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The Indians and Thanksgiving
By Mary Lynn Bushong
The Pilgrims wanted to come to America. It would cost a lot
of money. It would also be very hard for them to come here
because there were no colonies where they wanted to go. They
did not mind because they wanted to be free. Many of them
wanted to be free to go to their own church. Some wanted a
better life. They thought they would have a better life in
America.
They sailed to America on a ship. The name of the ship was
the Mayflower. On it they packed everything they might need that would fit.
They were late getting started. It took weeks for them to cross the ocean, then they were
blown off course. When they got to America, winter was already starting. It was a hard time to
try to build new homes.
They built small homes from logs. It was hard work, and they did not have enough food.
They were always cold and hungry. Then they got sick. Soon people started dying. Before
spring came, half of the people were dead.
They were not just sick and hungry. They were also afraid. They knew that some of the
native people did not like them. They were afraid they would be attacked.
As soon as spring came, the people who still lived began to make gardens. They had brought
seeds from home to grow at their new homes. They also had Indian corn seeds but did not know
how to grow it.
One day, a tall Native American man walked into their village. They were afraid at first, but
he spoke to them in English. He said his name was Samoset. He knew they needed help.
The Pilgrims were surprised. He said he had learned English from sailors and traders. No
tribe lived on the Pilgrim land because they had all died from sickness four years before. The
Pilgrims could stay there.
Samoset came back two more times. The second time he brought Squanto with him. Squanto,
another Native American, became their friend, too.
When the Pilgrims were getting ready to plant the Indian corn, they did not have anything to
help it grow. They had some goats and pigs but not enough manure to help things grow well.
Squanto saw they were having problems. The seeds they brought from home did not grow
well. Squanto showed them the native way to plant things. He showed them how to catch fish.
They would take a few small fish and put them in a shallow hole. Then the dirt would be piled
on top. In the top of this small hill, they would plant corn, bean, and pumpkin seeds. Instead of
planting everything in rows, they planted things in hills.
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The Pilgrims' native friends showed them how to hunt animals like bear, deer, and turkey.
They showed them how to dig clams and how to catch eels. They also showed them what nuts
and berries were good to eat.
Samoset and Squanto helped the Pilgrims make friends with the Wampanoag. They made a
peace treaty and promised to help each other.
The Pilgrims learned many things from their new friends. When fall came, they had a good
harvest because their native friends helped them. To show God and their friends how thankful
they were, they gave a feast. Many natives came to the feast and brought food, too. They had
venison, duck, goose, turkey, clams, lobster, corn bread, dried fruits, and berries.
The Pilgrims were right to give thanks for the harvest. Without help from their native friends,
the Pilgrims would have starved to death. This first feast of thanksgiving was the beginning of
our Thanksgiving holiday.
The Indians and Thanksgiving
Questions
1. Squanto and Samoset were:
A. Gardeners
B. Towns
C. Indians
D. Pilgrims
2. The name of the Pilgrims' ship was the:
A. Mayflower
B. April Blossom
C. Daffodil
D. June Bloom
3. What season was it when the Pilgrims reached America?
A. Summer
B. Spring
C. Fall
D. Winter
4. Why did so many of the Pilgrims get sick during the winter?
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5. How did Samoset learn English?
6. Who taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn?
A. Mayflower
B. Squanto
C. Samoset
D. English farmers
7. Why was it so important for the Pilgrims to get a good harvest?
8. What did the Indians bury under the corn hills to help the plants grow?