Squanto

Squanto or Tisquantum,d. 1622, Native North American of the Pawtuxet tribe. He is sometimes thought to be the Native American taken to England from the Maine coast by George Weymouth (1605) and returned by John Smith in 1615, but it is certain that he was kidnapped by Capt. Thomas Hunt in 1615, lived in England, and returned (1619) to North America with Capt. Thomas Dermer. In 1621 he acted as interpreter in concluding a treaty between the Pilgrim settlers and Massasoit. Squanto became friendly with the Plymouth colonists, aiding them particularly in their planting and fishing. While acting as guide and interpreter on William Bradford's expedition around Cape Cod, he contracted smallpox and died.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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