Tisquantum, a member of the Patuxet tribe, was more commonly known as Squanto. He became one of the best-known Indigenous people connected with the Plymouth colonists and the events traditionally associated with the First Thanksgiving.
The Patuxet were a people within the Wampanoag confederation who lived around present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. Tisquantum was kidnapped by English traders in 1614 and taken across the Atlantic. After years in Europe, he eventually returned to New England and discovered that an epidemic had devastated the Patuxet community.
Because he spoke English, Tisquantum served as an interpreter and intermediary between the Mayflower settlers and local Indigenous communities. Historical accounts also describe him helping the colonists understand local farming and food-gathering practices, including how to grow corn and use fish to fertilize the soil.
“Squanto” is the name most commonly used in popular histories, though scholars and historical sources also use Tisquantum, or variant spellings such as Tasquantum. The Thanksgiving story is often simplified, so it is worth remembering that his life involved kidnapping, enslavement, epidemic disease, diplomacy, and cultural translation—not just assistance to the Pilgrims.