Squanto, (?–1622), a Wampanoag Indian who aided the Pilgrims. His name was shortened from Tisquantum by the English. It is believed that he was taken captive by English traders and sold into slavery in Spain in 1615. He escaped to England, eventually making his way back to America. In 1621 another Indian, Samoset, brought him to the Pilgrim settlement because he spoke English. Squanto remained at Plymouth, acting as a guide and interpreter and showing the colonists how to obtain food.