Manteo (Croatan)
Encyclopedia
Manteo was a Native American
Croatan
Indian, the chief of a local tribe that befriended the English
explorers that landed at Roanoke Island
in 1584. In 1585 the English returned to Roanoke, arriving too late in the year to plant crops and harvest food, and Manteo helped the colonists to make it through the harsh winter. He traveled to England
on two occasions, in 1584 and 1585, and was among those who sailed for the New World in 1587 along with Governor John White and his colonists, who founded the failed settlement later known as "The Lost Colony
". On Sunday, August 13, 1587, Manteo was christened on Roanoke Island, making him the first Native American to be baptized into the Church of England
. He was granted the title of baron, the Lord of Roanoke and Dasamongueponke
—the first peer created by the English in North America.
people or allied with them. The Croatan lived in current Dare County
, an area encompassing the Alligator River
, Croatan Sound
, Roanoke Island, and parts of the Outer Banks
, including Hatteras Island
. Manteo first entered the historical record through his encounter with English explorers in 1584, when Sir Walter Raleigh dispatched the first of a number of expeditions to Roanoke Island to explore and eventually settle the New World.
and Manteo" to accompany them on the return voyage to London, in order for the English people to report both the conditions of the New World that they had explored and what the usefulness of the territory might be to the English.
Once safely delivered to England in September 1584, Manteo and Wanchese soon caused a sensation at court. Raleigh's priority however was not publicity but rather intelligence about his new land of Virginia, and he restricted access to the exotic newcomers, assigning the brilliant scientist Thomas Harriot
with the job of deciphering and learning the Carolina Algonquian language
, using a phonetic alphabet
of his own invention in order to effect the translation.
Both Wanchese and Manteo were hosted at Raleigh's London residence, Durham House
. Unlike Manteo, Wanchese evinced little interest in learning English, and did not befriend his hosts, remaining suspicious of English motives in the New World. He soon came to view himself as a captive of the English rather than as their guest. By Christmas of 1584 Harriot was able to converse successfully in the Algonkin language with the two Native Americans, though it appears that Manteo was far more co-operative than Wanchese.
Harriot and Manteo spent many days in one another's company; Harriot interrogated Manteo closely about life in the New World and learned much that was to the advantage of the English settlers. In addition, he recorded the sense of awe with which the Native Americans viewed European technology:
Manteo and Wanchese went back to the New World in April 1585, sailing with Sir Richard Grenville
's expedition in the Tiger, reaching the warm waters of the Caribbean in just 21 days. The expedition was led by Sir Ralph Lane
, and was accompanied by Harriot who, having mastered the Carolina Algonquin language, would act as translator between the local tribes and the English settlers.
Records indicate that Manteo and Wanchese also went on a voyage from the New World to England sometime later in the same decade. Following the voyage, Manteo, Wanchese, and the English returned to Roanoke. It is speculated that Sir Walter Raleigh chose to have Manteo accompany him on his journey to England in order to better acquaint him with certain elements of English culture; specifically, so that he would be able to improve his skills in the English language
and so that he might gain a deeper understanding of the Anglican Christian faith.
Manteo was involved in several nighttime attacks which took place in 1587. The Native Americans had informed the English that some of their men were killed. To seek revenge, the English attempted to plot an attack on the party who they believed was responsible for the English deaths, the Roanokes. However, the English actually killed several of the Croatan people, who they mistook to be the killers. These attacks even involved Manteo's mother, who was leader of the Croatan natives. As a mediator between the English and the Native Americans, and due to his loyalty to the English people, Manteo was caught in the middle, between the two opposing sides, the English and the natives. Manteo had mixed feelings regarding the nature of these attacks and was able to understand the points of views of both sides.
. Manteo was a trusted friend, teacher, and guide to the English settlers while remaining loyal to his native people during early American history, when English and Native American relations were highly unstable. Manteo is one of the foremost examples of positive race relations in early American history.
Manteo was useful to the English people in several ways. He served as a guide and translator to the English. Manteo and the English people were able to learn about each other's language and culture. Manteo at times was also a mediating figure between the English people and the Native Americans. Because of his status among the English people and because he was in peaceful communication with them, Manteo was often seen as a traitor because natives perceived Manteo as disloyal to them.
Although Manteo is the best example of relations between the English and the Indians, there were other Native Americans who were friendly toward the English as well. Wanchese and other Native Americans such as Towaye both shared relationships with Manteo and the English people.
. Upon conversion, Manteo retained his given name. Manteo may have assisted in helping the English convert other Native Americans to Christianity as well. In 2008, the 125th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina approved the commemoration of the Baptism of Manteo, along with that of Virginia Dare, to be kept on August 17th of each year.
is named after him.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Croatan
Croatan
The Croatan were a small Native American group living in the coastal areas of what is now North Carolina. They may have been a branch of the larger Roanoke people or allied with them....
Indian, the chief of a local tribe that befriended the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
explorers that landed at Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
in 1584. In 1585 the English returned to Roanoke, arriving too late in the year to plant crops and harvest food, and Manteo helped the colonists to make it through the harsh winter. He traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on two occasions, in 1584 and 1585, and was among those who sailed for the New World in 1587 along with Governor John White and his colonists, who founded the failed settlement later known as "The Lost Colony
Roanoke Colony
The Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in Dare County, present-day North Carolina, United States was a late 16th-century attempt to establish a permanent English settlement in what later became the Virginia Colony. The enterprise was financed and organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and carried out by...
". On Sunday, August 13, 1587, Manteo was christened on Roanoke Island, making him the first Native American to be baptized into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. He was granted the title of baron, the Lord of Roanoke and Dasamongueponke
Dasamongueponke
The Dasamongueponke, or Dasamonguepeuk, is the name given to a Native American tribe and also the name of a village encountered by the English during their late 16th century attempts to settle and establish permanent colonies in what is now North Carolina, known at the time as Virginia...
—the first peer created by the English in North America.
Early life
Little is known of Manteo's early life. He was born into the Croatan tribe, a small Native American group living in the coastal areas of what is now North Carolina. They may have been a branch of the larger RoanokeRoanoke (tribe)
The Roanoke, also spelled Roanoac, tribe were a Carolina Algonquian-speaking people whose territory comprised present-day Dare County, Roanoke Island and part of the mainland at the time of English exploration and colonization...
people or allied with them. The Croatan lived in current Dare County
Dare County, North Carolina
-National protected areas:* Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge * Cape Hatteras National Seashore * Fort Raleigh National Historic Site* Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge* Wright Brothers National Memorial-Demographics:...
, an area encompassing the Alligator River
Alligator River (North Carolina)
The Alligator River is a small river in eastern North Carolina, USA, separating Dare County with Tyrrell County. It is a tributary of the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The Lindsey C. Warren Bridge of U.S. Route 64 crosses the river.A 21-mile canal...
, Croatan Sound
Croatan Sound
Croatan Sound is an inlet in Dare County, North Carolina. It connects Pamlico Sound with Albemarle Sound, and is bordered to the east by Roanoke Island; Roanoke Sound is on the other side of the island. Its name comes from the Croatan Indians who once inhabited the area.The Croatan Sound is crossed...
, Roanoke Island, and parts of the Outer Banks
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
, including Hatteras Island
Hatteras Island
Hatteras Island is a barrier island located off the North Carolina coast. Dividing the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound, it runs parallel to the coast, forming a bend at Cape Hatteras. It is part of North Carolina's Outer Banks and includes the towns of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton,...
. Manteo first entered the historical record through his encounter with English explorers in 1584, when Sir Walter Raleigh dispatched the first of a number of expeditions to Roanoke Island to explore and eventually settle the New World.
Travel to England
Early encounters with the natives were friendly, and Manteo became one of the first Native Americans to travel to England. Despite the difficulties in communication, the explorers were able to persuade "two of the savages, being lustie men, whose names were WancheseWanchese (chief)
Wanchese was the last known ruler of the Roanoke Native American tribe encountered by English colonists in the late sixteenth century. Along with Chief Manteo he travelled to London in 1584, where the two men created a sensation at court...
and Manteo" to accompany them on the return voyage to London, in order for the English people to report both the conditions of the New World that they had explored and what the usefulness of the territory might be to the English.
Once safely delivered to England in September 1584, Manteo and Wanchese soon caused a sensation at court. Raleigh's priority however was not publicity but rather intelligence about his new land of Virginia, and he restricted access to the exotic newcomers, assigning the brilliant scientist Thomas Harriot
Thomas Harriot
Thomas Harriot was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer, and translator. Some sources give his surname as Harriott or Hariot or Heriot. He is sometimes credited with the introduction of the potato to Great Britain and Ireland...
with the job of deciphering and learning the Carolina Algonquian language
Carolina Algonquian language
Carolina Algonquian is an extinct Algonquian language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup formerly spoken in North Carolina, United States....
, using a phonetic alphabet
Phonetic alphabet
Phonetic alphabet can mean:* phonetic transcription system: a system for transcribing the precise sounds of human speech into writing.** International Phonetic Alphabet : the most widespread such system...
of his own invention in order to effect the translation.
Both Wanchese and Manteo were hosted at Raleigh's London residence, Durham House
Durham House (London)
Durham House, or Durham Inn, was the historic London residence of the Bishop of Durham in the Strand, with its gardens descending to the Thames.-Origins:...
. Unlike Manteo, Wanchese evinced little interest in learning English, and did not befriend his hosts, remaining suspicious of English motives in the New World. He soon came to view himself as a captive of the English rather than as their guest. By Christmas of 1584 Harriot was able to converse successfully in the Algonkin language with the two Native Americans, though it appears that Manteo was far more co-operative than Wanchese.
Harriot and Manteo spent many days in one another's company; Harriot interrogated Manteo closely about life in the New World and learned much that was to the advantage of the English settlers. In addition, he recorded the sense of awe with which the Native Americans viewed European technology:
- "Many things they sawe with us...as mathematical instruments, sea compasses...[and] spring clocks that seemed to goe of themselves - and many other things we had - were so strange unto them, and so farre exceeded their capacities to comprehend the reason and meanes how they should be made and done, that they thought they were rather the works of gods than men."
Manteo and Wanchese went back to the New World in April 1585, sailing with Sir Richard Grenville
Richard Grenville
Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...
's expedition in the Tiger, reaching the warm waters of the Caribbean in just 21 days. The expedition was led by Sir Ralph Lane
Ralph Lane
Sir Ralph Lane was an English explorer of the Elizabethan era. He was part of the unsuccessful attempt in 1585 to colonize Roanoke Island, North Carolina. He also served the Crown in Ireland and was knighted by the Queen in 1593....
, and was accompanied by Harriot who, having mastered the Carolina Algonquin language, would act as translator between the local tribes and the English settlers.
Records indicate that Manteo and Wanchese also went on a voyage from the New World to England sometime later in the same decade. Following the voyage, Manteo, Wanchese, and the English returned to Roanoke. It is speculated that Sir Walter Raleigh chose to have Manteo accompany him on his journey to England in order to better acquaint him with certain elements of English culture; specifically, so that he would be able to improve his skills in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and so that he might gain a deeper understanding of the Anglican Christian faith.
The Lost Colony
In 1587 Manteo returned to Roanoke along with Governor John White's ill-fated expedition to plant a permanent English colony in the New World. Prior to the journey, Raleigh had Manteo created Lord of Roanoke, making him in effect a feudal ruler in the New World, "and Lord thereof...in reward of his faithfull service". It was a likely condition of this remarkable appointment that Manteo submit to baptism into the Church of England.Manteo was involved in several nighttime attacks which took place in 1587. The Native Americans had informed the English that some of their men were killed. To seek revenge, the English attempted to plot an attack on the party who they believed was responsible for the English deaths, the Roanokes. However, the English actually killed several of the Croatan people, who they mistook to be the killers. These attacks even involved Manteo's mother, who was leader of the Croatan natives. As a mediator between the English and the Native Americans, and due to his loyalty to the English people, Manteo was caught in the middle, between the two opposing sides, the English and the natives. Manteo had mixed feelings regarding the nature of these attacks and was able to understand the points of views of both sides.
Relations with the Roanoke colonists
Manteo was essential to English–Native American communications during the those early voyages to and explorations of the New World organized by Raleigh. The relationship that Manteo shared with the English serves as an early example of positive racial and cultural relations in North America and also serves as a unique example of race relations within the context of Western CivilizationWestern culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
. Manteo was a trusted friend, teacher, and guide to the English settlers while remaining loyal to his native people during early American history, when English and Native American relations were highly unstable. Manteo is one of the foremost examples of positive race relations in early American history.
Manteo was useful to the English people in several ways. He served as a guide and translator to the English. Manteo and the English people were able to learn about each other's language and culture. Manteo at times was also a mediating figure between the English people and the Native Americans. Because of his status among the English people and because he was in peaceful communication with them, Manteo was often seen as a traitor because natives perceived Manteo as disloyal to them.
Although Manteo is the best example of relations between the English and the Indians, there were other Native Americans who were friendly toward the English as well. Wanchese and other Native Americans such as Towaye both shared relationships with Manteo and the English people.
Religion
Manteo is recognized as being the first Native American who became an Anglican Christian. Manteo was possibly converted to Anglican Christianity by Raleigh. Some historians believe that it was a political maneuver that Raleigh hoped would further Manteo’s role in working with the EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
. Upon conversion, Manteo retained his given name. Manteo may have assisted in helping the English convert other Native Americans to Christianity as well. In 2008, the 125th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina approved the commemoration of the Baptism of Manteo, along with that of Virginia Dare, to be kept on August 17th of each year.
Death and legacy
There is little information about Manteo's life following the abandonment of the settlement. The details related to Manteo's death are unknown. He may have left with colonists during the abandonment of the Roanoke site for wherever went to. The town of Manteo, North CarolinaManteo, North Carolina
Manteo is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Roanoke Island. The population was 1,052 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dare County.-Geography:...
is named after him.
External links
- Manteo at thelostcolony.org Retrieved April 2011
- Account of the Roanoke settlements Retrieved April 2011