The African harpooneer who serves aboard the Pequod in Moby-Dick is Daggoo.
Daggoo is assigned to the boat commanded by the third mate, Flask. Ishmael describes him as an exceptionally tall West African sailor whose imposing size contrasts with Flask’s short stature and quick temper. Daggoo’s calm, dignified presence makes him one of the novel’s memorable members of the Pequod’s multinational crew.
Readers sometimes confuse Daggoo with Tashtego, another harpooneer. Tashtego is a Wampanoag from Gay Head and serves in Stubb’s boat, while Daggoo serves with Flask. Fedallah is also a harpooneer, but he is a Parsee from India and leads Ahab’s concealed boat crew. Queequeg, the Polynesian harpooneer, works in Starbuck’s boat.
Daggoo’s role reflects Melville’s interest in the varied origins of nineteenth-century whaling crews. The Pequod’s sailors are drawn from several peoples and regions, allowing the novel to explore both the practical cooperation and the racial assumptions of life at sea.