The early settlers of America, who
braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a
fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured
to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point
began one Friday in the middle of March,1621.
Samoset
An Indian, wearing nothing but a
leather loincloth, strode up their main street to the common house,
and to their startled faces boomed in flawless English, "Welcome."
His name was Samoset, a sagamore
(or chief) of the Algonquins. He had been visiting the area for the
previous eight months, having learned his English from various
fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years.
He returned the following Thursday
with another Indian who also spoke English, and who was to prove "a
special instrument of God for their good, beyond their expectation."
His story was to prove no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph
being sold into slavery to Egypt. His name was Tisquantum, also
called Squanto.
Squanto
His story began in 1605 when
Squanto and four other Indians were taken captive, sent to
England,and taught English to provide intelligence background on the
most favorable places to establish colonies. After nine years in
England, Squanto was able to return to Plymouth on Capt. John
Smith's voyage in 1614.
Lured and captured by a notorious
Capt. Thomas Hunt, he, with 27 others, were taken to Málaga, Spain,
a major slave-trading port. Squanto, with a few others, were bought
and rescued by local friars and introduced to the Christian faith.
Thus, it appears that God was preparing him for the role he would
ultimately play at Plymouth.
He was able to attach himself to an
Englishman bound for London, then he joined the family of a wealthy
merchant, and ultimately embarked for New England in 1619. He
stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims landed in 1620.1
When he stepped ashore he received
the most tragic blow of his life. Not a man, woman, or child of his
own tribe was left alive! During the previous four years, a
mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every last one.2
So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had
shunned the area ever since. The Pilgrims had settled in a cleared
area that belonged to no one. Their nearest neighbors, the
Wampanoags, were about 50 miles to the southwest.
Stripped of his identity and his
reason for living, Squanto wandered aimlessly until he joined the
Wampanoags, having nowhere else to go. But God had other plans.
God's Provision
Massasoit, the sachem (or chief) of
the Wapanoags, entered into a peace treaty of mutual aid with the
Plymouth colony that was to last as a model for forty years. When
Massasoit and his entourage left, Squanto stayed. He had found his
reason for living: these English were helpless in the ways of the
wilderness. Squanto taught them how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant
pumpkins, refine maple syrup, discern both edible herbs and those
good for medicine, etc.
Perhaps the most important thing he
taught them was the Indian way to plant corn. They hoed six-foot
squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and
then fertilizing the corn with fish: three fish in each square,
pointing to the center, spokelike. Guarding the field against the
wolves (who would try to steal the fish), by summer they had 20 full
acres of corn that would save every one of their lives.
Squanto also taught them to exploit
the pelts of the beaver, which was in plentiful supply and in great
demand throughout Europe. He even guided the trading to insure they
got full prices for top-quality pelts. The corn was their physical
deliverance; the beaver pelts would be their economic deliverance.
The First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims were a grateful
people-grateful to God, grateful to the Wamp-anoags, and grateful
also to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public
Thanksgiving, to be held in October.
Massasoit was invited and
unexpectedly arrived a day early-with an additional ninety Indians!
To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into their stores for the
winter, but they had learned through all their travails that God
could be trusted implicitly.
And it turned out that the Indians
did not come empty handed: they brought five dressed deer and more
than a dozen fat wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations,
teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty pudding
out of cornmeal and maple syrup. In fact, they also showed them how
to make one of their Indian favorites: white, fluffy popcorn! (Each
time you go to a movie theatre, you should remember the source of
this popular treat!)
The Pilgrims, in turn, provided
many vegetables from their gardens: carrots, onions, turnips,
parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also, using some
of their precious flour with some of the summer fruits which the
Indians had dried, the Pilgrims introduced them to blueberry, apple,
and cherry pie. Along with sweet wine made from wild grapes, it was,
indeed, a joyous occasion for all concerned.
The Pilgrims and Indians happily
competed in shooting contests, foot races, and wrestling. Things
went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that
this first Thanksgiving was extended for three days.
The moment that stood out the most
in the Pilgrims' memories was William Brewster's prayer as they
began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for
providing all their needs-and His provision of Squanto, their
teacher, guide, and friend that was to see them through those
critical early winters.
A National Institution
By the end of the 19th century,
Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England.
It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President
Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last
Thursday in November, it was changed by an act of Congress in 1941
to the fourth Thursday of that month.3
Originally observed to acknowledge
the provision of God, let us also make this national holiday a very
special time to thank Him for our own provision-our families, our
sustenance, and, above all, our redemption in His Son!
Let's also pray that He might
restore the religious freedom that those early Pilgrims cherished so
dearly-and that the current enforced paganism that has invaded our
land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims
had risked their very lives to flee from.
Much of this article was excerpted
from The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel,
Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, NJ, 1977. For a thrilling and
inspiring account of the incredible measures God provided for in the
founding of our once-great country, this book is a "must read."
