indian that taught pilgrims how to plant corn
Squanto Tisquantum (/tɪsˈkwɑːntəm/; c. 1585 (±10 years ?) – late November 1622 o.s.), more commonly known by the diminutive variant Squanto, was a Patuxet Native North American known for having been an early liaison between the native populations in Southern New England and the Mayflower settlers, who made their settlement at the site of Squanto's former summer village. One of the last surviving people of the Patuxet tribe—who had lived on the western coast of Cape Cod Bay and were annihilated by an epidemic infection—he acted as a translator, guide, and advisor while he lived with them for 20 months. He showed them how to sow and fertilize native crops, a boon when it turned out that the crop from the seeds they brought largely failed, and introduced them to the fur trade, an important means by which they could reduce their indebtedness to their London financial backers.