Touch artifacts from America’s most misunderstood holiday at this Massachusetts museum

Chief Ousamequin’s Strategic Alliance and the 1621 Feast

The Wampanoag faced doom before the Pilgrims even set foot at Plymouth. From 1616 to 1619, a strange plague killed 90% of their people along the coast.

Once-mighty villages stood empty. By 1620, their old subjects, the Narragansett, now forced them to pay tribute.

Chief Ousamequin needed help fast. He struck a deal with the new English settlers to get guns against his rivals.

When harvest came in fall 1621, gunshots from hunting Pilgrims brought 90 Wampanoag warriors to check things out. What followed was a three-day feast that history remembers but rarely gets right.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Museum tells the real story behind what we call the “First Thanksgiving.

Disease Killed 90% of Wampanoag People Before Pilgrims Arrived

A terrible sickness hit Wampanoag lands from 1616 to 1619, killing 9 out of 10 people along the Massachusetts coast. Whole villages died out, including Patuxet, which later became Plymouth.

The sickness, likely spread by rats from European trading ships, moved through villages quickly.

Thousands of Wampanoag died in just three years, leaving empty villages, untended fields, and a once-strong nation close to falling apart.

Rival Tribes Took Advantage of the Weakened Wampanoag

Narragansett leaders grabbed their chance when they saw how sick their longtime rivals became. By 1620, they forced the weakened Wampanoag to pay them, completely flipping their old relationship.

The Wampanoag once ruled over the Narragansett.

Chief Ousamequin, who the English called Massasoit, knew his people might not survive without finding new friends who could help them stand up to Narragansett pressure.

English Colonists Built Their Town on an Empty Wampanoag Village

Plymouth Colony grew on the remains of Patuxet village in December 1620.

The Mayflower people found cleared fields, fresh water, and even stored corn from empty Wampanoag homes. They built houses on land where Wampanoag families lived for generations before the sickness killed them.

From nearby forests, living Wampanoag watched these strangers move onto their homeland, including burial grounds where their family members rested.

The Last Patuxet Survivor Returned Speaking Perfect English

Tisquantum walked into Plymouth Colony in March 1621, surprising the settlers by greeting them in English.

As the last living member of the Patuxet people, English traders kidnapped him years earlier, sold him in Spain, but he escaped to England and finally made it back home.

When he got there, he found his entire village dead and English colonists living on his people’s land. Still, he chose to help translate between the two groups.

The Chief Made a Smart Choice to Team Up with the Newcomers

Massasoit made a deal with Governor John Carver in March 1621 that changed both groups forever. The Wampanoag got European weapons they badly needed against Narragansett enemies.

The hungry colonists got protection and key knowledge about local food. Both sides saw the deal as needed to stay alive, though neither fully trusted the other.

The agreement set up peace for trading, helping each other in fights, and giving back stolen things.

Native Knowledge Saved the Colony from Starvation

Tisquantum taught the English settlers how to grow corn using fish as fertilizer during 1621. Wampanoag women showed colonial women how to cook unfamiliar plants.

The colonists learned which wild plants were safe to eat and where to hunt.

Without this native know-how, the Plymouth colony likely would have faced another winter disaster after nearly half their people died the year before.

The Wampanoag shared almost all the knowledge while the colonists learned.

Gunshots Brought 90 Wampanoag Warriors Running

Governor Bradford sent four men hunting in October 1621 to celebrate their first good harvest. The colonists fired their guns in joy after months of near-starvation.

The sound of gunfire traveled through the woods to nearby Wampanoag villages. Massasoit and 90 armed warriors quickly came to Plymouth, ready for possible trouble.

When they realized the shots came from a celebration not an attack, the mood of the gathering completely changed.

The Feast Lasted Three Days with More Indians Than Pilgrims

Massasoit brought five deer to the harvest celebration after learning about the colonists’ good fortune.

The gathering included 53 colonists and at least 91 Wampanoag, making the Native Americans the majority at what later generations would call “The First Thanksgiving.”

The three-day event featured shared meals, games, and fighting displays.

Children from both groups played together while adults built stronger ties through this first-of-its-kind cross-cultural celebration.

Both Groups Showed Off Their Military Might

Wampanoag and English men joined in friendly contests during the three-day feast. They showed off their weapons, hunting skills, and fighting moves.

The colonists fired their guns while the Wampanoag displayed their skill with bows and arrows. These shows served a deeper purpose beyond fun.

Each group checked out the other’s fighting abilities while keeping things friendly. The displays built mutual respect and highlighted the benefits of working together.

Peace Between Wampanoag and Plymouth Lasted Fifty Years

The alliance formed at that 1621 harvest celebration stayed strong throughout Massasoit’s life. Trade grew between the communities, with Wampanoag trading furs and food for European metal goods and tools.

The colonists slowly spread their settlements while the Wampanoag kept their freedom. Both groups gained from the deal, though the balance of power slowly shifted toward the growing English population.

Massasoit’s Son Called the Alliance “Our Biggest Mistake”

When Massasoit died in 1661, his son Metacom (known to the English as King Philip) inherited leadership of a very different world.

Colonial expansion threatened remaining Wampanoag territories as more English settlers arrived. Tensions grew until King Philip’s War erupted in 1675, ending in defeat for the Wampanoag and other allied tribes.

Wampanoag leader Wamsutta Frank James later wrote that Massasoit’s decision to help the colonists in 1621 was “perhaps our biggest mistake… little knowing that it was the beginning of the end.

Visiting Mashpee Wampanoag Museum, MA

The Mashpee Wampanoag Museum at 414 Main Street tells the real story of 1621 from the Wampanoag perspective. You can visit Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am to 4pm, April through December.

Admission costs $8 for adults, $7 for elders, and $6 for kids 3+.

Check out the outdoor wetu dwelling, Mill Pond Herring Ladder, and interactive touchscreen with four videos about colonization. Private group tours cost $300.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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