The Wampanoag History of First Contact with Pilgrims: Beyond the Myth
The Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims is a narrative far more intricate, nuanced, and often tragic than the idyllic Thanksgiving myth suggests. It is a story of survival, strategic alliances, devastating disease, cultural misunderstanding, and ultimately, the profound reshaping of a continent. To truly understand this pivotal moment in American history, one must look beyond the simplistic imagery of shared feasts and delve into the complex lives, motivations, and circumstances of both the Wampanoag Nation and the English Separatists who arrived on their shores in 1620.
Before the arrival of the Mayflower, the Wampanoag people had thrived for thousands of years across a vast territory encompassing southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island, including Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. They were not a single tribe but a confederacy of interconnected communities, each with its own leadership, united by a common language (Wôpanâak, an Algonquian language) and shared cultural practices. Their society was sophisticated, built on a deep understanding of their environment. They practiced sustainable agriculture, cultivating corn, beans, and squash (the "Three Sisters"), alongside extensive fishing, hunting, and foraging. Their villages were well-organized, with wigwams and longhouses, and their political structure was robust, led by sachems (leaders) who governed with the consent of their people. Trade networks extended far beyond their immediate territory, connecting them with other Indigenous nations across the Northeast. Their population was robust, estimated to be in the tens of thousands before the devastating events that preceded the Pilgrims’ arrival.
The critical, often overlooked, prelude to the Pilgrims’ landing was a series of catastrophic events brought by earlier European explorers and traders. From the early 16th century, European ships had plied the North Atlantic coast, engaging in trade but also inadvertently introducing diseases to which the Native populations had no immunity. Between 1616 and 1619, a series of epidemics, most likely leptospirosis, swept through the Wampanoag and neighboring communities. This "Great Dying" was devastating, wiping out an estimated 75-90% of the Indigenous population in the region. Entire villages were depopulated, fields lay fallow, and the social and political fabric of the Wampanoag Confederacy was severely weakened. It was into this ravaged landscape that the Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom and new economic opportunities, stumbled.
The Pilgrims arrived at Patuxet, a recently abandoned Wampanoag village, in November 1620. They renamed it Plymouth. Their first winter was brutal. Unprepared for the harsh New England climate, suffering from malnutrition and scurvy, nearly half of their 102 passengers died. They survived largely by scavenging corn and beans from Wampanoag caches, actions that would later be viewed by the Wampanoag as theft, but were justified by the Pilgrims as necessary for survival. Their initial encounters with the surviving Wampanoag were tense and cautious, often involving wary observation from a distance.
The turning point in the Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims came in March 1621 with the appearance of Samoset, an Abenaki sagamore from present-day Maine, who surprised the Pilgrims by greeting them in broken English. Samoset had learned English from European fishermen who frequented the coast. He served as an initial intermediary, returning a few days later with Tisquantum, better known as Squanto. Squanto’s story is extraordinary and tragic. He was a Patuxet native, kidnapped by English explorer Thomas Hunt in 1614, sold into slavery in Spain, rescued by local friars, and eventually made his way to London before returning to his homeland in 1619, only to find his entire village wiped out by the Great Dying. Squanto’s unique experience made him an invaluable bridge between the two cultures; he spoke fluent English, understood both European and Native customs, and was intimately familiar with the local environment.
Squanto introduced the Pilgrims to Massasoit Ousamequin, the sachem of the Pokanoket Wampanoag and the paramount leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy. Massasoit faced a dire strategic dilemma. His people had been decimated by disease, and the powerful Narragansett, a neighboring tribe largely untouched by the epidemics, were asserting their dominance. The arrival of the English, though initially a threat, presented a potential opportunity. Massasoit saw the Pilgrims, with their unfamiliar technology and apparent resilience, as potential allies against the Narragansett. For the Pilgrims, an alliance with Massasoit was essential for their survival; they needed peace, trade, and knowledge of the land to establish a foothold.
This pivotal moment, the true beginning of the Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims, was less about immediate friendship and more about strategic necessity for both parties. On March 22, 1621, Massasoit and Governor John Carver of Plymouth Colony signed a treaty of mutual protection. The treaty stipulated that neither side would harm the other, that they would return stolen goods, and that they would come to each other’s aid in times of war. This alliance, facilitated by Squanto, ensured the survival of Plymouth Colony during its fragile early years. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate native crops like corn using local fertilizers (fish), how to identify edible plants, how to hunt local game, and where to fish. Without this knowledge, passed on from generations of Wampanoag wisdom, the Pilgrims would likely not have survived.
The famous "First Thanksgiving" in the autumn of 1621 was not a religious holiday for the Pilgrims, but a harvest celebration, a traditional English custom of giving thanks for a successful crop. Governor William Bradford organized a three-day feast. Massasoit, hearing the Pilgrims firing their guns (possibly in celebration), arrived with 90 of his men, concerned that the colony was under attack. Upon realizing it was a feast, they joined the celebration, even contributing five deer to the meal. This event, often romanticized, was a moment of diplomatic success and shared sustenance, but it did not signify an erasure of cultural differences or foreshadow a future of perpetual peace. It was a fragile truce, born of mutual need.
As the years progressed, the initial, fragile peace that defined the early Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims began to fray under the relentless pressure of colonial expansion. The Pilgrim population grew, and with it, their demand for land. English concepts of private land ownership clashed fundamentally with Wampanoag traditions of communal stewardship and seasonal use. The Pilgrims, driven by their religious beliefs, also sought to convert the Wampanoag, establishing "praying towns" and imposing English laws and customs. These pressures created increasing tension and resentment among the Wampanoag and other Native nations.
After Massasoit’s death in 1661, his eldest son, Wamsutta (renamed Alexander by the English), briefly succeeded him. When Wamsutta died under mysterious circumstances while visiting Plymouth, his younger brother, Metacom (renamed Philip by the English), became sachem. Metacom, witnessing the escalating land encroachment, the erosion of Wampanoag sovereignty, and the decline of his people’s traditional way of life, concluded that war was inevitable if his people were to survive. He worked tirelessly to forge a broad alliance of Native nations to resist English expansion.
The culmination of these escalating tensions, a stark departure from the early diplomatic efforts that characterized the Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims, was the devastating conflict known as King Philip’s War (1675-1678). This was one of the bloodiest wars in American history, per capita. It involved a coalition of Native tribes led by Metacom against the English colonists and their Native allies. The war resulted in immense casualties on both sides, but it was particularly catastrophic for the Indigenous peoples of New England. Many Wampanoag were killed, sold into slavery in the West Indies, or forced to flee their ancestral lands. Metacom himself was hunted down and killed, his body dismembered, and his head displayed on a pike in Plymouth for decades.
Understanding the true Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims requires confronting uncomfortable truths, acknowledging the profound suffering, and recognizing the remarkable resilience of the Wampanoag people. Despite the immense losses, the Wampanoag Nation survived. Today, the Wampanoag maintain a vibrant cultural identity and continue to live on their ancestral lands. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) are federally recognized tribes working to preserve their language, traditions, and sovereignty. They are actively engaged in educating the public about their true history, challenging the romanticized myths, and asserting their rightful place in the American narrative.
The complex and often painful Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims serves as a vital lesson in cultural encounter, land rights, and the enduring impact of colonialism. It reminds us that history is rarely simple, and that understanding events from multiple perspectives is crucial for a complete and accurate picture. By delving deeper into the Wampanoag history of first contact with Pilgrims, we move beyond simplistic narratives and gain a more profound appreciation for the human drama, the strategic complexities, and the ultimate tragedies that shaped the foundation of early America.
