Massasoit

When the first settlers arrived in America, one of their challenges was communicating with the Native Americans already inhabiting the land. Massasoit, a Wampanog chief,

was one of the first Native Americans who attempted communication with the settlers. How else did Massasoit’s

willingness to communicate help America?

Communication was an important challenge during the Colonial era. Arriving European settlers had no knowledge of Native American languages or customs, and likewise, Native Americans had no previous knowledge of languages besides their own. In order for the two groups to interact, existing languages had to be learned and, in some cases, new pidgin languages which combined both English words and Native American language words had to be created.

One of the first Native Americans to communicate directly with settlers was Massasoit. A Wampanoag, Massasoit negotiated a peace treaty between his people and the settlers in Massachusetts Bay . He offered protection to the Puritans in exchange for their support against rival Native American tribes in the region.

Robin, A. (1870-1900). Meeting of Governor Carver and Massasoit / drawn by H.L. Stevens ; eng'd. by Augustus Robin, N.Y. Library of Congress: Other Library of Congress Area.

Here a Virginia settler describes learning about the peace pipe ceremony. This is an example of how settlers and Native Americans learned each others’ customs in order to better

communicate.

Beverley, R. (1722). The history of Virginia, in four parts. I. The history of the first settlement of Virginia, and the government thereof, to the year 1706. II. The natural productions and conveniences of the country, suited to trade and improvement. III. The native Indians, their religion, laws, and customs, in war and peace. IV. The present state of the country, as to the polity of the government, and the improvements of the land, the 10th of June 1720. (Page 157) Library of

Congress: American Memory, The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, 1600-1925.

This translation of a bible into Algonquin is an example of how European settlers tried to spread their religion throughout the New World.

Green, S. & Johnson, M. (1663). The Holy Bible: Containing the Old Testament and new. Translated into the Indian Language. Library of Congress: Exhibitions, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic.

This map of the Ohio River Valley was drawn by a Native American and is an example of communication between Native Americans and settlers. For Europeans traveling inland to survive on the frontier, communicating with Native Americans who knew the area was

essential.

Chegeree. (ca. 1755). Map of the country about the Mississippi. Library of Congress: Exhibitions, American Treasures of the Library of Congress.