Squanto: The Man Who Shaped Thanksgiving Long before the Mayflower touched the shores of what would become Plymouth, Massachusetts, a young Patuxet man's life would take a series of extraordinary turns that would ultimately shape the course of American history. Tisquantum, known to history as Squanto, lived a life so remarkable that if it appeared in fiction, it would seem impossibly far-fetched. Born around 1585 into the Patuxet tribe, a subdivision of the larger Wampanoag confederation, Tisquantum's early years were spent in a thriving coastal community occupying the exact location where the Pilgrims would later establish Plymouth. The Patuxet were accomplished farmers, fishermen, and hunters, maintaining sophisticated seasonal patterns of food gathering and cultivation. They were also experienced traders, regularly interacting with other Native American groups and, increasingly, with European fishing vessels that frequented the coast. The first dramatic turn in Tisquantum's life came in 1614 when Captain Thomas Hunt, an English explorer, arrived on the Massachusetts coast. Hunt was supposed to be establishing trading relationships with the Native Americans, but he had more sinister plans. After gaining the trust of local inhabitants, Hunt invited several young Patuxet men, including Tisquantum, aboard his ship, ostensibly to trade. Instead, he took them captive, along with twenty other Native Americans from various coastal villages. Hunt's destination was Málaga, Spain, where he planned to sell his captives into slavery in the Mediterranean slave trade. This brutal kidnapping was not an isolated incident but part of a larger pattern of European exploitation that would have devastating consequences for Native American communities along the Atlantic coast. For Tisquantum, it marked the beginning of an odyssey that would take him across the ocean and back multiple times. In Málaga, Tisquantum's fate took another unexpected turn. While some of his fellow captives were sold into North African slavery, he was rescued by Catholic friars who were actively working to prevent the enslavement of Native Americans. These Spanish monks took him in, and during his time with them, Tisquantum learned Spanish and was introduced to Christianity. This period of his life, though sparsely documented, provided him with crucial exposure to European languages, customs, and religious beliefs. Through circumstances that remain somewhat unclear in historical records, Tisquantum eventually made his way to England, possibly with the help of English traders working in Spain. He found himself in London, living in the household of John Slaney, a wealthy shipbuilder and treasurer of the Newfoundland Company. In London, Tisquantum's linguistic abilities expanded to include English, and he gained intimate knowledge of English society and customs. Living in Cheapside, London's commercial heart, Tisquantum witnessed a world vastly different from his homeland. The London of 1616-1617 was a bustling metropolis of around 200,000 people, with crowded streets, towering churches, and elaborate royal pageantry. He learned to navigate English social hierarchies and began to understand the motivations driving English colonial ambitions in the New World. During this time, Tisquantum worked with the Newfoundland Company, helping them develop their fishing enterprise off the North American coast. His knowledge of the New England coastline and its resources proved invaluable to English merchants planning expeditions. He also served as a translator and cultural interpreter, helping the English better understand Native American customs and trading practices. In 1617, Tisquantum finally secured passage back to North America aboard a ship bound for Newfoundland. Captain Thomas Dermer, an English explorer working with the Newfoundland Company, recognized the potential value of having a Native American interpreter who understood both English and indigenous cultures. However, this first attempt to return home would prove to be yet another detour in Tisquantum's remarkable journey. After reaching Newfoundland, Tisquantum worked with English fishing fleets, continuing to develop his role as an intermediary between Europeans and Native Americans. During this time, he met other displaced Native Americans working with the English, learning about changes that had occurred in New England during his absence. Reports of devastating diseases affecting coastal tribes must have increased his anxiety about the fate of his own people. In 1619, Tisquantum finally convinced Captain Dermer to help him return to his homeland. Together they sailed down the coast toward Patuxet, with Tisquantum serving as guide and interpreter. Along the way, they stopped at various Native settlements, where Tisquantum's linguistic skills proved invaluable in establishing trading relationships and gathering intelligence about the political situation among the coastal tribes. What Tisquantum found upon reaching Patuxet would change him forever. His entire village had been wiped out by disease, likely smallpox, in what natives called "The Great Dying" of 1616-1619. The sight that greeted him was one of complete devastation - unburied bones scattered across abandoned fields, empty wigwams collapsing into ruin, and the complete absence of human life in what had once been a thriving community of around 2,000 people. The devastation of Patuxet represented more than just the loss of Tisquantum's home - it was the complete erasure of his people, culture, and way of life. Archaeological evidence suggests that the epidemic had been so severe that survivors from neighboring villages had avoided the area entirely, leaving it as a ghost town. For Tisquantum, who had dreamed of reunion with his people during his years of exile, this homecoming was a profound tragedy. In the aftermath of this discovery, Tisquantum's choices were limited. He couldn't return to his former life - there was no one left to return to. Instead, he stayed with the neighboring Pokanoket tribe, though his relationship with them was complex and often strained. The Pokanoket leader, Massasoit, regarded Tisquantum with suspicion, aware of his long association with the English and his sophisticated understanding of European ways. During this period, Tisquantum's knowledge of both worlds placed him in a unique but precarious position. He understood the English threat better than any other Native American in the region, having witnessed firsthand the power and ambitions of European nations. Yet he also recognized that his survival might depend on maintaining relationships with both English and Native groups. The autumn of 1620 brought another twist to Tisquantum's story. Word reached the Native communities that a group of English settlers had landed at Patuxet - Tisquantum's destroyed homeland. These were the Pilgrims, religious separatists who had arrived on the Mayflower. Their choice of settlement location was influenced by the fact that the land was already cleared and uninhabited, though they didn't initially understand why. The first winter after the Pilgrims' arrival was devastating, with nearly half their number dying from disease, exposure, and malnutrition. Unknown to the struggling settlers, Tisquantum observed their plight from a distance. His decision to eventually help them was likely influenced by multiple factors: pragmatic political calculations, a genuine humanitarian impulse, and perhaps most significantly, the opportunity to reclaim a role of importance in his ancestral lands. In March 1621, the course of colonial history changed dramatically when Tisquantum, accompanied by Samoset (another Native American who spoke some English), made first contact with the Pilgrims. The settlers' accounts express astonishment at meeting Native Americans who spoke English, with William Bradford writing of their surprise at hearing "welcome" in their own language. Tisquantum's initial interaction with the Pilgrims revealed his diplomatic sophistication. He presented himself not just as a translator but as someone who could serve as a cultural interpreter and mediator. His understanding of English customs and mentality allowed him to explain Native concepts in terms the settlers could grasp, while his native knowledge helped him translate English ideas to Massasoit and other tribal leaders. The depth of Tisquantum's assistance to the Plymouth colony went far beyond mere translation. He showed the settlers how to plant corn using fish as fertilizer, a technique that was crucial to their survival. This method, while often attributed to traditional Native American agriculture, may have been Tisquantum's own adaptation, combining his knowledge of European and indigenous farming practices. He taught them which local plants were edible, how to trap animals, and where to find the best fishing spots. Tisquantum's position as the Pilgrims' primary interpreter and advisor quickly made him indispensable to the colony's survival, but it also placed him in an increasingly complex political situation. While living among the Pilgrims, he essentially became a member of their community, occupying a unique social position that had no precedent in either English or Native American society. Governor Bradford referred to him as "their special instrument" and "a spetiall instrument sent of God." However, Tisquantum's relationship with the neighboring Wampanoag tribes, particularly with Massasoit, grew increasingly strained. His privileged position with the English gave him unprecedented power, which he sometimes used in ways that aroused Native American suspicion. He began telling other tribes that the English kept the plague buried in their storehouses and could release it at will - a claim that demonstrated his understanding of both Native fears and English military advantages. During the summer of 1621, Tisquantum served as guide and translator for a delegation