Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag, and about 90 of his warriors joined the Pilgrims at Plymouth for a thanksgiving feast in the autumn of 1621.
Following Native American tradition, the celebration was held to thank God for a plentiful harvest. The Pilgrims owed their Wampanoag guests a great debt because the Wampanoag had taught them how to farm in their new land.
Although the relationship between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims was sometimes strained, Massasoit encouraged his people to help the English colonists in order to keep the peace.
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