Inventions / Communications Change, Colonial: Massasoit

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Similar content addressed in SOLs: VS.1a-i; USI.1a-h; USI.4b

One of the most important changes in communication during the Colonial era was in spoken and written languages. Arriving settlers had no knowledge of Native American languages or customs, and likewise, Native Americans had no previous knowledge of languages besides their own. In order for the two groups to interact, existing languages had to be learned, or in some cases, new languages which combined both English words and Native American language words had to be created.

  • Meeting of Governor Carver and Massasoit / drawn by H.L. Stevens ; eng'd. by Augustus Robin, N.Y.One of the first Native Americans to communicate directly with settlers was Massasoit. A Wampanoag, Massasoit created a peace treaty between his people and the settlers in Massachusetts Bay. He offered protection to the Puritans in exchange for their support against rival Native American tribes in the region.
  • The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925Here a Virginia settler describes learning about the peace pipe ceremony. This shows how settlers learned Native American customs in order to better communicate with them.
  • Translated BibleThis is an example of how European settlers tried to spread their religion throughout the New World using language as a mediating device. Here, a bible has been translated into Algonquin.
  • map of the Ohio River Valley, This map of the Ohio River Valley, drawn by a Native American, shows an example of communication between Native Americans and settlers. In order for Europeans traveling inland to survive on the frontier, communicating with Native Americans who knew the area was essential.