comprised in the conditions of peace.
6. That when their men came to them, they should leave their bows and arrows behind them.
In exchange for the pilgrim's military help, Massassoit offered to help the pilgrims and teach them how to grow food and catch enough fish to feed the colony. The pilgrims agreed to the peace treaty and Massassoit ordered Squanto to teach the colonists everything they needed to know to survive.

The treaty was signed on April 1, 1621 and was honored for over 50 years.

The First Thanksgiving:

Squanto taught the colonists three important skills: how to grow corn, how to catch fish and where to gather nuts and berries. The colonists listened to Squanto's instructions intently and applied everything they learned.

As a result, over the course of the spring and summer, the pilgrims were able to grow enough food to help them survive the coming winter.

To celebrate their successful harvest and to thank the Wampanoag for their help, the pilgrims held a harvest celebration sometime in the fall of 1621 and invited 90 Wampanoag, including Squanto and Massasoit, to the celebration. This event later came to be known as the first Thanksgiving.

The feast took place over the span of three days, during which the pilgrims and the Wampanoag ate food, such as venison and fowl, and played games.

The exact date of the celebration is not known and aside from venison and fowl, it is not known exactly what type of food was served at the celebration. Most historians assume that the colonists and Wampanoag ate whatever food was available at that time of year which would have been fish, lobster, mussels, fruit and wild game.

Harvest celebrations like these were common at the time among Europeans as well as among the Native-Americans. In fact, they occurred in most agricultural-based communities at that time.

The Wampanoags had traditionally held annual celebrations for the first harvest of the season, strawberries, with a "strawberry thanksgiving" celebration and the Algonquians had often held annual ceremonies linked to the crop cycle.

It is also not known if the celebration in 1621 became an annual event for the pilgrims and the Wampanoags but it eventually became a New England tradition, and was renamed Thanksgiving before Abraham Lincoln officially made it a national holiday in the 19th century.

The Economy of Plymouth Colony

The economy of Plymouth Colony was based on fish, timber, fur and agriculture. The colonists harvested trees for lumber, hunted beaver and otter for their pelts and fished for cod as well as hunted whales for their oil. They sent back all of the goods they harvested on ships and the Plymouth Company would sell the goods in England for a profit.

The colonists struggled for many years to make any money and were deeply in debt to their investors, the Plymouth Company, who had paid for the voyage and the start up money for the colony.

The colonists eventually bought out the investors when they became unhappy with the lack of return they saw from their investment.

The colony never became as economically successful as the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony and was later merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.

The Government of Plymouth Colony

The government of Plymouth Colony originally ran as a charter government, even though they didn't officially have a charter from the British government. A charter was official permission from the crown to establish a colony. It granted the colony the legal right to exist there and allowed it to establish a local government as long at the colony's laws didn't contradict the laws of England.

The only permission that Plymouth colony had to establish itself in North America was a land patent issued by the New England Council in 1621. This land patent did not give the colony the legal right to pass and establish laws in the colony.

Plymouth colony tried for many decades to obtain a charter from the British government but never succeeded. It eventually lost the right to self-govern entirely when it was merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 and became a royal colony known as the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Religion in Plymouth Colony

Both the pilgrims who settled Plymouth Colony and the colonists who settled Massachusetts Bay Colony were puritans.

The difference was that the pilgrims were a sect within the puritan movement that had essentially given up on the idea that the Church of England could be reformed and wanted to completely separate from it.

The non-separatist puritans believed the Church of England could still be reformed and wanted to remain within the church to help improve it.

Essentially, the pilgrims were religious extremists and dissenters. There was no separation between the Church and the State in England at the time so the notion of wanting to separate from the church was considered treason and this made the pilgrims' existence in England very dangerous.

This prompted them to leave England in 1607 and move to Holland. The colonists had a hard time making a living in Holland so they emigrated to North America in 1620 in the hope of both making money there and finding the isolation and privacy they desired to worship freely.

Government and religion in Plymouth Colony were intertwined and this only became more so as the colonists began passing more religious-based laws over the years.

Did the Plymouth Colonists Really Call Themselves Pilgrims?

The name "pilgrims" was applied to the colonists starting in the late 1700s after excerpts of William Bradford's diary, Of Plymouth Plantation, was printed in Nathaniel Morton's book New England's Memorial in 1669.

In one of the excerpts, Bradford compares the colonists to pilgrims when describing their emotional last church service before they left Holland for the New World, stating that their pastor Reverend John Robinson:

"spent a good part of the day very profitably and suitable to their present occasion; the rest of the time was spent pouring out prayers to the Lord with great fervency, mixed with abundance of tears. And the time being come that they must depart, they were accompanied with most of their brethren out of the city, unto a town sundry miles off called Delftshaven, where the ship lay ready to receive them. So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits."

If you want to visit the many sites in Plymouth that the pilgrims frequented, check out the following article Plymouth historic sites.

To see a timeline of Plymouth Colony, check out the following article Plymouth Colony Timeline.

Sources:
Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation. Edited by Charles Deane, Privately Printed, 1856.
Norton, Mary Beth and Carol Sheriff, David W. Blight, Howard Chudacoff, Fredrik Logevall. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States, Brief Edition. Cenage Learning, 2015 .
Erickson, Paul. Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636. Clarion Books, 2001.
Morse, Jedidiah. The American Universal Geography. Thomas & Andrews, 1812.
Krusell, Cynthia Hagar. Plymouth Colony to Plymouth County. Pondside Publishing, 2010.
Wilkins, Mira. The History of Foreign Investment in the United States to 1914. Harvard University Press, 1989.
King, H. Roger. Cape Cod and Plymouth Colony in the Seventeenth Century. University Press of America, 2014.
Stratton, Eugene Aubrey. Plymouth Colony, Its History & People, 1620-1691. Ancestry Publishing, 1986.
McKenzie, Robert Tracy. "Five Myths About the Pilgrims." Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2013,
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-pilgrims/2013/11/22/9f93e822-52c1-11e3-9e2c-e1d01116fd98_story.html?utm_term=.40533887956f
"Faith of the Pilgrims." Plimoth Plantation, www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/17th-century-english-village/faith-pilgrims
Johnson, Madeline. "The Pilgrims Should Have Been Thankful for a Spirochete." Slate, 20 Nov. 2012,
www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/11/leptospirosis_and_pilgrims_the_wampanoag_may_have_been_killed_off_by_an.html
"Plymouth Colony." History.com, A&E Television Networks LLC, www.history.com/topics/plymouth
"Religious Controversies in Plymouth Colony." Pilgrim Hall Museum, www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/pdf/Religious_Controversies_Plymouth_Colony.pdf
"The Plymouth Colony Archive Project." Historical Archaeology and Public Engagement, University of Illinois, www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/ccflaw.html
"Mayflower and Mayflower Compact." Plimoth Plantation, www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact
"Why the Pilgrims Abandoned Communism." Free Republic, 22 Nov. 2004, www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1285981/posts
Bower, Jerry. "Occupy Plymouth Colony: How a Failed Commune Led to Thanksgiving." Forbes, 23 Nov. 2011, www.forbes.com/sites/jerrybowyer/2011/11/23/occupy-plymouth-colony-how-a-failed-commune-led-to-thanksgiving/#192076afbcd1
McIntyre, Ruth A. "What You Didn't Know About the Pilgrims: They Had Massive Debt." PBS.org, Public Broadcast Service, 26 Nov. 2015, www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/what-you-didnt-know-about-the-pilgrims-they-had-massive-debt/
"Were Pilgrims America's Original Economic Migrants?." PBS.org, Public Broadcast Service, 26 Nov. 2015, www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/were-pilgrims-americas-original-economic-migrants/
"The Pilgrims and the Fur Trade." Pilgrim Hall Museum, www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/pdf/The_Pilgrims_Fur_Trade.pdf

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History of Plymouth Colony - History of Massachusetts Blog

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Plymouth Colony was a British colony in Massachusetts in the 17th century and was the first permanent colony in Massachusetts and the first colony in New England. The following are some facts about Plymouth Colony: Who Founded Plymouth Colony? Plymouth colony was founded by the Plymouth Company during the Great...

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Native American Indian Facts

Squanto

Introduction - Squanto
Squanto was a famous Native American Indian who was a member of the Pawtuxet band of the Wampanoag tribe. He was born in Cape Cod around the year 1580, a time when his tribe was the most influential tribe in an area where the English would first settle. The reason why there is some controversy surrounding Squanto is because although he undoubtedly aided the colonists, he was thought by many to have used his power and position among the Indians to his advantage. Read on to find out what happened when he was kidnapped as well as many other interesting facts and information about his life.

Click here for a great selection of books about Squanto on AMAZON .

Interesting Facts about Squanto

Squanto's birth name is Tisquantum and he has also been referred to as Squantum throughout history.

Because of being kidnapped several times in his life, Squanto traveled extensively through Europe, Newfoundland and the northeast coast of the United States.

In an expedition sponsored by Sir Ferdinando Gorges, an English explorer named Captain Weymouth kidnapped Squanto along with 4 other Indians. In 1605, he returned to England with the Indians, thinking Sir Ferdinando Gorges would appreciate the opportunity to see natives from the region in person.

It is believed that all of the Indians kidnapped by Weymouth were treated well in England before they were all eventually returned to their homeland. It is also believed that they were taught English in hopes that they would provide information to help the English settlers.

In 1614 Squanto was captured by English explorer, Thomas Hunt. He captured 20 Indians in total and sold them off as slaves in Spain.

Spanish friars, looking to spread the Christian faith, rescued Squanto from captivity. He then traveled from Spain to England where he met and lived with John Slaney, a wealthy merchant.

As a likely indentured servant for John Slaney, Squanto traveled to Newfoundland on an expedition. Squanto thought he would be able to return home but ended up returning to England again in 1618.

In 1619, Squanto finally makes it home only to discover that his tribe had been all but wiped out by disease.

Just over a year after his return home in 1619, Squanto settled in Plymouth with Pilgrims that were sick and dying from a difficult journey to the New World. They lacked food and needed help. Squanto helped the Pilgrims during this difficult time. He taught them how to farm, introduced them to local tribes, and acted as an interpreter to enable trade between the local tribes and Pilgrims.

In 1621, Squanto was instrumental in negotiating a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag by acting as an interpreter and mediator.

While helping the governor of Massachusetts, William Bradford, to gather information on the Wampanoag, he was captured and held by them. Myles Standish, a Pilgrim with a military background, sent a group of settlers to find out what happened to him. When it was discovered that Squanto was alive, he rejoined the Pilgrims and continued to assist them.

At one point Squanto was formally accused of spreading a rumor that the Indians planned to attack the English settlers. William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony saved him from punishment and acknowledged all of the good he had done and his role in helping the settlers survive.

He died of "Indian Fever" at the age of 42.

Squanto remains an important figure in the celebration of Thanksgiving.

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Facts about Famous Native Americans

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Native American Indian Facts Squanto was a famous Native American Indian who was a member of the Pawtuxet band of the Wampanoag tribe. He was born in Cape Cod around the year 1580, a time when his tribe was the most influential tribe in an area where the English would first settle.

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Kids learn about the biography of the Native American Squanto including growing up, kidnapped, travel to Europe, helping the pilgrims, later life, and interesting facts.

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Were Native Americans and Pilgrims best friends_ 

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Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, was a Native American of the Patuxet tribe who acted as an interpreter and guide to the Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth during their first winter in the New World.

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How did Wampanoag's and Pilgrims communicate with one another? 

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How did Wampanoag's and Pilgrims communicate with one another? 

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As part of Scholastic's The First Thanksgiving student activity, we traveled back to 1621, the year of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. The following is a conversation held with Russell M. Peters (1929-2002), a Mashpee Wampanoag leader, Native American rights advocate, and author from Brookline, Massachusetts. During the interview, Mr. Peters answered questions as a Wampanoag Indian in 1621, using his Wampanoag name, "Fast Turtle." Below are his answers to questions from students.
Fast Turtle is a Wampanoag who lives in Massipee, the area just west of Plimoth. He has a wife and two children. When he was a boy, Fast Turtle was chosen and trained to be a pniese (pa-NEES), a special kind of warrior counselor.

Each pniese is selected for his spiritual power, physical strength, courage, and wisdom. They advise the chief, or sachem (SAY-chum), and help settle differences with other communities.

Fast Turtle has just returned from the three-day feast in Plimoth. He and the sachem Chief Massasoit were among the 90 Wampanoag who joined the celebration.

Relationships With the Pilgrims

What did you think of the Pilgrims when they first arrived?
When the Mayflower came, first to the outer arm of the Cape and then into Plimoth, we looked on them with apprehension and great curiosity. It was much larger than our biggest canoe. As they landed, they brought a lot of baggage with them and seemed like they were here to stay. We knew that there would be great changes in the way we would live.

Had you ever seen a boat as large as the Mayflower before?
Wampanoags have seen large boats before the Mayflower. Explorers like Verrazzano and Cabot looked around Wampanoag territory. The Vikings from the north frequently sailed into the area. European fishermen from Spain, Portugal, France, and Ireland fished for codfish off our coast years before the Pilgrims came in 1620.

How did you speak with the Pilgrims? Did you speak English or did they speak your language?
Good question. Indians spoke a dialect of the Algonquin language. A few spoke some English even before the Pilgrims landed at Plimoth in 1620. They learned from the English fishermen who fished for cod. Samoset was an Indian who said "Welcome, Englishmen," much to the surprise of Miles Standish and William Bradford. Squanto, a Wampanoag, also spoke English, which he learned when he was in England. When he returned, Squanto served as an interpreter between the English colonists and the Wampanoag people. Eventually, most of the Wampanoags did learn to speak English.

Who were some of the Native Americans who spoke English with the Pilgrims?
Samoset greeted the Pilgrims in English in March of 1621. He strode into the Pilgrims compound and said, "Welcome, Englishmen." The surprised and somewhat apprehensive Standish and Bradford muttered back, "Welcome." They wanted to know where he learned English words, and he told them that he learned a few English words from fishermen who came to the area periodically.

Squanto, a Wampanoag, also spoke English, which he learned when merchants took him to England before 1620. He was an interpreter for the Massasoit and the English colonists. He was particularly helpful to the colonists, and the other Wampanoags were suspicious of Squanto's association with the Englishmen. He died a premature and mysterious death.

Did you ever feel at any time that the Pilgrims were your friends? If you did, when did your feelings change?
Yes, in the beginning there was a fair exchange of good deeds between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims. During the first harsh winter over half of their number died of cold, malnutrition, and other diseases. During the spring of 1621, the Wampanoags were very helpful in teaching the English to adjust to the climate, the environment around them, and for this the English were grateful. They met the Massasoit Osamequin, who provided protection and help during the next few years.

As the numbers of English increased and the settlements grew, the English began to make demands on the Wampanoags. Attempts were made to make English the language to be spoken. Plimoth Colony extended their court jurisdiction over the Wampanoag people. Missionaries attempted to convert the Wampanoags from their religion to Christianity. These things were done in the interest of improving the Wampanoag mind and spirit, but in the process it did much harm to the native culture and spirituality.

What did the Pilgrims think of you?
The English had been told that the inhabitants of the New World were savages, so they were afraid of the Wampanoags. An Indian named Samoset came into the new village in the spring of 1621 and began a friendship with the Pilgrims. Samoset introduced Miles Standish and William Bradford, Europeans, to the Wampanoag leaders and a friendship was made that lasted for more than 50 years.

What kinds of diseases did the Pilgrims expose the Wampanoag to?
When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, they brought diseases like smallpox and diphtheria. Some English purposely distributed diseased blankets to the unsuspecting Wampanoags, thus wiping out entire villages. Eventually the Wampanoag built up a tolerance for some of these diseases and were able to withstand the terrible effects of European diseases.

Did the Pilgrims turn against you because you had different-colored skin?
The color of their skin did point out the differences. The language differences prevented good communication between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. It was obvious from the beginning of the Pilgrim-Wampanoag relationship that there was a complete lack of understanding and mutual respect. The English had been told that the Wampanoag people were savages and needed the help of the white man to become civilized.

What were some of the religious differences between Natives and Pilgrims?
The Pilgrims were sometimes called Puritans, a group that had very strong religious beliefs. They were very serious and sanctimonious and felt that the Wampanoags should practice the Puritans' religion, Christianity, and observe their rules of conduct. Keep in mind that these were the same people who were escaping religious persecution in Holland and England.

Can you tell me what effect John Elliot's work had on the Native Americans of New England?
John Elliot was an early missionary who made a valiant effort to Christianize native people. He did not recognize that the Native Americans had their own religion and proceeded to convert them. Praying Indian towns were established in Natick, Roxbury, Mashpee, Martha's Vineyard, and Herring Pond. John Elliot attempted to learn the Algonquin language, and he translated the Bible into that language. The native people were fascinated with the concept of praying and preaching. To them, the ceremony and ritual of the service was interesting, even though they did not understand it. As the English settlements expanded, the Christian praying villages were used as a refuge for Indians who were displaced by the new settlers. When the so-called King Philip's War took place, John Elliot's praying Indian village was evacuated and the Natick Indians were banished to a place called Deer Island, where many of them died over the winter.

What kinds of weapons did the Pilgrims bring? What kind of weapons did the Native Americans have?
When the Pilgrims landed in Plimoth, the military leader was a man named Miles Standish. He and most of the men carried muskets, which were used for hunting and protection of the village. The Wampanoags had no such weapons and were deathly afraid of the white man's musket. We called it a thunderbolt that could kill. The Pilgrims carried a strange book, their Bible, as they marched to church every day. Each was a weapon in its own way, because the Pilgrims wanted the Wampanoags to embrace the Christian religion and to discard their own religion.

The Wampanoags had bows and arrows and spears, which were used for hunting as well as for protection of their territory. In addition, they had tomahawks made of stone and knives made of shells or sharp shale.

Were there ever any confrontations between the white settlers and the Native Americans? If so, what were they?
The Wampanoags had many disagreements with the white man, primarily over land issues. At first the Pilgrims were friendly with the Wampanoags, because they helped them learn the environment and how to survive on the land. As the settlers moved in, they often settled on traditional or ceremonial land of the Wampanoags, which was often hotly disputed. Eventually this led to wars between the English and the Indian tribes around them.

Knowing what you know today about how the Native Americans were sent to reservations, do you wish that your ancestors had never welcomed the Pilgrims?
Life was good before the English came. I am only sorry that we could not share the bounties of this land in a more equal way. In our culture we feel that no one owns the land. The earth belongs to all of us and we are to take care of Mother Earth. It is obvious that the settlers were after land - our land. We now have very little of our land left.

The 1621 Thanksgiving Feast

Tell us about the first Thanksgiving.
In 1621, the Wampanoags were just getting to know the Pilgrims. The English were still learning how to cope with the weather and harsh living conditions. The native people showed the Pilgrims how to gather food, how to fish and hunt. They told them what was good to eat and what not to eat. For those that survived the first harsh winter, we had admiration and helped them to adjust to the new land.

When the Wampanoags helped the Pilgrims bring in their first crop in the new world, there was a great feast during that harvest time. According to the Pilgrims, about 90 Wampanoags crashed the party and brought with them all sorts of delicacies. The Wampanoags usually celebrated their harvests with food and rejoicing. They brought venison (deer meat), wild turkey, rabbit, woodchuck, lobster, clams, mussels, potatoes, sea bass, bluefish, and many other delicious foods. Wampanoags also brought corn, beans, and squash to the feast, and even showed the Pilgrims how to cook the food. The Pilgrims were very appreciative of the gifts, and the 90 Wampanoags who crashed the party had a wonderful time.

When the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, all of the bounties of the land and the sea were made a part of this celebration. The Pilgrims got on their knees, closed their eyes, and thanked their God in their own way. They remained silent for some time, then opened a book and spoke strange things. The Wampanoags thanked the Great Spirit for the all of the bounties and blessings of food and drink that he bestowed upon them.

This became an annual tradition that Americans call Thanksgiving Day.

What was your favorite dish at the first Thanksgiving?
My favorite food at the feast was wild turkey and lobster. I also liked the new English dish they called "Indian Pudding."

Did the Wampanoag people eat turkey before the arrival of the Pilgrims?
Wampanoags ate wild turkey long before the English came to Plimoth Colony. In fact, we introduced the delicious bird to the English on the first celebration held in 1621.

Did the Pilgrims and Native Americans eat with forks and knives like we do?
The Pilgrims ate with their hands and little short tools with which they shoveled food into their mouths. They also used a cloth to wipe their face even as they ate. It was quite strange behavior. The Wampanoags used their hands and fingers to eat their food. We used the Pilgrims' cups to drink water. What a neat way to drink.

Did Hobbamock go to the harvest feast?
Hobbamock was a guide for the Pilgrims when they explored places to settle the new people that were coming to the colony. At the celebration, about 90 Wampanoags joined in the feast, and I believe that Hobbamock was included in the group.

Did you have to travel far to participate in the first Thanksgiving?
I traveled just down the beach from Manomet to Plimoth for the first celebration of the harvest. It took me one hour to get there.

What other activities occurred at the Thanksgiving feast besides eating?
The Wampanoags engaged in games of skill, such as lacrosse and football, but were unable to entice the English to join in the games.

What did you wear to the feast?
I wore my finest deerskin shirt and leggings. The shirt was decorated with the purple shells from the quahog that we got from Popponesset Bay.

Wampanoag Tribe

Who were the Wampanoags?
The Wampanoag people were Eastern Woodland people who spoke a dialect of the Algonquin language. While many of the words are similar, there are dialectal differences. The tribes are located from Canada to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin. We are hunters and gatherers and actually cultivated crops such as corn, squash, and beans. We lived close to the ocean and relied heavily on fish and game for our sustenance. We were a friendly people and enjoyed good relations with the other tribes that lived near us. Some of these tribes are the Massachusetts, the Punkapogs, the Narragansett, and the Nipmuck tribes.

The Wampanoags were here thousands of years before the Pilgrims arrived in Plimoth. When the Pilgrims landed in Plimoth, they landed in the midst of Wampanoag territory and spread their settlements throughout the area. Today, there are still Wampanoag people who live on their land in Mashpee, Gay Head, and other areas in southeastern Massachusetts.

How did the Wampanoag migrate to North America?
I do not know the migration path that the tribes in the Northeast used. However, there is evidence that we have been here for more than 10,000 years.

What does the word Wampanoag mean in English?
Wampanoag means "land where the sun comes up first." We are called "People of the First Light" because we see the sun first.

How many people were in your tribe?
There were more than 5,000 Wampanoag people. Many of our people died from disease brought over by the white man. Later the Wampanoags developed immunity to most of those diseases.

What is it like belonging to a tribal group?
I am very proud to be a Wampanoag. Where I live in Massipee, I can hunt and fish and live in harmony with Mother Earth. We have the ocean, bays, rivers, and lakes, which are filled with fish. My family has a good home and we are happy with our Wampanoag way of life.

What are some the names of your neighboring tribes?
To the west of us are the Narragansett tribe and the Pequot tribe. To the north are the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and the Malisite tribes. To the northwest are the Nipmuck and the Mohawk tribes. And to the northeast are the Mohegan, Schaghticoke, Malaseet, and Mic Mac. We are all part of the Algonquin-language group, but speak different dialects of that language.

How did the Wampanoags travel around?
The Wampanoag people traveled mostly by foot. They moved from their winter homes, which were well inland, to a place where they planted their crops in the early spring. After a month or so at the fields, they packed up and moved closer to the ocean, where they caught herring, clams, oysters, and lobster.

Sometimes they had clambakes for the entire tribe during the warm days of summer. They played games, swam in the ocean, and rejuvenated themselves after the long hard winter. In the fall at harvest time, they retraced their steps and harvested their crops and prepared for the winter. Finally, they moved back to their winter place to complete the cycle.

Did the Wampanoags have horses in their villages?
The Wampanoags did not have horses before the Europeans came to these shores.

What is your chief's name?
My chief's name is Osamequin. Osamequin means "Yellow Feather." The Pilgrims call him Massasoit. Massasoit is the Wampanoag word for sachem, or chief. He is the Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag people.

Who was the greatest chief of all times?
The greatest Wampanoag chief was Osamequin.

What was the most popular Indian name?
A popular Indian name was Tisquantum, from which the name Squanto derived.

How many Indian tribes are there in all?
There are more than 500 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States, and many more that do not have treaties with the United States. In New England, where the Wampanoag people live, there are 15 Indian tribes. Most of them have land near the ocean.

How did the Wampanoag people communicate without having television, radio, or computers?
The Wampanoag people had a communication system that is still used today. They relied on the spoken word and symbols that told a story and sometimes recorded history. Sometimes they used drums to send messages to tribe members who were some distance away. Smoke signals were also used. The young men were trained in running long distances. The training gave them endurance and strength to carry messages from one place to another.

It is hard to imagine a world without TV, radio, and computers, but the Wampanoag children did just fine without them. They hunted and fished, built wigwams and canoes. They did things that were necessary for survival.

What group of people were the first to make contact with the Wampanoags?
The first foreign people to come visit my people were the Viking explorers. That is when we first saw metal weapons and tools. The size of their boats just blew our minds. It was a very memorable experience.

Daily Needs of the Wampanoag

What are the natural resources that you used to help meet your basic needs?
The Wampanoag people were close to the earth and were able to get food and clothing from animals that they hunted. Wampanoags grew vegetables, such as corn, beans, and squash. These vegetables were called the "Three Sisters." The Wampanoags also used herbs and roots for medicines and preservatives for food. Their shelter was made of cedar saplings and bark. This housing was called a wetu. It was quite comfortable, even in the winter. The cooking fire was inside, and the smoke was able to get out through a hole in the roof.

How did the Wampanoags keep themselves clean? Where did you bathe?
They used leaves or grass or other organic material to clean themselves after going to the bathroom. They took showers when it rained, and bathed in ponds and pools almost every season, except during the extreme cold winter months. Wampanoag people were very clean. They swam in the warm weather and went to the sweat lodge in the cold weather.

How did you brush your teeth?
We brushed our teeth with mint leaves and short pine bristles. The mint leaves a refreshing taste in the mouth.

How did you get your water?
Wampanoags had a plentiful source of water. Some came from underground springs, but our main source of water was the rivers and lakes in the Massipee area.

Can you tell us about your sleeping habits?
I am in the habit of going to bed when the sun goes down. I awake at sunrise and love to see the sun rise over the ocean. Morning is special to me.

How were sick people cared for? What happened to people who became really ill?
Every tribe had a medicine man or medicine woman who was familiar with remedies for almost every kind of illness. The Wampanoags also had a sweat lodge which was used when illness required it.

Wampanoag Children

Did Wampanoag children receive their education in a formal school-type atmosphere? Was education different for boys than girls?
We did not have school in the same way you have school. We had no TV, computers, visual aids, radios, or school buses. Before the English came to these shores, Wampanoag children learned how to do things by watching their parents or tribal elders. The village was the classroom, and the extended family was the teacher.

The young girls learned from following their mothers, aunts, and elders of the community. They watched their mothers gather wood, light fires, and cook the food for the family. They also learned how to stretch and tan leather for clothing and also how to sew. They learned how to gather food and berries, plant crops, tan leather from animal skins, make a wigwam, and cook. The learning sometimes took long hours and over many years before the girls grew into young women and had their own families.

Young boys learned at the side of their fathers, uncles, and tribal elders. The adults taught us about the seasons, what animals were good, where the fish were located and how to catch them. We became proficient with the bow and arrow and spear and learned to run long distances. For boys, our jobs were to be good hunters, fisherman, and protectors of the Wampanoag territory.

So the answer to your question is that the Wampanoag lived in a different environment that called for a drastically different way of learning what was necessary to survive. As kids, we played games that developed our skills and body coordination. We also learned endurance so that we could travel long distances in preparation for future endeavors.

Do Wampanoag girls and boys help with the corn planting?
Young girls and boys are taught how to gather rocks and sit in the corn watch to drive away birds and animals that get into the garden to steal the seeds. A corn watch is a tower erected near the cornfields.

What games did Wampanoag girls and boys play?
Early on, both boys and girls played many games that developed their hand and eye coordination, so they could develop other skills as they grew older. Some of the games were the ring and pin game, lacrosse, football, swimming games, and long-distance running races. All of these games were used to develop endurance, accuracy, and precision.

Did Wampanoag children have pets back in the 1600s?
Wampanoag children had pets such as dogs, which were used for hunting and protection of the village, rabbits, skunk, and some other wild animals that they could train. The children had to keep a sharp eye on their pets lest they wind up in someone's pot for supper.

If a skunk was going to become a pet, it had to be de-scented first. After that, the skunk was a delightful friend. They did not have pigs or domesticated cats.

Baby bears also made good pets while they were small, but when they got older there were two problems. One, big bears ate a lot of food. Two, as they got larger they became dangerous. They were returned to the wild.

When you were a boy, what was the hardest thing in life?
As a Wampanoag boy, the hardest thing in life was keeping warm in the winter. To prepare for the harsh months, my family worked hard all year to make sure there was enough clothing and blankets to keep us warm when the snow fell. We had to help the tribal adults gather food that could be stored and saved for those hard months. We learned the habits of the winter animals so that we could track them in the snow so we could have meat and fur in the winter. It was my job to gather and store wood for the fire we used for heating and cooking. We had a busy life just to survive. We also had games to keep us occupied so that we would not be bored stiff. Our elders were great storytellers who gave us the history of our tribe and great stories about our hunters and warriors.

Why did 11-year-old boys have to go out by themselves and live in the woods?
If their trainer felt that a Wampanoag boy was ready, when the boy was 11 or 12, he was tested to determine if his hunting skills were developed. This was his school, and hunting was a very important lesson to learn.

Food and Hunting

How did the Wampanoags get their food? Did the Wampanoags ever face starvation?
Traditionally, the Wampanoag women planted food crops such as beans, corn, and squash. These were staple foods that could remain edible for many months. The Wampanoags also grew potatoes, which were another hearty food that would keep well in the winter months. In addition we were great hunters and fishermen who fed our families deer, rabbit, woodchuck, and duck, as well as all sorts of fish. The saltwater bays near the ocean provided food such as quahogs, clams, oysters, and mussels. We always knew what was in season so that we never went hungry or faced starvation.

Wampanoags were also great cooks. Even the men knew how to make a clambake big enough to feed the whole tribe. For desserts, there were wild strawberries, plums, cranberries, and other wild fruit.

Life was good before the Europeans came, and we enjoyed all the bounties provided to us by the Great Spirit. Occasionally, we would have a feast to thank the Great Spirit for the generous bounties he bestowed upon us. After the Europeans settled on our land, many changes took place which affected all the Wampanoags.

What kinds of food did the Wampanoag like to eat?
The Wampanoags ate all kinds of game animals, including deer, bear, rabbit, woodchuck, skunk, turtle, and squirrel. In addition, the Wampanoag ate a wide variety of fish. Mashpee Lake contained bass, pickerel, sunfish, and perch. In the spring, herring would darken the Mashpee River; there were so many of them, one could catch the herring with one's hands. Also, in Popponessett Bay, there was an abundance of shellfish, including quahogs, oysters, clams, and mussels. The bay was also filled with eels, which are delicious when cooked right, and lobster, crabs, flatfish, scup, and occasionally sea bass. Wampanoags also liked pheasant, wild duck, and the geese from up north.

What are the "Three Sisters?"
Wampanoags call corn, beans, and squash the "Three Sisters," because they were compatible and could grow in the same hill of earth.The corn grew, and the beans used the corn stalk to climb, and the squash just spread out to the side.

What kind of corn do you eat?
I eat crystal white corn, which was a special strain of corn grown in Mashpee.

Describe a typical hunt.
I was sent out on a hunting expedition to gather meat for our tribe. I left just before the full moon in order to have light at night for traveling and hunting. I was after deer and moose, although I would have liked to encounter a black bear. I also wanted to be able to find any of these animals close to home so that I would not have to carry the animal so far. A moose or bear are very heavy and would require much strength to carry them back home.

Before the hunt, my friends and I offered a prayer for the animals that we were going to kill. We know that even the animals have spirits and we want them to know that we have respect for the life they are about to give up for our tribe. Our hunting party got a deer and a bear on this trip, and we made sure that we used all parts of the animals. We stripped the fur for clothing and for blankets. The meat was carefully packed to take back to our village. The bear grease was saved for cooking and medicinal purposes.

On the third day, our hunt was over, and we returned to camp with enough food to feed the entire village. The Medicine Man said a prayer to thank the Great Spirit for a successful hunt.

Are you a hunter?
I am a great hunter and have learned to hunt for food since I was a little boy. My father and my uncles taught me to hunt and fish for food for the tribe. Game is plentiful in Mashpee, and we learned the habits of the animals as part of our training. We also learned not to kill any animal unless it was going to be eaten for food.

Before we kill an animal, we offer a prayer to the Great Spirit and pay our respects to the animal. If the Great Spirit guides our arrow straight, then we make sure to use all parts of the animal. The tribe eats the meat, the bones are used for tools, and the skin is used for moccasins or clothing. Thus, we have paid our respects to the animal.

Do Wampanoags use guns for hunting and for protection?
Wampanoags do not have guns. We use bows and arrows and clubs for hunting and for protecting our territory.

How were deer hunted?
The Wampanoag people are very respectful of anything that has a life, including deer. We only hunt deer when there is a need for food. A prayer is offered for the deer, and then the hunt begins. When a deer comes into range, the hunter shoots with great accuracy to bring the deer down with as little pain as possible. When the deer is processed, the Wampanoags use every part of the animal. The hide is used for clothing or moccasins, the meat for food for the tribe, and the horns and hooves are used for tools. A prayer is offered to the Great Spirit to thank him for the deer.

Are there any buffalo near your home? What kinds of animals do you hunt for food?
There are no buffalo near Mashpee. They are located in the plains of the West, where they have plenty of grass and grain to eat. Near Mashpee, we have bear, deer, moose, wild turkey, rabbit, woodchuck, skunk, and birds of all kinds. We use all of these for food, and the skins of some animals for clothing and shelter.

How did the Wampanoags make rope for their hunting snares? Who made the snares, men or women?
The Wampanoags were able to weave the rope out of hemp and tall grass. You probably saw woven mats inside the wetu. Both men and women were very proficient in making the snares, although the men were the ones who usually tended the traps to get the animals caught in the snares. Animals such as beaver, woodchuck, rabbit, and other small animals were caught this way.

What are your favorite foods?
My favorite food is lobster, stuffed with blue claw crab taken fresh from Popponessett Bay. To go along with this, I will have fresh yellow corn, potatoes, and wild onions. As an appetizer, I will have steamed clams with a few mussels thrown in. For dessert, I will have Indian pudding. This is not a meal to hurry. The meal is served over a three- or four-hour period, with adequate time to nap.

How were your canoes made?
The Wampanoags made two types of canoes. The one you saw at Plimoth Plantation at the Wampanoag Village was a wooden dugout canoe. It is made by selecting a large, wide-girth pine tree that is then carved out. We don't have metal axes, so the primary method of making the canoe is by burning out the inside. Once the fires are lit, they must be carefully tended lest they burn a hole on the boat. After many countless days of burning and gouging, the canoe is ready for launching. It is very heavy, but once in the water it is good transportation.

The other type of canoe that the Wampanoags used were made of supple cedar or ash saplings. These were bent into shape and covered with bark from a white birch tree. The bark was sewn with deerskin leather and sealed with pine pitch. This made a very swift boat that could travel long distances.

Tools and Weapons

How do you make your tools?
The Wampanoags used many things to make tools. We made our tools out of things that were available around us. For example, we used quahog shells to scrape leather, squash gourds, hold water, and manipulate animal horns and bones into tools. Rocks and shale were used to make axes or tomahawks. Certain types of stone could be used to make arrows for bows or flint for making fire.

How do you use your weapons? What are your weapons like?
Wampanoag men protect their villages. They learn how to make and use things like bows and arrows as toys when they are little. As they grow older and develop their skills, they learn how to use these for hunting and then for protection against enemies. They also know how to make knives from sharp rocks and shale. They also use roots and rocks to make war clubs.

How sharp were your arrows? What materials were they made from? What about knives?
Our arrows were very sharp. They were made of flintstone, rocks, and shells. Knives were made of sharp shells or flintstone and sometimes bones of animals.

How did you make your pots and pans?
Wampanoags made clay pottery. Some vessels were used to carry water, others were used for cooking. Before the English came, we did not have metal pots for cooking. If we needed to cook something, we cooked over a fire. Sometimes we cooked on hot rocks with seaweed to have a feast such as a clambake.

Is giving pots a sign of affection in your culture?
Wampanoags only got metal pots after the English came to these shores. Wampanoag people were excellent pottery makers and made exotic pottery vases and pots. These were used to hold liquid and for cooking. Sometimes, the pots were given as gifts as a show of affection.

Houses

In what kind of homes did Wampanoag live?
Wampanoag people lived in wetus, or wigwams, which were made of ash or cedar saplings that were bent into an arch and covered with bark from poplar or ash trees. There was a hole in the roof to let the smoke from the cooking fire out of the wetu. Inside there were sleeping racks covered with animal furs to make a comfortable sleeping pallet. The wigwam, or wetu, was warm and provided comfort in the winter and coolness in the summer.

Did you ever live in a teepee or a pueblo?
Teepees were built by the Indian tribes who lived on the plains, where the buffalo roam. Pueblo Indians who lived in the Southwest built pueblo structures of mud, clay, and straw. Oftentimes they would build their homes on the side of cliffs and in the hills of the Southwest.

How big was a wigwam inside? What did you put inside it?
Wigwams, or wetus, were usually made for a single family and were big enough to accommodate the mother, father, and all the kids. The wetu had benches for sitting or sleeping. The beds were covered with deerskin and keept us nice and warm at night. Some foods were hung from the sides of the wetu, and clothing and furs were laid out on the benches. Food and pottery were stored under the benches. A fire pit was in the center of the wetu, under a hole in the roof. The fire heated the house and was also used for cooking. Sometimes I used bulrush mats to keep me warm.

How were longhouses built? What were they like?
Wampanoags built longhouses for two or more families and for tribal meetings. The longhouse was built of cedar saplings, which were bent in a curved shape and tied with hemp. As the longhouse took shape, some members of the tribe stripped bark from the trees to cover the frame of the house. A hole flap was cut above the fire pit, which could be opened to let the smoke out. There was a hole flap for each fire in the longhouse. The longhouses and wetus were comfortable both summer or winter.

Clothes and Jewelry

What is your clothing made of? How long does it take to make a complete outfit?
My clothing is made of deerskin, which is designed to keep me warm and to prevent bushes and twigs from scratching my skin. My moccasins are made of rabbit skin on the inside and deerskin on the outside.

I am fortunate to be married to a good woman who knows how to scrape and tan the leather of animals that I get. The tanning process takes a few days to scrape and soften the leather. The sewing of the clothing will take a couple of days.

If my wife feels extra generous, she will decorate my tunic with feathers and brightly colored quahog shells. Small pieces of leather can be used for a hat, and a beaded belt would finish off the outfit. Total time to complete the outfit would be about one and a half to two weeks.

How did you make beads for your necklace? For what purposes were the beads used?
The Wampanoags made their own jewelry from things that were readily available to them. Quahog jewelry was the most popular for Wampanoag men and women. The quahog is a hard-shelled clam taken from the saltwater bays around Mashpee. The shell is hard, and the outer part of the shell is a deep purple. The shell was broken, and the purple part of the shell was shaped into beads. Wampanoag quahog beads were famous throughout Indian country and were used as items of trade and for ceremonial gifts to other tribal leaders. The Wampanoags used these beads to decorate their clothing and head dresses.

What else did Wampanoags use for jewelry and decorations?
Wampanoags also used feathers, shells, deer antlers, and red ochre to create colorful decorations.

I've noticed that eagle feathers were worn in the headdress of some braves but not all. Why was this?
The eagle feather was highly prized and was usually earned by the warriors for a brave or unusual deed. The eagle feather was worn with pride.

Why did women do so much of the work?
Wampanoag women performed many functions in the tribal village, but so did the men. The work was divided according to who had the skills. Making clothing was a woman's job, and indeed it was hard work. The men, on the other hand, did the hunting and fishing and protected the village. This, too, was hard work, which was necessary to sustain the village.

Beliefs and Celebrations

What is your religion?
The Wampanoag people generally practice Wampanoag Spiritualism. In this religion, our people believe in the bounties of Mother Earth and thank the animals, the plants, the winged ones, and the fish from the ocean, as well as all things which create the circle of life. Today, many of our people practice some form of Christianity. However, at events such as births or deaths or weddings, the Medicine Man is called upon to perform traditional tribal ceremonies.

How and why did the Wampanoags celebrate?
The Wampanoag people were very close to Mother Earth and many of their celebrations came at a time when there was a change in the season. For example, the spring celebration was especially joyous after a long cold winter. They would dance and sing around the fire, feast on venison and rabbit and tell stories of days gone by. These celebrations served the purpose of reinforcing the history of the tribe through oral tradition and of giving the tribal elders a position of honor.

In the summer, the Wampanoags hold a traditional powwow, which is still carried on today. Tribes from all over the country join us in this celebration. The Wampanoags conduct tribal business and the Medicine Man conducts name-giving ceremonies.

The fall celebrations usually are related to the harvest and huge feasts are held to celebrate the blessings given by the Great Spirit.

In the winter, the tribe gathers in the longhouse for social events or to celebrate a successful hunt. Food plays an important role in Wampanoag celebrations, and much credit is given to the creator for providing all these blessings.

Do the Northwest Indians still have potlaches?
Yes, the Northwest Indians still have potlaches, and the tradition is spreading east to the Wampanoags. In our potlach, the Wampanoags exchange gifts and try to give away things of value to other people in the tribe.

Did your family get to attend feasts such as the clambakes?
My family always attended the feasts, especially the clambake. The clambake was a community event, and everyone participated in doing the work. When the food was cooked, everyone ate to their heart's content. Clambakes are still done today in the traditional way of the Wampanoag.

About Fast Turtle

How did you get your name? What is your name in the Wampanoag language?
My name was given to me by the Supreme Medicine Man of the Wampanoag Nation. I am of the Turtle Clan, and since the Medicine Man was my brother, who is named Slow Turtle, he used a little humor to give me my name, because as a young boy I could run very fast. I used to run the quarter mile in 50 seconds. After I graduated from college, he thought Fast Turtle would be a good name for me. In the Wampanoag language I would be called Chicatoonipa Pinchek.

What are the names and ages of your children?
My children are named Tisquantum, aged 10, and Noonapokus, aged 7. They are both well into their apprenticeship. Noonapokus is already a good cook. She is named Wood Turtle because she has red hair similar in color to the underbelly of the wood turtle. Tisquantum is a great hunter and has already shot five deer with his bow and arrow.

Wampanoags Today

Where do you live presently? Why do you enjoy living there?
I live in Brookline, Massachusetts, and in Mashpee, Massachusetts. I like Mashpee the best because it is on Cape Cod, near the ocean and wonderful freshwater lakes. Growing up there was a great experience, because there was plenty of space for hunting and fishing. The Wampanoags have an Indian Meeting House, which was built in 1684 by the early Christian missionaries. They still live in the same place as their ancestors. I like being close to Popponessett Bay, where there is an abundance of shellfish. The scup and flatfish are plentiful, and wild plums thrive in the summer months. We enjoy many of the same things as our ancestors.

What are some of your hobbies? Do you have modern-day conveniences?
Some of the hobbies that I enjoy are golf, bridge, music, and on occasion, I write poetry. I have written three books: The Wampanoags of Mashpee; Clambake, and Regalia. Most of the poems and books I write are about Mashpee and the Wampanoags. I feel that this is important, because most of the history of this part of the country is about the Pilgrims. I am interested in telling the story of the Wampanoag people.

I have modern-day things such as a Ford Taurus, a set of golf clubs, radio, television, and a Power Macintosh computer.

Do Wampanoag still celebrate an annual feast?
We have a number of feasts during the year. Wampanoags usually have a celebration when the seasons change or when the men have had a successful hunt or when the lobsters are plentiful, and particularly in the fall, when the crops are harvested. The clambake is one feast that is held when the clams and lobsters are plentiful. Large rocks are heated, and the food is cooked on the rocks for the entire tribe. After a hunt, deer, rabbit, wild turkey, and other delicious game foods are cooked over fires in the village compound. The Medicine Man always gives thanks to the Great Spirit for the bounties of Mother Earth.

From a historical perspective, how do the Wampanoags view the importance of the first Thanksgiving?
In looking back on this event, many Wampanoags view the feast in the fall of 1621 as a significant, but sad, event that led to the settlement of Wampanoag land by English settlers. At the time of the feast, it was quite natural to celebrate the bounties of the fall harvest and the availability of deer, wild turkey, fish, and foul. The Wampanoags shared their knowledge of the land and sea around them with the Pilgrims. This could have been the beginning of a genuine and lasting friendship, but it did not happen. This could have been caused by language and cultural and spiritual differences.

We were different, but the differences were not irreconcilable. The Pilgrims, who were escaping religious persecution in Europe, were quick to impose their religious beliefs on the Wampanoags without stopping to realize that these people had a religion of their own. While they were literate and rational along European standards, the Europeans knew little about survival in a world where they were not surrounded by food and comforts of life. The Wampanoags, on the other hand, were as one with the earth and their surroundings. They knew how to build sustainable shelters, understood the food sources, and could clothe themselves. They knew how to make canoes and could travel anywhere in winter or summer. The Wampanoags also belonged to the Algonquin-language group, which covered a wide geographic area; thus they were able to communicate with people from what is now Canada to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin.

If I could go back to 1621, I would work very hard to create a good working relationship with the Pilgrims that would include mutual respect for language and culture. There is so much that could be shared that would make the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags stronger. For this we would be truly thankful.

Can you give us any unique information about the Wampanoag?
When you study the Wampanoag people, you are studying the tribe that first had contact with the English. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is still in the same area as when the Pilgrims landed in 1620. There are plans to create a Wampanoag historic district in Mashpee.

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Native American Perspective: Fast Turtle, Wampanoag Tribe Member | Scholastic

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As part of Scholastic's The First Thanksgiving student activity, we traveled back to 1621, the year of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. The following is a conversation held with Russell M. Peters (1929-2002), a Mashpee Wampanoag leader, Native American rights advocate, and author from Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Historical Mythbusters Research Recording  (1)

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Pilgrim Hall Museum (See other tabs/links)

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Pilgrim Hall Museum (See other tabs/links)

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gallery museum of pilgrim and native american artifacts

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Pilgrim Hall, built in 1824, is a gallery museum in the center of historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. The nation's oldest continuously-operating public museum, Pilgrim Hall houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions.

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Which tribes did the Pilgrims interact with? 

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Which tribes did the Pilgrims interact with? 

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In 1620, the English colonists we call the Pilgrims began settling Plymouth Colony, the first English colony in what became Massachusetts and the second permanent English colony in North America. They faced many hardships such as cold weather, malnourishment and disease. They also had several important encounters with local American Indians.

The Pilgrims and Plymouth

The Pilgrims, or Separatists, were English religious dissenters who, unlike the Puritans, believed the Church of England could not be reformed. In search of religious freedom, they left England for Holland in 1608. However, they were primarily farmers who had trouble fitting in with Holland's urban lifestyle. They also feared their children were absorbing too much "sinful" Dutch culture. On Sept. 16, 1620, they left Plymouth, England on an overcrowded ship called the Mayflower. In November, they reached Cape Code, Massachusetts, not the expected Virginia Colony. Unable to sail south, they decided to settle Massachusetts, dropping anchor at the site of Plymouth Colony on Dec.26.

Nauset

The Nauset were a coastal tribe that originally inhabited modern-day Cape Cod. When the Mayflower first arrived in 1620, a Pilgrim landing party searching for food stole corn from a Nauset burial site and was chased away by Nauset warriors. In 1621, a young boy wandered away from Plymouth and got lost. A Nauset hunting party discovered the boy and took him to their chief, called a sachem. After tense negotiations, they returned the boy, creating a strong friendship with the Pilgrims. In 1622, they gave some corn to the Pilgrims. By about 1640, most Nauset were converted to Christianity.

Pokanoket

The Pokanoket survived by fishing, hunting and farming. Each village was a democratic society headed by a tribal council and a sachem. Pokanoket families always shared food with visitors, even if supplies were low. A Pokanoket named Squanto spent several months teaching the Pilgrims survival skills such as planting corn, using fish as fertilizer, making medicine from plants and building Indian-style houses. The Pilgrims returned his kindness by inviting Squanto, the local sachem and other tribe members to share a thanksgiving feast. The Pokanoket provided much of the food, including turkey, fish, beans, corn and berries.

Narragansett

The Narragansett were a powerful and aggressive people who once occupied most of what is now Rhode Island. In 1621, the Narragansett sent a snakeskin full of arrows to the Plymouth Colony as a threat. Gov. William Bradford sent it back full of bullets and gunpowder and the Narragansett decided not to attack. However, according to "Mayflower" author Nathaniel Philbrick, this encounter encouraged the Pilgrims to fortify Plymouth. In 1636, the Narragansett granted land use rights to Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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What Indian Tribes Interacted With the Pilgrims? | Synonym

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In 1620, the English colonists we call the Pilgrims began settling Plymouth Colony, the first English colony in what became Massachusetts and the second permanent English colony in North America. They faced many hardships such as cold weather, malnourishment and disease. They also had several important encounters with local American Indians.

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On this day in history and today including special days, historical facts, customs past and present.

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes to Thanksgiving

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes to Thanksgiving

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william bradford and the first thanksgiving

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving [ushistory.org]

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving

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How did the Native Americans and Pilgrims meet? 

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How did the Native Americans and Pilgrims meet? 

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Samoset (ca. 1590-1653) was the first Native American to speak with the Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony. On March 16, 1621, the people were very surprised when Samoset walked straight into Plymouth Colony where the people were living. He greeted them in English.

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes to Thanksgiving

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes to Thanksgiving

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william bradford and the first thanksgiving

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving [ushistory.org]

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving

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Native American Relationship with Pilgrims

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Native American Relationship with Pilgrims

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As part of Scholastic's The First Thanksgiving student activity, we traveled back to 1621, the year of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. The following is a conversation held with Russell M. Peters (1929-2002), a Mashpee Wampanoag leader, Native American rights advocate, and author from Brookline, Massachusetts. During the interview, Mr. Peters answered questions as a Wampanoag Indian in 1621, using his Wampanoag name, "Fast Turtle." Below are his answers to questions from students.
Fast Turtle is a Wampanoag who lives in Massipee, the area just west of Plimoth. He has a wife and two children. When he was a boy, Fast Turtle was chosen and trained to be a pniese (pa-NEES), a special kind of warrior counselor.

Each pniese is selected for his spiritual power, physical strength, courage, and wisdom. They advise the chief, or sachem (SAY-chum), and help settle differences with other communities.

Fast Turtle has just returned from the three-day feast in Plimoth. He and the sachem Chief Massasoit were among the 90 Wampanoag who joined the celebration.

Relationships With the Pilgrims

What did you think of the Pilgrims when they first arrived?
When the Mayflower came, first to the outer arm of the Cape and then into Plimoth, we looked on them with apprehension and great curiosity. It was much larger than our biggest canoe. As they landed, they brought a lot of baggage with them and seemed like they were here to stay. We knew that there would be great changes in the way we would live.

Had you ever seen a boat as large as the Mayflower before?
Wampanoags have seen large boats before the Mayflower. Explorers like Verrazzano and Cabot looked around Wampanoag territory. The Vikings from the north frequently sailed into the area. European fishermen from Spain, Portugal, France, and Ireland fished for codfish off our coast years before the Pilgrims came in 1620.

How did you speak with the Pilgrims? Did you speak English or did they speak your language?
Good question. Indians spoke a dialect of the Algonquin language. A few spoke some English even before the Pilgrims landed at Plimoth in 1620. They learned from the English fishermen who fished for cod. Samoset was an Indian who said "Welcome, Englishmen," much to the surprise of Miles Standish and William Bradford. Squanto, a Wampanoag, also spoke English, which he learned when he was in England. When he returned, Squanto served as an interpreter between the English colonists and the Wampanoag people. Eventually, most of the Wampanoags did learn to speak English.

Who were some of the Native Americans who spoke English with the Pilgrims?
Samoset greeted the Pilgrims in English in March of 1621. He strode into the Pilgrims compound and said, "Welcome, Englishmen." The surprised and somewhat apprehensive Standish and Bradford muttered back, "Welcome." They wanted to know where he learned English words, and he told them that he learned a few English words from fishermen who came to the area periodically.

Squanto, a Wampanoag, also spoke English, which he learned when merchants took him to England before 1620. He was an interpreter for the Massasoit and the English colonists. He was particularly helpful to the colonists, and the other Wampanoags were suspicious of Squanto's association with the Englishmen. He died a premature and mysterious death.

Did you ever feel at any time that the Pilgrims were your friends? If you did, when did your feelings change?
Yes, in the beginning there was a fair exchange of good deeds between the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims. During the first harsh winter over half of their number died of cold, malnutrition, and other diseases. During the spring of 1621, the Wampanoags were very helpful in teaching the English to adjust to the climate, the environment around them, and for this the English were grateful. They met the Massasoit Osamequin, who provided protection and help during the next few years.

As the numbers of English increased and the settlements grew, the English began to make demands on the Wampanoags. Attempts were made to make English the language to be spoken. Plimoth Colony extended their court jurisdiction over the Wampanoag people. Missionaries attempted to convert the Wampanoags from their religion to Christianity. These things were done in the interest of improving the Wampanoag mind and spirit, but in the process it did much harm to the native culture and spirituality.

What did the Pilgrims think of you?
The English had been told that the inhabitants of the New World were savages, so they were afraid of the Wampanoags. An Indian named Samoset came into the new village in the spring of 1621 and began a friendship with the Pilgrims. Samoset introduced Miles Standish and William Bradford, Europeans, to the Wampanoag leaders and a friendship was made that lasted for more than 50 years.

What kinds of diseases did the Pilgrims expose the Wampanoag to?
When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, they brought diseases like smallpox and diphtheria. Some English purposely distributed diseased blankets to the unsuspecting Wampanoags, thus wiping out entire villages. Eventually the Wampanoag built up a tolerance for some of these diseases and were able to withstand the terrible effects of European diseases.

Did the Pilgrims turn against you because you had different-colored skin?
The color of their skin did point out the differences. The language differences prevented good communication between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. It was obvious from the beginning of the Pilgrim-Wampanoag relationship that there was a complete lack of understanding and mutual respect. The English had been told that the Wampanoag people were savages and needed the help of the white man to become civilized.

What were some of the religious differences between Natives and Pilgrims?
The Pilgrims were sometimes called Puritans, a group that had very strong religious beliefs. They were very serious and sanctimonious and felt that the Wampanoags should practice the Puritans' religion, Christianity, and observe their rules of conduct. Keep in mind that these were the same people who were escaping religious persecution in Holland and England.

Can you tell me what effect John Elliot's work had on the Native Americans of New England?
John Elliot was an early missionary who made a valiant effort to Christianize native people. He did not recognize that the Native Americans had their own religion and proceeded to convert them. Praying Indian towns were established in Natick, Roxbury, Mashpee, Martha's Vineyard, and Herring Pond. John Elliot attempted to learn the Algonquin language, and he translated the Bible into that language. The native people were fascinated with the concept of praying and preaching. To them, the ceremony and ritual of the service was interesting, even though they did not understand it. As the English settlements expanded, the Christian praying villages were used as a refuge for Indians who were displaced by the new settlers. When the so-called King Philip's War took place, John Elliot's praying Indian village was evacuated and the Natick Indians were banished to a place called Deer Island, where many of them died over the winter.

What kinds of weapons did the Pilgrims bring? What kind of weapons did the Native Americans have?
When the Pilgrims landed in Plimoth, the military leader was a man named Miles Standish. He and most of the men carried muskets, which were used for hunting and protection of the village. The Wampanoags had no such weapons and were deathly afraid of the white man's musket. We called it a thunderbolt that could kill. The Pilgrims carried a strange book, their Bible, as they marched to church every day. Each was a weapon in its own way, because the Pilgrims wanted the Wampanoags to embrace the Christian religion and to discard their own religion.

The Wampanoags had bows and arrows and spears, which were used for hunting as well as for protection of their territory. In addition, they had tomahawks made of stone and knives made of shells or sharp shale.

Were there ever any confrontations between the white settlers and the Native Americans? If so, what were they?
The Wampanoags had many disagreements with the white man, primarily over land issues. At first the Pilgrims were friendly with the Wampanoags, because they helped them learn the environment and how to survive on the land. As the settlers moved in, they often settled on traditional or ceremonial land of the Wampanoags, which was often hotly disputed. Eventually this led to wars between the English and the Indian tribes around them.

Knowing what you know today about how the Native Americans were sent to reservations, do you wish that your ancestors had never welcomed the Pilgrims?
Life was good before the English came. I am only sorry that we could not share the bounties of this land in a more equal way. In our culture we feel that no one owns the land. The earth belongs to all of us and we are to take care of Mother Earth. It is obvious that the settlers were after land - our land. We now have very little of our land left.

The 1621 Thanksgiving Feast

Tell us about the first Thanksgiving.
In 1621, the Wampanoags were just getting to know the Pilgrims. The English were still learning how to cope with the weather and harsh living conditions. The native people showed the Pilgrims how to gather food, how to fish and hunt. They told them what was good to eat and what not to eat. For those that survived the first harsh winter, we had admiration and helped them to adjust to the new land.

When the Wampanoags helped the Pilgrims bring in their first crop in the new world, there was a great feast during that harvest time. According to the Pilgrims, about 90 Wampanoags crashed the party and brought with them all sorts of delicacies. The Wampanoags usually celebrated their harvests with food and rejoicing. They brought venison (deer meat), wild turkey, rabbit, woodchuck, lobster, clams, mussels, potatoes, sea bass, bluefish, and many other delicious foods. Wampanoags also brought corn, beans, and squash to the feast, and even showed the Pilgrims how to cook the food. The Pilgrims were very appreciative of the gifts, and the 90 Wampanoags who crashed the party had a wonderful time.

When the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, all of the bounties of the land and the sea were made a part of this celebration. The Pilgrims got on their knees, closed their eyes, and thanked their God in their own way. They remained silent for some time, then opened a book and spoke strange things. The Wampanoags thanked the Great Spirit for the all of the bounties and blessings of food and drink that he bestowed upon them.

This became an annual tradition that Americans call Thanksgiving Day.

What was your favorite dish at the first Thanksgiving?
My favorite food at the feast was wild turkey and lobster. I also liked the new English dish they called "Indian Pudding."

Did the Wampanoag people eat turkey before the arrival of the Pilgrims?
Wampanoags ate wild turkey long before the English came to Plimoth Colony. In fact, we introduced the delicious bird to the English on the first celebration held in 1621.

Did the Pilgrims and Native Americans eat with forks and knives like we do?
The Pilgrims ate with their hands and little short tools with which they shoveled food into their mouths. They also used a cloth to wipe their face even as they ate. It was quite strange behavior. The Wampanoags used their hands and fingers to eat their food. We used the Pilgrims' cups to drink water. What a neat way to drink.

Did Hobbamock go to the harvest feast?
Hobbamock was a guide for the Pilgrims when they explored places to settle the new people that were coming to the colony. At the celebration, about 90 Wampanoags joined in the feast, and I believe that Hobbamock was included in the group.

Did you have to travel far to participate in the first Thanksgiving?
I traveled just down the beach from Manomet to Plimoth for the first celebration of the harvest. It took me one hour to get there.

What other activities occurred at the Thanksgiving feast besides eating?
The Wampanoags engaged in games of skill, such as lacrosse and football, but were unable to entice the English to join in the games.

What did you wear to the feast?
I wore my finest deerskin shirt and leggings. The shirt was decorated with the purple shells from the quahog that we got from Popponesset Bay.

Wampanoag Tribe

Who were the Wampanoags?
The Wampanoag people were Eastern Woodland people who spoke a dialect of the Algonquin language. While many of the words are similar, there are dialectal differences. The tribes are located from Canada to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin. We are hunters and gatherers and actually cultivated crops such as corn, squash, and beans. We lived close to the ocean and relied heavily on fish and game for our sustenance. We were a friendly people and enjoyed good relations with the other tribes that lived near us. Some of these tribes are the Massachusetts, the Punkapogs, the Narragansett, and the Nipmuck tribes.

The Wampanoags were here thousands of years before the Pilgrims arrived in Plimoth. When the Pilgrims landed in Plimoth, they landed in the midst of Wampanoag territory and spread their settlements throughout the area. Today, there are still Wampanoag people who live on their land in Mashpee, Gay Head, and other areas in southeastern Massachusetts.

How did the Wampanoag migrate to North America?
I do not know the migration path that the tribes in the Northeast used. However, there is evidence that we have been here for more than 10,000 years.

What does the word Wampanoag mean in English?
Wampanoag means "land where the sun comes up first." We are called "People of the First Light" because we see the sun first.

How many people were in your tribe?
There were more than 5,000 Wampanoag people. Many of our people died from disease brought over by the white man. Later the Wampanoags developed immunity to most of those diseases.

What is it like belonging to a tribal group?
I am very proud to be a Wampanoag. Where I live in Massipee, I can hunt and fish and live in harmony with Mother Earth. We have the ocean, bays, rivers, and lakes, which are filled with fish. My family has a good home and we are happy with our Wampanoag way of life.

What are some the names of your neighboring tribes?
To the west of us are the Narragansett tribe and the Pequot tribe. To the north are the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and the Malisite tribes. To the northwest are the Nipmuck and the Mohawk tribes. And to the northeast are the Mohegan, Schaghticoke, Malaseet, and Mic Mac. We are all part of the Algonquin-language group, but speak different dialects of that language.

How did the Wampanoags travel around?
The Wampanoag people traveled mostly by foot. They moved from their winter homes, which were well inland, to a place where they planted their crops in the early spring. After a month or so at the fields, they packed up and moved closer to the ocean, where they caught herring, clams, oysters, and lobster.

Sometimes they had clambakes for the entire tribe during the warm days of summer. They played games, swam in the ocean, and rejuvenated themselves after the long hard winter. In the fall at harvest time, they retraced their steps and harvested their crops and prepared for the winter. Finally, they moved back to their winter place to complete the cycle.

Did the Wampanoags have horses in their villages?
The Wampanoags did not have horses before the Europeans came to these shores.

What is your chief's name?
My chief's name is Osamequin. Osamequin means "Yellow Feather." The Pilgrims call him Massasoit. Massasoit is the Wampanoag word for sachem, or chief. He is the Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag people.

Who was the greatest chief of all times?
The greatest Wampanoag chief was Osamequin.

What was the most popular Indian name?
A popular Indian name was Tisquantum, from which the name Squanto derived.

How many Indian tribes are there in all?
There are more than 500 federally recognized Indian tribes in the United States, and many more that do not have treaties with the United States. In New England, where the Wampanoag people live, there are 15 Indian tribes. Most of them have land near the ocean.

How did the Wampanoag people communicate without having television, radio, or computers?
The Wampanoag people had a communication system that is still used today. They relied on the spoken word and symbols that told a story and sometimes recorded history. Sometimes they used drums to send messages to tribe members who were some distance away. Smoke signals were also used. The young men were trained in running long distances. The training gave them endurance and strength to carry messages from one place to another.

It is hard to imagine a world without TV, radio, and computers, but the Wampanoag children did just fine without them. They hunted and fished, built wigwams and canoes. They did things that were necessary for survival.

What group of people were the first to make contact with the Wampanoags?
The first foreign people to come visit my people were the Viking explorers. That is when we first saw metal weapons and tools. The size of their boats just blew our minds. It was a very memorable experience.

Daily Needs of the Wampanoag

What are the natural resources that you used to help meet your basic needs?
The Wampanoag people were close to the earth and were able to get food and clothing from animals that they hunted. Wampanoags grew vegetables, such as corn, beans, and squash. These vegetables were called the "Three Sisters." The Wampanoags also used herbs and roots for medicines and preservatives for food. Their shelter was made of cedar saplings and bark. This housing was called a wetu. It was quite comfortable, even in the winter. The cooking fire was inside, and the smoke was able to get out through a hole in the roof.

How did the Wampanoags keep themselves clean? Where did you bathe?
They used leaves or grass or other organic material to clean themselves after going to the bathroom. They took showers when it rained, and bathed in ponds and pools almost every season, except during the extreme cold winter months. Wampanoag people were very clean. They swam in the warm weather and went to the sweat lodge in the cold weather.

How did you brush your teeth?
We brushed our teeth with mint leaves and short pine bristles. The mint leaves a refreshing taste in the mouth.

How did you get your water?
Wampanoags had a plentiful source of water. Some came from underground springs, but our main source of water was the rivers and lakes in the Massipee area.

Can you tell us about your sleeping habits?
I am in the habit of going to bed when the sun goes down. I awake at sunrise and love to see the sun rise over the ocean. Morning is special to me.

How were sick people cared for? What happened to people who became really ill?
Every tribe had a medicine man or medicine woman who was familiar with remedies for almost every kind of illness. The Wampanoags also had a sweat lodge which was used when illness required it.

Wampanoag Children

Did Wampanoag children receive their education in a formal school-type atmosphere? Was education different for boys than girls?
We did not have school in the same way you have school. We had no TV, computers, visual aids, radios, or school buses. Before the English came to these shores, Wampanoag children learned how to do things by watching their parents or tribal elders. The village was the classroom, and the extended family was the teacher.

The young girls learned from following their mothers, aunts, and elders of the community. They watched their mothers gather wood, light fires, and cook the food for the family. They also learned how to stretch and tan leather for clothing and also how to sew. They learned how to gather food and berries, plant crops, tan leather from animal skins, make a wigwam, and cook. The learning sometimes took long hours and over many years before the girls grew into young women and had their own families.

Young boys learned at the side of their fathers, uncles, and tribal elders. The adults taught us about the seasons, what animals were good, where the fish were located and how to catch them. We became proficient with the bow and arrow and spear and learned to run long distances. For boys, our jobs were to be good hunters, fisherman, and protectors of the Wampanoag territory.

So the answer to your question is that the Wampanoag lived in a different environment that called for a drastically different way of learning what was necessary to survive. As kids, we played games that developed our skills and body coordination. We also learned endurance so that we could travel long distances in preparation for future endeavors.

Do Wampanoag girls and boys help with the corn planting?
Young girls and boys are taught how to gather rocks and sit in the corn watch to drive away birds and animals that get into the garden to steal the seeds. A corn watch is a tower erected near the cornfields.

What games did Wampanoag girls and boys play?
Early on, both boys and girls played many games that developed their hand and eye coordination, so they could develop other skills as they grew older. Some of the games were the ring and pin game, lacrosse, football, swimming games, and long-distance running races. All of these games were used to develop endurance, accuracy, and precision.

Did Wampanoag children have pets back in the 1600s?
Wampanoag children had pets such as dogs, which were used for hunting and protection of the village, rabbits, skunk, and some other wild animals that they could train. The children had to keep a sharp eye on their pets lest they wind up in someone's pot for supper.

If a skunk was going to become a pet, it had to be de-scented first. After that, the skunk was a delightful friend. They did not have pigs or domesticated cats.

Baby bears also made good pets while they were small, but when they got older there were two problems. One, big bears ate a lot of food. Two, as they got larger they became dangerous. They were returned to the wild.

When you were a boy, what was the hardest thing in life?
As a Wampanoag boy, the hardest thing in life was keeping warm in the winter. To prepare for the harsh months, my family worked hard all year to make sure there was enough clothing and blankets to keep us warm when the snow fell. We had to help the tribal adults gather food that could be stored and saved for those hard months. We learned the habits of the winter animals so that we could track them in the snow so we could have meat and fur in the winter. It was my job to gather and store wood for the fire we used for heating and cooking. We had a busy life just to survive. We also had games to keep us occupied so that we would not be bored stiff. Our elders were great storytellers who gave us the history of our tribe and great stories about our hunters and warriors.

Why did 11-year-old boys have to go out by themselves and live in the woods?
If their trainer felt that a Wampanoag boy was ready, when the boy was 11 or 12, he was tested to determine if his hunting skills were developed. This was his school, and hunting was a very important lesson to learn.

Food and Hunting

How did the Wampanoags get their food? Did the Wampanoags ever face starvation?
Traditionally, the Wampanoag women planted food crops such as beans, corn, and squash. These were staple foods that could remain edible for many months. The Wampanoags also grew potatoes, which were another hearty food that would keep well in the winter months. In addition we were great hunters and fishermen who fed our families deer, rabbit, woodchuck, and duck, as well as all sorts of fish. The saltwater bays near the ocean provided food such as quahogs, clams, oysters, and mussels. We always knew what was in season so that we never went hungry or faced starvation.

Wampanoags were also great cooks. Even the men knew how to make a clambake big enough to feed the whole tribe. For desserts, there were wild strawberries, plums, cranberries, and other wild fruit.

Life was good before the Europeans came, and we enjoyed all the bounties provided to us by the Great Spirit. Occasionally, we would have a feast to thank the Great Spirit for the generous bounties he bestowed upon us. After the Europeans settled on our land, many changes took place which affected all the Wampanoags.

What kinds of food did the Wampanoag like to eat?
The Wampanoags ate all kinds of game animals, including deer, bear, rabbit, woodchuck, skunk, turtle, and squirrel. In addition, the Wampanoag ate a wide variety of fish. Mashpee Lake contained bass, pickerel, sunfish, and perch. In the spring, herring would darken the Mashpee River; there were so many of them, one could catch the herring with one's hands. Also, in Popponessett Bay, there was an abundance of shellfish, including quahogs, oysters, clams, and mussels. The bay was also filled with eels, which are delicious when cooked right, and lobster, crabs, flatfish, scup, and occasionally sea bass. Wampanoags also liked pheasant, wild duck, and the geese from up north.

What are the "Three Sisters?"
Wampanoags call corn, beans, and squash the "Three Sisters," because they were compatible and could grow in the same hill of earth.The corn grew, and the beans used the corn stalk to climb, and the squash just spread out to the side.

What kind of corn do you eat?
I eat crystal white corn, which was a special strain of corn grown in Mashpee.

Describe a typical hunt.
I was sent out on a hunting expedition to gather meat for our tribe. I left just before the full moon in order to have light at night for traveling and hunting. I was after deer and moose, although I would have liked to encounter a black bear. I also wanted to be able to find any of these animals close to home so that I would not have to carry the animal so far. A moose or bear are very heavy and would require much strength to carry them back home.

Before the hunt, my friends and I offered a prayer for the animals that we were going to kill. We know that even the animals have spirits and we want them to know that we have respect for the life they are about to give up for our tribe. Our hunting party got a deer and a bear on this trip, and we made sure that we used all parts of the animals. We stripped the fur for clothing and for blankets. The meat was carefully packed to take back to our village. The bear grease was saved for cooking and medicinal purposes.

On the third day, our hunt was over, and we returned to camp with enough food to feed the entire village. The Medicine Man said a prayer to thank the Great Spirit for a successful hunt.

Are you a hunter?
I am a great hunter and have learned to hunt for food since I was a little boy. My father and my uncles taught me to hunt and fish for food for the tribe. Game is plentiful in Mashpee, and we learned the habits of the animals as part of our training. We also learned not to kill any animal unless it was going to be eaten for food.

Before we kill an animal, we offer a prayer to the Great Spirit and pay our respects to the animal. If the Great Spirit guides our arrow straight, then we make sure to use all parts of the animal. The tribe eats the meat, the bones are used for tools, and the skin is used for moccasins or clothing. Thus, we have paid our respects to the animal.

Do Wampanoags use guns for hunting and for protection?
Wampanoags do not have guns. We use bows and arrows and clubs for hunting and for protecting our territory.

How were deer hunted?
The Wampanoag people are very respectful of anything that has a life, including deer. We only hunt deer when there is a need for food. A prayer is offered for the deer, and then the hunt begins. When a deer comes into range, the hunter shoots with great accuracy to bring the deer down with as little pain as possible. When the deer is processed, the Wampanoags use every part of the animal. The hide is used for clothing or moccasins, the meat for food for the tribe, and the horns and hooves are used for tools. A prayer is offered to the Great Spirit to thank him for the deer.

Are there any buffalo near your home? What kinds of animals do you hunt for food?
There are no buffalo near Mashpee. They are located in the plains of the West, where they have plenty of grass and grain to eat. Near Mashpee, we have bear, deer, moose, wild turkey, rabbit, woodchuck, skunk, and birds of all kinds. We use all of these for food, and the skins of some animals for clothing and shelter.

How did the Wampanoags make rope for their hunting snares? Who made the snares, men or women?
The Wampanoags were able to weave the rope out of hemp and tall grass. You probably saw woven mats inside the wetu. Both men and women were very proficient in making the snares, although the men were the ones who usually tended the traps to get the animals caught in the snares. Animals such as beaver, woodchuck, rabbit, and other small animals were caught this way.

What are your favorite foods?
My favorite food is lobster, stuffed with blue claw crab taken fresh from Popponessett Bay. To go along with this, I will have fresh yellow corn, potatoes, and wild onions. As an appetizer, I will have steamed clams with a few mussels thrown in. For dessert, I will have Indian pudding. This is not a meal to hurry. The meal is served over a three- or four-hour period, with adequate time to nap.

How were your canoes made?
The Wampanoags made two types of canoes. The one you saw at Plimoth Plantation at the Wampanoag Village was a wooden dugout canoe. It is made by selecting a large, wide-girth pine tree that is then carved out. We don't have metal axes, so the primary method of making the canoe is by burning out the inside. Once the fires are lit, they must be carefully tended lest they burn a hole on the boat. After many countless days of burning and gouging, the canoe is ready for launching. It is very heavy, but once in the water it is good transportation.

The other type of canoe that the Wampanoags used were made of supple cedar or ash saplings. These were bent into shape and covered with bark from a white birch tree. The bark was sewn with deerskin leather and sealed with pine pitch. This made a very swift boat that could travel long distances.

Tools and Weapons

How do you make your tools?
The Wampanoags used many things to make tools. We made our tools out of things that were available around us. For example, we used quahog shells to scrape leather, squash gourds, hold water, and manipulate animal horns and bones into tools. Rocks and shale were used to make axes or tomahawks. Certain types of stone could be used to make arrows for bows or flint for making fire.

How do you use your weapons? What are your weapons like?
Wampanoag men protect their villages. They learn how to make and use things like bows and arrows as toys when they are little. As they grow older and develop their skills, they learn how to use these for hunting and then for protection against enemies. They also know how to make knives from sharp rocks and shale. They also use roots and rocks to make war clubs.

How sharp were your arrows? What materials were they made from? What about knives?
Our arrows were very sharp. They were made of flintstone, rocks, and shells. Knives were made of sharp shells or flintstone and sometimes bones of animals.

How did you make your pots and pans?
Wampanoags made clay pottery. Some vessels were used to carry water, others were used for cooking. Before the English came, we did not have metal pots for cooking. If we needed to cook something, we cooked over a fire. Sometimes we cooked on hot rocks with seaweed to have a feast such as a clambake.

Is giving pots a sign of affection in your culture?
Wampanoags only got metal pots after the English came to these shores. Wampanoag people were excellent pottery makers and made exotic pottery vases and pots. These were used to hold liquid and for cooking. Sometimes, the pots were given as gifts as a show of affection.

Houses

In what kind of homes did Wampanoag live?
Wampanoag people lived in wetus, or wigwams, which were made of ash or cedar saplings that were bent into an arch and covered with bark from poplar or ash trees. There was a hole in the roof to let the smoke from the cooking fire out of the wetu. Inside there were sleeping racks covered with animal furs to make a comfortable sleeping pallet. The wigwam, or wetu, was warm and provided comfort in the winter and coolness in the summer.

Did you ever live in a teepee or a pueblo?
Teepees were built by the Indian tribes who lived on the plains, where the buffalo roam. Pueblo Indians who lived in the Southwest built pueblo structures of mud, clay, and straw. Oftentimes they would build their homes on the side of cliffs and in the hills of the Southwest.

How big was a wigwam inside? What did you put inside it?
Wigwams, or wetus, were usually made for a single family and were big enough to accommodate the mother, father, and all the kids. The wetu had benches for sitting or sleeping. The beds were covered with deerskin and keept us nice and warm at night. Some foods were hung from the sides of the wetu, and clothing and furs were laid out on the benches. Food and pottery were stored under the benches. A fire pit was in the center of the wetu, under a hole in the roof. The fire heated the house and was also used for cooking. Sometimes I used bulrush mats to keep me warm.

How were longhouses built? What were they like?
Wampanoags built longhouses for two or more families and for tribal meetings. The longhouse was built of cedar saplings, which were bent in a curved shape and tied with hemp. As the longhouse took shape, some members of the tribe stripped bark from the trees to cover the frame of the house. A hole flap was cut above the fire pit, which could be opened to let the smoke out. There was a hole flap for each fire in the longhouse. The longhouses and wetus were comfortable both summer or winter.

Clothes and Jewelry

What is your clothing made of? How long does it take to make a complete outfit?
My clothing is made of deerskin, which is designed to keep me warm and to prevent bushes and twigs from scratching my skin. My moccasins are made of rabbit skin on the inside and deerskin on the outside.

I am fortunate to be married to a good woman who knows how to scrape and tan the leather of animals that I get. The tanning process takes a few days to scrape and soften the leather. The sewing of the clothing will take a couple of days.

If my wife feels extra generous, she will decorate my tunic with feathers and brightly colored quahog shells. Small pieces of leather can be used for a hat, and a beaded belt would finish off the outfit. Total time to complete the outfit would be about one and a half to two weeks.

How did you make beads for your necklace? For what purposes were the beads used?
The Wampanoags made their own jewelry from things that were readily available to them. Quahog jewelry was the most popular for Wampanoag men and women. The quahog is a hard-shelled clam taken from the saltwater bays around Mashpee. The shell is hard, and the outer part of the shell is a deep purple. The shell was broken, and the purple part of the shell was shaped into beads. Wampanoag quahog beads were famous throughout Indian country and were used as items of trade and for ceremonial gifts to other tribal leaders. The Wampanoags used these beads to decorate their clothing and head dresses.

What else did Wampanoags use for jewelry and decorations?
Wampanoags also used feathers, shells, deer antlers, and red ochre to create colorful decorations.

I've noticed that eagle feathers were worn in the headdress of some braves but not all. Why was this?
The eagle feather was highly prized and was usually earned by the warriors for a brave or unusual deed. The eagle feather was worn with pride.

Why did women do so much of the work?
Wampanoag women performed many functions in the tribal village, but so did the men. The work was divided according to who had the skills. Making clothing was a woman's job, and indeed it was hard work. The men, on the other hand, did the hunting and fishing and protected the village. This, too, was hard work, which was necessary to sustain the village.

Beliefs and Celebrations

What is your religion?
The Wampanoag people generally practice Wampanoag Spiritualism. In this religion, our people believe in the bounties of Mother Earth and thank the animals, the plants, the winged ones, and the fish from the ocean, as well as all things which create the circle of life. Today, many of our people practice some form of Christianity. However, at events such as births or deaths or weddings, the Medicine Man is called upon to perform traditional tribal ceremonies.

How and why did the Wampanoags celebrate?
The Wampanoag people were very close to Mother Earth and many of their celebrations came at a time when there was a change in the season. For example, the spring celebration was especially joyous after a long cold winter. They would dance and sing around the fire, feast on venison and rabbit and tell stories of days gone by. These celebrations served the purpose of reinforcing the history of the tribe through oral tradition and of giving the tribal elders a position of honor.

In the summer, the Wampanoags hold a traditional powwow, which is still carried on today. Tribes from all over the country join us in this celebration. The Wampanoags conduct tribal business and the Medicine Man conducts name-giving ceremonies.

The fall celebrations usually are related to the harvest and huge feasts are held to celebrate the blessings given by the Great Spirit.

In the winter, the tribe gathers in the longhouse for social events or to celebrate a successful hunt. Food plays an important role in Wampanoag celebrations, and much credit is given to the creator for providing all these blessings.

Do the Northwest Indians still have potlaches?
Yes, the Northwest Indians still have potlaches, and the tradition is spreading east to the Wampanoags. In our potlach, the Wampanoags exchange gifts and try to give away things of value to other people in the tribe.

Did your family get to attend feasts such as the clambakes?
My family always attended the feasts, especially the clambake. The clambake was a community event, and everyone participated in doing the work. When the food was cooked, everyone ate to their heart's content. Clambakes are still done today in the traditional way of the Wampanoag.

About Fast Turtle

How did you get your name? What is your name in the Wampanoag language?
My name was given to me by the Supreme Medicine Man of the Wampanoag Nation. I am of the Turtle Clan, and since the Medicine Man was my brother, who is named Slow Turtle, he used a little humor to give me my name, because as a young boy I could run very fast. I used to run the quarter mile in 50 seconds. After I graduated from college, he thought Fast Turtle would be a good name for me. In the Wampanoag language I would be called Chicatoonipa Pinchek.

What are the names and ages of your children?
My children are named Tisquantum, aged 10, and Noonapokus, aged 7. They are both well into their apprenticeship. Noonapokus is already a good cook. She is named Wood Turtle because she has red hair similar in color to the underbelly of the wood turtle. Tisquantum is a great hunter and has already shot five deer with his bow and arrow.

Wampanoags Today

Where do you live presently? Why do you enjoy living there?
I live in Brookline, Massachusetts, and in Mashpee, Massachusetts. I like Mashpee the best because it is on Cape Cod, near the ocean and wonderful freshwater lakes. Growing up there was a great experience, because there was plenty of space for hunting and fishing. The Wampanoags have an Indian Meeting House, which was built in 1684 by the early Christian missionaries. They still live in the same place as their ancestors. I like being close to Popponessett Bay, where there is an abundance of shellfish. The scup and flatfish are plentiful, and wild plums thrive in the summer months. We enjoy many of the same things as our ancestors.

What are some of your hobbies? Do you have modern-day conveniences?
Some of the hobbies that I enjoy are golf, bridge, music, and on occasion, I write poetry. I have written three books: The Wampanoags of Mashpee; Clambake, and Regalia. Most of the poems and books I write are about Mashpee and the Wampanoags. I feel that this is important, because most of the history of this part of the country is about the Pilgrims. I am interested in telling the story of the Wampanoag people.

I have modern-day things such as a Ford Taurus, a set of golf clubs, radio, television, and a Power Macintosh computer.

Do Wampanoag still celebrate an annual feast?
We have a number of feasts during the year. Wampanoags usually have a celebration when the seasons change or when the men have had a successful hunt or when the lobsters are plentiful, and particularly in the fall, when the crops are harvested. The clambake is one feast that is held when the clams and lobsters are plentiful. Large rocks are heated, and the food is cooked on the rocks for the entire tribe. After a hunt, deer, rabbit, wild turkey, and other delicious game foods are cooked over fires in the village compound. The Medicine Man always gives thanks to the Great Spirit for the bounties of Mother Earth.

From a historical perspective, how do the Wampanoags view the importance of the first Thanksgiving?
In looking back on this event, many Wampanoags view the feast in the fall of 1621 as a significant, but sad, event that led to the settlement of Wampanoag land by English settlers. At the time of the feast, it was quite natural to celebrate the bounties of the fall harvest and the availability of deer, wild turkey, fish, and foul. The Wampanoags shared their knowledge of the land and sea around them with the Pilgrims. This could have been the beginning of a genuine and lasting friendship, but it did not happen. This could have been caused by language and cultural and spiritual differences.

We were different, but the differences were not irreconcilable. The Pilgrims, who were escaping religious persecution in Europe, were quick to impose their religious beliefs on the Wampanoags without stopping to realize that these people had a religion of their own. While they were literate and rational along European standards, the Europeans knew little about survival in a world where they were not surrounded by food and comforts of life. The Wampanoags, on the other hand, were as one with the earth and their surroundings. They knew how to build sustainable shelters, understood the food sources, and could clothe themselves. They knew how to make canoes and could travel anywhere in winter or summer. The Wampanoags also belonged to the Algonquin-language group, which covered a wide geographic area; thus they were able to communicate with people from what is now Canada to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin.

If I could go back to 1621, I would work very hard to create a good working relationship with the Pilgrims that would include mutual respect for language and culture. There is so much that could be shared that would make the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags stronger. For this we would be truly thankful.

Can you give us any unique information about the Wampanoag?
When you study the Wampanoag people, you are studying the tribe that first had contact with the English. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe is still in the same area as when the Pilgrims landed in 1620. There are plans to create a Wampanoag historic district in Mashpee.

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Native American Perspective: Fast Turtle, Wampanoag Tribe Member | Scholastic

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As part of Scholastic's The First Thanksgiving student activity, we traveled back to 1621, the year of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. The following is a conversation held with Russell M. Peters (1929-2002), a Mashpee Wampanoag leader, Native American rights advocate, and author from Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Mythbusters announces Explosive Exhibition museum tour!

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Kids learn about Thanksgiving Day. The history and facts about this holiday where we eat turkey and give thanks.

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Colonial America for Kids: The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony

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Kids learn about the history of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony of Colonial America including the Mayflower voyage, establishing a Puritan settlement, their leaders, Squanto, the Native Americans, and Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving wasn't declared a holiday until 1863, by Abraham Lincoln, 242 years after what most people think of as The First Thanksgiving?"

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National Geographic: What really happened at "The First Thanksgiving?"

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National Geographic: What really happened at "The First Thanksgiving?"

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On the fourth Thursday of November, people in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and Native Americans who came together to have a historic harvest feast.

NATIVE AMERICANS

Long before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was inhabited by many Native American tribes. The area surrounding the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and harvested for thousands of generations.

THE SETTLERS

The people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants called Puritans who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These "separatists" initially moved to Holland. But after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1620 to settle in a "New World." Carrying 101 men, women, and children, the Mayflower traveled the ocean for 66 days and was supposed to land where New York City is now located. But windy conditions forced the group to cut their trip short and settle at what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

SETTLING AND EXPLORING

As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies.

One day, Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki people, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the settlers and the native people, and in March 1621, they joined together to protect each other from other tribes.

THE CELEBRATION

One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true.

Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, different from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast. They played ball games, sang, and danced.

Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought.

THE MYTHS

Puritans are often thought of having silver buckles on their shoes and wearing somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful (with no shoe buckles!). The Native Americans actualy didn't wear woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, even though some artworks portray this. And though today we might refer to the Puritans as "Pilgrims," the Englishmen didn't call themselves that.

NATIVE AMERICANS AND THANKSGIVING

The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of betrayal and bloodshed. Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts, each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.

MODERN THANKSGIVING

In the 19th century, the modern Thanksgiving holiday started to take shape. In 1846, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a magazine called Godey's Lady's Book, campaigned for an annual national thanksgiving holiday. But it wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings; one in August to commemorate the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, and the other in November to give thanks for "general blessings." It's the second one that we celebrate today.
Learn more about the holiday at National Geographic.

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Native Americans and early settlers gave thanks together with this historic feast.

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Thanksgiving History: Informational Article from Plimoth Plantation

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Thanksgiving History: Informational Article from Plimoth Plantation

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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a national holiday that takes place on the fourth Thursday in November. But why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? And what is the meaning behind it?

People across the world have been celebrating and giving thanks for thousands of years. In this country, long before English colonists arrived, Native People celebrated many different days of thanksgiving, including, for example, a "Strawberry Thanksgiving" and a "Green Corn Thanksgiving."

The English also had a long tradition of thanksgiving. They declared days of prayer to thank God when something good happened. For example, the English declared a day of thanksgiving in the summer of 1623 when a gentle rain ended a long drought.

Likewise, in the fall of 1621, when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God. They also celebrated their bounty with a tradition called the Harvest Home. In a letter to a friend in England, "E.W." (Pilgrim Edward Winslow) wrote the only record of the celebration that survives:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that we might after a more special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

Winslow's Letter in Mourt's Relation (ed. Heath), 82

During the celebration, Massasoit, an important sachem (leader) of the Wampanoag People, along with 90 of his men, joined the English for three days of entertainment and feasting. We don't know for sure why the Wampanoag joined the gathering or exactly what activities went on during those three days. We do know, however, that the celebration occurred sometime between September 21 and November 9, 1621. Later, in the 19th century, the event entered American popular imagination as the First Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving is a national holiday that takes place on the fourth Thursday in November. But why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? And what is the meaning behind it? People across the world have been celebrating and giving thanks for thousands of years.

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes toThanksgiving

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Native Americans and Pilgrims' Relationship and how it contributes toThanksgiving

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william bradford and the first thanksgiving

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving [ushistory.org]

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William Bradford and the First Thanksgiving

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Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving”

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Artistic portrayal of "First Thanksgiving"

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Artistic portrayal of "First Thanksgiving"

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Considered one of the most accurate paintings of the "First Thanksgiving"

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Peace Treaty between Pilgrims and Wampanoags

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Peace Treaty between Pilgrims and Wampanoags

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At the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, the leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, make a defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not "doe hurt" to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists. According to the treaty, if a Wampanoag broke the peace, he would be sent to Plymouth for punishment; if a colonist broke the law, he would likewise be sent to the Wampanoags.

In November 1620, the Mayflower arrived in the New World, carrying 101 English settlers, commonly known as the pilgrims. The majority of the pilgrims were Puritan Separatists, who traveled to America to escape the jurisdiction of the Church of England, which they believed violated the biblical precepts of true Christians. After coming to anchor in what is today Provincetown harbor in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, a party of armed men under the command of Captain Myles Standish was sent to explore the immediate area and find a location suitable for settlement. In December, the explorers went ashore in Plymouth, where they found cleared fields and plentiful running water; a few days later the Mayflower came to anchor in Plymouth harbor, and settlement began.

The first direct contact with a Native American was made in March 1621, and soon after, Chief Massasoit paid a visit to the settlement. After an exchange of greetings and gifts, the two peoples signed a peace treaty that lasted for more than 50 years.

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The Pilgrim-Wampanoag peace treaty - Apr 01, 1621 - HISTORY.com

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At the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, the leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, make a defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not "doe hurt" to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists.

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Social Studies for Kids

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The Pilgrims: Voyage to Freedom

Part 1: The Need for Freedom

Above all, the Pilgrims wanted to be free.

They disagreed with the religious teachings of the Church of England. In fact, the Pilgrims were members of a group of people called Separatists. These people had different beliefs than the rest of the English people. In 1606, they formed their own church in a small village called Scrooby.

At this time, the Church of England was the same as the Government of England. In other words, King James I was the head of both the country and the church. Not belonging to the church meant not obeying the king. This was treason.

So the Pilgrims left England, in search of a safe place to practice their religion. They chose to go to Holland and found a home in Leiden. For 12 years, they worshipped under their pastor, John Robinson.

But the Pilgrims were also poor. Many of them were forced to work difficult jobs all day long, for little money. They had found religious peace in Holland, but they were making barely enough money to survive.

They finally decided to sail to North America. They didn't want to join the colony, founded in 1607, because they feared that the English people there would treat them badly because of their religious beliefs. So the Pilgrims settled on the northern part of the Virginia Territory, at the mouth of the Hudson River (near what is now New York).

Happily, the Pilgrims found businesspeople who were willing to give them money in exchange for a share of the profits made in America. The Pilgrims bought a small ship called the Speedwell and sailed back to England. They stayed long enough to get more colonists and a larger ship, theMayflower . They set sail from Southampton on August 5, 1620.

The Speedwell wasn't in shape to make the journey, and the Pilgrims returned to Plymouth, England. They crowded all 102 people onboard the Mayflower and set sail again, on September 16. This time, they kept going.

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The Pilgrims: Voyage to Freedom Part 1: The Need for Freedom

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The Pilgrims came to America from England in search of religious freedom. They founded a settlement at Plymouth and made friends with Native Americans. Both of these people later celebrated the first Thanksgiving.

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Another painting portraying the "First Thanksgiving"

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Another painting portraying the "First Thanksgiving"

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Additional painting of "First Thanksgiving"

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Additional painting of "First Thanksgiving"

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gallery museum of pilgrim and native american artifacts

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Pilgrim Hall, built in 1824, is a gallery museum in the center of historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. The nation's oldest continuously-operating public museum, Pilgrim Hall houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions.

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Where did the Mayflower land first in North America? 

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Where did the Mayflower land first in North America? 

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Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving Virtual Field Trips

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Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving Virtual Field Trips

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Scholastic | Books for Kids | Learning Resources

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Find the best kids books, learning resources, and educational solutions at Scholastic, promoting literacy development for over 100 years.

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What kinds of food were at the "first Thanksgiving"

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What kinds of food were at the "first Thanksgiving"

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Today, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes any number of dishes: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. But if one were to create a historically accurate feast, consisting of only those foods that historians are certain were served at the so-called "first Thanksgiving," there would be slimmer pickings. "Wildfowl was there. Corn, in grain form for bread or for porridge, was there. Venison was there," says Kathleen Wall. "These are absolutes."

Two primary sources-the only surviving documents that reference the meal-confirm that these staples were part of the harvest celebration shared by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Edward Winslow, an English leader who attended, wrote home to a friend:

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others."

William Bradford, the governor Winslow mentions, also described the autumn of 1621, adding, "And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion."

But determining what else the colonists and Wampanoag might have eaten at the 17th-century feast takes some digging. To form educated guesses, Wall, a foodways culinarian at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, studies cookbooks and descriptions of gardens from the period, archaeological remains such as pollen samples that might clue her in to what the colonists were growing.

Our discussion begins with the bird. Turkey was not the centerpiece of the meal, as it is today, explains Wall. Though it is possible the colonists and American Indians cooked wild turkey, she suspects that goose or duck was the wildfowl of choice. In her research, she has found that swan and passenger pigeons would have been available as well. "Passenger pigeons-extinct in the wild for over a century now-were so thick in the 1620s, they said you could hear them a quarter-hour before you saw them," says Wall. "They say a man could shoot at the birds in flight and bring down 200."

Small birds were often spit-roasted, while larger birds were boiled. "I also think some birds-in a lot of recipes you see this-were boiled first, then roasted to finish them off. Or things are roasted first and then boiled," says Wall. "The early roasting gives them nicer flavor, sort of caramelizes them on the outside and makes the broth darker."

It is possible that the birds were stuffed, though probably not with bread. (Bread, made from maize not wheat, was likely a part of the meal, but exactly how it was made is unknown.) The Pilgrims instead stuffed birds with chunks of onion and herbs. "There is a wonderful stuffing for goose in the 17th-century that is just shelled chestnuts," says Wall. "I am thinking of that right now, and it is sounding very nice." Since the first Thanksgiving was a three-day celebration, she adds, "I have no doubt whatsoever that birds that are roasted one day, the remains of them are all thrown in a pot and boiled up to make broth the next day. That broth thickened with grain to make a pottage."

In addition to wildfowl and deer, the colonists and Wampanoag probably ate eels and shellfish, such as lobster, clams and mussels. "They were drying shellfish and smoking other sorts of fish," says Wall.

According to the culinarian, the Wampanoag, like most eastern woodlands people, had a "varied and extremely good diet." The forest provided chestnuts, walnuts and beechnuts. "They grew flint corn (multicolored Indian corn), and that was their staple. They grew beans, which they used from when they were small and green until when they were mature," says Wall. "They also had different sorts of pumpkins or squashes."

As we are taught in school, the Indians showed the colonists how to plant native crops. "The English colonists plant gardens in March of 1620 and 1621," says Wall. "We don't know exactly what's in those gardens. But in later sources, they talk about turnips, carrots, onions, garlic and pumpkins as the sorts of things that they were growing."

Of course, to some extent, the exercise of reimagining the spread of food at the 1621 celebration becomes a process of elimination. "You look at what an English celebration in England is at this time. What are the things on the table? You see lots of pies in the first course and in the second course, meat and fish pies. To cook a turkey in a pie was not terribly uncommon," says Wall. "But it is like, no, the pastry isn't there." The colonists did not have butter and wheat flour to make crusts for pies and tarts. (That's right: No pumpkin pie!) "That is a blank in the table, for an English eye. So what are they putting on instead? I think meat, meat and more meat," says Wall.

Meat without potatoes, that is. White potatoes, originating in South America, and sweet potatoes, from the Caribbean, had yet to infiltrate North America. Also, there would have been no cranberry sauce. It would be another 50 years before an Englishman wrote about boiling cranberries and sugar into a "Sauce to eat with. . . .Meat." Says Wall: "If there was beer, there were only a couple of gallons for 150 people for three days." She thinks that to wash it all down the English and Wampanoag drank water.

All this, naturally, begs a follow-up question. So how did the Thanksgiving menu evolve into what it is today?

Wall explains that the Thanksgiving holiday, as we know it, took root in the mid-19th century. At this time, Edward Winslow's letter, printed in a pamphlet called Mourt's Relation, and Governor Bradford's manuscript, titled Of Plimoth Plantation, were rediscovered and published. Boston clergyman Alexander Young printed Winslow's letter in his Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers, and in the footnotes to the resurrected letter, he somewhat arbitrarily declared the feast the first Thanksgiving. (Wall and others at Plimoth Plantation prefer to call it "the harvest celebration in 1621.") There was nostalgia for colonial times, and by the 1850s, most states and territories were celebrating Thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of the popular women's magazine Godey's Lady's Book, , a real trendsetter for running a household, was a leading voice in establishing Thanksgiving as an annual event. Beginning in 1827, Hale petitioned 13 presidents, the last of whom was Abraham Lincoln. She pitched her idea to President Lincoln as a way to unite the country in the midst of the Civil War, and, in 1863, he made Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Throughout her campaign, Hale printed Thanksgiving recipes and menus in Godey's Lady's Book. She also published close to a dozen cookbooks. "She is really planting this idea in the heads of lots of women that this is something they should want to do," says Wall. "So when there finally is a national day of Thanksgiving, there is a whole body of women who are ready for it, who know what to do because she told them. A lot of the food that we think of-roast turkey with sage dressing, creamed onions, mashed turnips, even some of the mashed potato dishes, which were kind of exotic then-are there."

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What Was on the Menu at the First Thanksgiving?

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The history of the holiday meal tells us that turkey was always the centerpiece, but other courses have since disappeared