Samoset facts for kids
Samoset (around 1590–1653) was a Native American leader. He was the first Native American to speak with the Pilgrims in their new home, Plymouth Colony. This happened on March 16, 1621. The Pilgrims were very surprised when Samoset walked right into their village. He greeted them in English! Samoset explained that he had learned some English from English fishermen who visited Maine.
Samoset was a member of the Wampanoag tribe. He was an important leader among his people. Samoset spoke with the leaders of Plymouth Colony. A few days later, he returned with Squanto. Squanto was another Native American leader who also spoke English.
Samoset is sometimes called Somerset. This name might have come from English sailors who were from Somerset in England. Captain Levett met Samoset and other Native American leaders in 1624. This meeting happened in the harbor of what is now Portland, Maine.
Contents
Samoset's First Visit to Plymouth
This part tells the story of Samoset's first meeting with the Pilgrims. It comes from an old book called Mourt's Relation, written in 1622.
Friday, March 16th, was a nice warm day. We were busy working when a strange man walked into our village. We were very surprised because he seemed unafraid. We stopped him. He spoke to us in English and was friendly. He said he learned English from Englishmen who fished at Monhegan Island. He even told us their names. He was an open and honest man. We asked him many questions. He was the first Native American we had met.
He told us he was from Morattiggon and had been in this area for eight months. He told us about different areas, their chiefs, and how many men they had. The wind started to pick up, so we gave him a coat. He was wearing very few clothes. He carried a bow and two arrows. He was tall and straight, with long black hair but no hair on his face. He asked for a drink. We gave him strong water, biscuits, butter, cheese, pudding, and some duck. He liked all of it. He said he had eaten these foods before with other English people.
Samoset told us that the place where we lived was called Patuxet by the Native Americans. He said that four years ago, all the Native Americans who lived there died from a sickness. No one was left. So, he said, they could not harm us or claim the land. We talked with him all afternoon. We thought he would leave that night, but he didn't. We then thought about taking him to our ship, and he wanted to leave. But the wind was too strong, and the water was not deep enough for him to go back that day. We let him stay that night at Stephen Hopkins' house and watched him.
The next day, Samoset went back to the Massasoits. This was the tribe of Native Americans where he lived. Before he left, Samoset told us that his tribe were our closest neighbors. He said there were sixty Native Americans in his tribe. He also told us about another tribe, the Nausets. They lived southeast of Plymouth Colony and had one hundred men. He warned us that this group of Native Americans was very angry at Europeans. About eight months ago, they had killed three Englishmen. Two others escaped to Monchiggon. Samoset said these were Sir Ferdinando Gorges and his men.
Samoset was very surprised by the tools the Europeans had brought. He said he would return to the woods and bring some of their tools to us. He also said that some Native Americans had been tricked by Europeans. They had taken twenty Native Americans away and sold them as slaves.
On Saturday morning, we said goodbye to Samoset. We gave him a knife, a bracelet, and a ring. He promised to return in a night or two. He said he would bring some of the Massasoits, our neighbors, with beaver skins.
Samoset in Stories and Media
Samoset's story has been told in different ways.
- His meeting with the Pilgrims was shown in an episode of "The Mayflower Voyagers." This was part of the This is America, Charlie Brown TV series.
- Samoset also appeared in William Bradford: The First Thanksgiving. This was a video released in 1992 as part of Animated Hero Classics. Michael Howard was the voice of Samoset.
Places Named After Samoset
The Samoset Council of the Boy Scouts of America is named after him. This group is located in northern Wisconsin.
See also
In Spanish: Samoset para niños
