ABSTRACT
The Plymouth settlers, primarily artisans such as printers, weavers, watchmakers, and carpenters with little farming experience, readily accepted Squanto's advice. According to Pilgrim William Bradford, that spring Squanto "directed them how to set their corn, where to take fish, and to procure other comodities", an act that gained him a prominent place in American history and folklore. The belief that fish fertilizer originated among North American Indians, and was communicated as such by Squanto to the Plymouth settlers, has achieved the status of an unquestioned legend and is therefore difficult to challenge. Squanto left ship at some point and returned to Patuxet prior to greeting the Pilgrims in clear English, one of at least three languages he then spoke. As folklore, the Squanto-fish fertilizer story contains elements that touch American national and religious values, as well as the feelings of guilt or anger many hold about true Indian history.
