Happy Squanto Day!

Squanto:  The Catholic Who Saved the Pilgrim Fathers

Though the pilgrims who partook of the Thanksgiving observance in 1621 were not Catholic, their experience held a profoundly Catholic influence. Squanto — the man who saved the settlers from starvation by teaching them how to work the land — was Catholic.

Tisquantum (‘Squanto’) was born about 1580 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was a Patuxet Indian, part of the Wampanoag tribal confederation. In 1614, a lieutenant of Captain John Smith, Captain Thomas Hunt, double-crossed Smith and betrayed the Indians. He kidnapped a group of tribesmen, including Squanto, and traveled to Spain to sell them into slavery.

Fortunately, once in Spain a group of Franciscan friars thwarted his scheme by obtaining custody of and liberating the captive group. The friars also educated, catechized and baptized Squanto and his companions.

Afterwards, Squanto sailed to London, where he worked as a laborer in the shipyards. He became fluent in English and made the acquaintance of wealthy British traders and transporters. The Newfoundland Company retained Squanto as an interpreter and expert on American natural resources. Finally, he was able to return to his homeland in 1619, five years after he was kidnapped.

The first encounter between the pilgrims and Squanto, accompanied by natives Massasoit and Quadequina, occurred on March 22, 1621. Due to his fluency in English, Squanto became invaluable to the new Plymouth settlers. He was able to impart his knowledge of the land and to instruct the colonists how to fertilize the ground, grow corn and other crops, in addition to showing them the best fishing places. Squanto also proved a skilled diplomat, negotiating peace and commercial links with the English. In addition, he coordinated truces and trade agreements between the Plymouth Colony and regional indigenous leaders, which lasted for fifty years.