Posted on 11/28/2019 7:00:56 AM PST by bitt
The story of how the Pilgrims arrived at our shores on the Mayflower—and how a friendly Patuxet native named Squanto showed them how to plant corn, using fish as fertilizer—is well-known. But Squanto’s full story is not, as National Geographic’s new Thanksgiving miniseries, “Saints & Strangers,” shows. That might be because some details of Squanto’s life are in dispute. The important ones are not, however. His story is astonishing, even raising profound questions about God’s role in American history.
Every Thanksgiving we remember that, to escape religious persecution, the Pilgrims sailed to the New World, landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620. But numerous trading ships had visited the area earlier. Around 1608 an English ship dropped anchor off the coast of what is today Plymouth, Mass., ostensibly to trade metal goods for the natives’ beads and pelts. The friendly Patuxets received the crew but soon discovered their dark intentions. A number of the braves were brutally captured, taken to Spain and sold into slavery.
One of them, a young man named Tisquantum, or Squanto, was bought by a group of Catholic friars, who evidently treated him well and freed him, even allowing him to dream of somehow returning to the New World, an almost unimaginable thought at the time. Around 1612, Squanto made his way to London, where he stayed with a man named John Slany and learned his ways and language. In 1618, a ship was found, and in return for serving as an interpreter, Squanto would be given one-way passage back to the New World.
After spending a winter in Newfoundland, the ship made its way down the coast of Maine and Cape Cod, where Squanto at last reached his own shore. After 10 years, Squanto returned to the village where he had been born. But when he arrived, to his unfathomable disappointment, there was no one to greet him. What had happened?
It seems that since he had been away, nearly every member of the Patuxets had perished from disease, perhaps smallpox, brought by European ships. Had Squanto not been kidnapped, he would almost surely have died. But perhaps he didn’t feel lucky to have been spared. Surely, he must have wondered how his extraordinary efforts could amount to this. At first he wandered to another Wampanoag tribe, but they weren’t his people. He was a man without a family or tribe, and eventually lived alone in the woods.
But his story didn’t end there. In the bleak November of 1620, the Mayflower passengers, unable to navigate south to the warmer land of Virginia, decided to settle at Plymouth, the very spot where Squanto had grown up. They had come in search of religious freedom, hoping to found a colony based on Christian principles.
Their journey was very difficult, and their celebrated landing on the frigid shores of Plymouth proved even more so. Forced to sleep in miserably wet and cold conditions, many of them fell gravely ill. Half of them died during that terrible winter. One can imagine how they must have wept and wondered how the God they trusted and followed could lead them to this agonizing pass. They seriously considered returning to Europe.
But one day during that spring of 1621, a Wampanoag walked out of the woods to greet them. Somehow he spoke perfect English. In fact, he had lived in London more recently than they had. And if that weren’t strange enough, he had grown up on the exact land where they had settled.
Because of this, he knew everything about how to survive there; not only how to plant corn and squash, but how to find fish and lobsters and eels and much else. The lone Patuxet survivor had nowhere to go, so the Pilgrims adopted him as one of their own and he lived with them on the land of his childhood.
No one disputes that Squanto’s advent among the Pilgrims changed everything, making it possible for them to stay and thrive. Squanto even helped broker a peace with the local tribes, one that lasted 50 years, a staggering accomplishment considering the troubles settlers would face later.
So the question is: Can all of this have been sheer happenstance, as most versions of the story would have us believe? The Pilgrims hardly thought so. To them, Squanto was a living answer to their tearful prayers, an outrageous miracle of God. Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford declared in his journal that Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God” who didn’t leave them “till he died.”
Indeed, when Squanto died from a mysterious disease in 1622, Bradford wrote that he wanted “the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in heaven.” And Squanto bequeathed his possessions to the Pilgrims “as remembrances of his love.”
These are historical facts. May we be forgiven for interpreting them as the answered prayers of a suffering people, and a warm touch at the cold dawn of our history of an Almighty Hand?
Mr. Metaxas is the author of “Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life” (Dutton Adult, 2014).
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Awesome short article. Amazing how Squantos misfortune actually saved his life. God’s hand in the destiny of this nation is Crystal clear. I shared with family. Thanks.
Did Squantos father any children among the Pilgrims?
Being descended from the Mayflower crowd, I may have more native blood than Elizabeth (Poke-a-haunt-us)Warren.
I should apply to Harvard right now, for a 1st Nation’s scholarship.
The other night on Jeopardy one of the questions was about the Indian who helped the Pilgrims.
One contestant said Pocahontas. The other two didn’t know.
Plymouth went the way of Mercury, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
I drive a Dodge.
Oh wait...
Ping?
“but how to find fish and lobsters”
A technique later perfected by Cosmo Kramer.
Ping
Happy Thanksgiving, amigo.
A reminder - Miracles are NOT for the benefit of us, they are to further the Kingdom of God here on earth.
When you are square in the middle of God’s plan you are safe. That does not mean you are in a safe place, far from it. You are safe because whatever happens to you will be for your good.
Man cannot see what is in his best interest. We see through a glass darkly. I am sure Squanto knew about God (see Romans 1:20). We see his death as a “bad” part of the story. God sees the death of Good people (i.e. His servants) as a reason to rejoice! Yes, he rejoices at the death of His servants.
How strange that sounds to our ears. If life were baseball, when a servant of God dies, he will have crossed “Home plate”. What a reason to celebrate.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.
I didn’t know all these details of this story which is clearly miraculous and very touching. Thanks for posting it.
Had Squanto not been kidnapped, he would almost surely have died. But perhaps he didn’t feel lucky to have been spared. Surely, he must have wondered how his extraordinary efforts could amount to this.
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Sounds a lot like Joseph. Taken, imprisoned, then used by G_d for a great purpose.
If we are going to change our currency, maybe Squanto needs to be on the face of one of our tender. After all he is the embodiment of G_d’s grace to our nation.
thanx for posting this link, bitt.
excellent account of the “thanksgiving” miracle of squanto by eric metaxes
Bookmark
Ping
Your #10: Spot on. Christians fear not death, and view it as something to actually look forward to.
dude was on fox talking botu htis- guess it’s quite a story- He has the info on his site- but can’t remember his name l ol-
Very grateful for knowing men like y’all .......hope your thanksgiving is full of family, friends , good food and fun. Every one of you have earned such a day.
Stay Safe !
Learned all about Tisquantum/Squanto and the Pilgrims in first grade. Of course, I was raised in Plymouth County, Mass, during the 60s when they still specifically taught such things.
I saw it on Fox as you did - and immediately googed it! Glad you liked it!
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