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:
