Assacumet was an early 17th century Native American from the Wawenock Abenaki tribe.

Capture

Assacumet was captured in 1605 by Capt. George Weymouth

George Weymouth

George Weymouth was an English explorer of the area now occupied by the state of Maine. Ferdinando Gorges, who wanted to settle colonists in the area, sponsored an expedition under Weymouth, who sailed from England on March 5, 1605 on the ship Archangel and landed near Monhegan on May 17, 1605...

 of the ship Archangel near the Pemaquid River

Pemaquid River

The Pemaquid River is a river in Bristol, Maine.From the outflow of Biscay Pond , the river runs south to the head of its estuary, then to Pemaquid Harbor at the head of Johns Bay.-References:**...

 in Maine together with four others. Some sources list the other four as Tasquantum (better known as Squanto

Squanto

Tisquantum was a Patuxet. He was the Native American who assisted the Pilgrims after their first winter in the New World and was integral to their survival. The Patuxet tribe was a tributary of the Wampanoag Confederacy.-Biography:Squanto's exact date of birth is unknown but many historians...

), Manida, Skettwarroes, and Dehamda; others list them as Tahanedo ("a Sagamo or Commander"), Amoret, Skicowaros, and Maneddo (listed as "gentlemen". Saffacomoit is listed as "a servant".) They were taken to England as slaves and curiosities.

Challoung expedition

In England, Assacumet and at least two of the other captives were given to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and learned English. In 1606 Gorges sent an expedition to America under Capt. Henry Challoung (also known as Chalowns and Chalon), with Assacumet and Manida, to the West Indies and Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. The ship was captured by the Spanish fleet and taken to Spain. The ship and goods were confiscated, and the crew made prisoners in Seville

Seville

Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...

. Manida was "lost" but Assacumet was eventually "recovered", after Captain John Barlee wrote to Secretary Cecil, urging him to use his influence to win the release of the two "savages.".

Epenow

Returned to Gorges' home, Assacumet was lodged with Epenow

Epenow

Epenow was a Nauset from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts who became an early symbol of resistance to English explorers and slavers in the early 17th century.- Capture :...

, a Wampanoag captive captured in 1611, and helped him improve his English.

In 1614, Assacumet accompanied Gorges' expedition under Capt. Nicholas Hobson to Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....

, where they had convinced him that gold lay in a ploy to escape, and where Epenow ultimately escaped.