The relationship the British colonists in New England had with the Wampanoag Indians affected the culture of the Wampanoag Indians in many ways. In 1600, there were as many as 12,000 Wampanoag Indians in New England. When the pilgrims came in 1620, the population decreased to about 2,000. The Wampanoag Indians were known for their fishing and hunting skills. When the Europeans first arrived prior to the arrival of the pilgrims in 1620, the captains captured the Wampanoag and the Patuxet Indians to sell as slaves. One Patuxet named Squanto was purchased by Spanish monks who tried to make him “civilized.” Squanto eventually gained his freedom and returned to New England where he didn’t see any other Patuxet Indians. All of his tribe was killed by disease so he stayed with the Wampanoag Indians. When the English pilgrims arrived in the New England area, they decided to settle in the newly-deserted Wampanoag village of Patuxet. The pilgrims were starving to death, cold, and sick but the Wampanoag Indians chose to not to have any …show more content…
They knew the wilderness skills to survive, how to get fur and trade it, and how to fish. These were all skills the Wampanoag Indians and other tribes taught them. Therefore, there was no use for any Indians anymore; all they were doing was getting in the way. The Puritan’s “humane” solution was to convert every Native to their religion. That’s exactly what English Puritans did. The Puritans made the Wampanoag Indians and other tribes attend church, dress in traditional colonial clothing, and if the Natives showed any part of their tribal culture, they would be expelled. Once a Wampanoag Indian was killed near Swansea, the Wampanoag finally had enough. The King Philip’s war started in 1676 where the Wampanoag started attacking Swansea and the English columns. The war finally ended with King Philips dead and only 400 Wampanoag Indians