Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Squanto




Squanto

A book review of the biography of the Wampanoag Indian who, after living in England and Spain, returned to New England in 1619 and befriended the Pilgrims when they settled in Plymouth:  Squanto by Feenie Ziner, 1988 Book review written by Tennessee, age 13.


The book begins with Tisquantum as a boy, enjoying the day. An English ship is sighted, so Tisquantum and two others of his people named Samoset and Sassacomet left their village to trade. They talked for a while to the five men that had come on the boat in broken English, French, and gestures. They were invited aboard, so Tisquantum and Samoset came the next day. The day after that, Tisquantum and three others (Sassacomet, Manedo, and Skidwarroes) were kidnapped by the English people and stuffed into the bottom of the boat to be sold as curiosities. Once they reached England, Tisquantum and Sassacomet were separated, sold to different people. Tisquantum, Skidwarroes, and Manedo were taken in by a man named Sir Ferndinando Gorges. He treated them better than you might expect, attempting to teach them English and asking many questions about Maine (which is where he thought they lived).

Gorges was obsessed with America, and his entire adult life was spent trying to get people to explore the coast or make a settlement. Finally he got his wish, having control of two ships headed for Virginia. Tisquantum was not able to go on either of them. The ship carrying Sassacomet and Manedo was lost. It was later revealed that they had been captured by the Spanish and thrown in jail. In the meantime Tisquantum had missed yet another opportunity to leave.

Gorges’ colony failed miserably, most of the colonists dying of disease or cold. After his utter failure, no one really paid attention to his rambles about America. Tisquantum left him after this, eventually finding work at a farm. He worked there for six years, during which he grew up and earned the nickname ‘Squanto.’ He returned to Sir Ferdinando, hoping he had rekindled his efforts to explore the Virginia coast. After seeing the support that the Jamestown colony received, he did do exactly that. Tisquantum reunited with Sassacomet at Gorges’ castle, and for a while they were happy. Another Native American was brought to Gorges’, a man by the name of Epinow. Epinow told lies about a gold mine on an island that the English called Martha’s Vineyard. Gorges rose to the challenge at once and paid for an expedition to the island. Tisquantum did not go with Epinow and Sassacomet, however. He was hired as navigator for Captain John Smith, who had founded Jamestown and was now coming back to America to explore. He was the bunkmate of a man named Thomas Dermer, who was very fond of him.

On March 3rd, 1614, Tisquantum set foot on his native soil for the first time in over ten years. He reunited with his people, and was playing ball one day when he and twenty-one other men were baited and captured by a man called Captain Hunt. Tisquantum was sold to a Dominican monk in Spain, to work as a sort of mule. Eventually he was able to make his escape in a market, stowing away on a boat as soon as he could. He was, however, caught, and turned over to a man named John Slanie. He told his story, and Slanie took his side. Tisquantum spent some time in Slanie’s home, before going to work with John Mason in Newfoundland. Mason was displeased that Tisquantum was the only person that Slanie sent him, so he sent him to work on the lowest job he could find. For three months Tisquantum fished for cod, and at the end of those hard times he was told to establish connections with neighboring Indian villages to trade. There weren’t many offers.

Tisquantum reunited with Thomas Dermer, who was very excited to see him. Tisquantum had felt progressively worse over the past few months, and did not return the feeling. Dermer worked hard to get Tisquantum out of Mason’s control, as it was obviously killing him inside. Dermer went to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who supplied him with a ship of two hundred men, allowing him and Tisquantum to leave Mason and explore on their own. Tisquantum learned that the area in which his people had lived was ravaged by a plague that had wiped out his village. Massasoit, the supreme sachem, believed it was the English who brought the plaugue, and ordered Dermer taken prisoner. Tisquantum was able to talk Massasoit into letting Dermer go, and Massasoit thought hard about what could’ve caused the plaugue. Tisquantum was reunited with Sassacomet and Samoset in a village of the Nauset tribe. 

On one November day, news came of an English ship, this time carrying women and children. The new visitors stole the village’s corn, angering the Nauset tribe. Massasoit made peace by saying that they would die during the winter anyway. The people were of course the Pilgrims, and they surprised everyone by surviving through the winter. They seemed too little to be enemies and hardy enough to be allies, so Samoset was sent over to their village to make first contact. They traded with him and wished him well, so Massasoit made plans to come over himself. He did a few days later, with sixty men in full militia, and Tisquantum as his interpreter. He was invited to the Pilgrims’ Common House, and he ate and drank with them. They made an agreement of peace, one that stood for forty years. After this Tisquantum taught them how to plant seeds and grow corn, as it is usually said. They later invited Massasoit to a Thanksgiving feast. He came with many other Native Americans, and they feasted for three days. Two years later, he died of a severe nosebleed while trading with the Pilgrims. They gave him a proper funeral and buried him in a place now known as Chatham.

Tisquantum had many admirable qualities. He was stoic even when he was hurting inside, and he never gave up his quest to return home. He tried to see good in all men, and he always did what was right. That’s probably what I admire the most. At any time, on any expedition, he could’ve run away to rejoin his people, but no matter what, he stayed until the job was done. That takes an unimaginable amount of self-control which I could never display.

Click the image below to learn more about the book:





No comments: