In the beginning there was nothing but sea-water on top of the land - Aki. Much water and much fog over the land, also. There also was the God Creator - Coutontowit. He, the good God - Woonand. This creator was the first being - Sayee-wis, an eternal being, invisible, yet everywhere. It was he who caused much water, much land. It was he who caused the clouds, the heavens. He also who caused the sun Nippewus, the moon, Nanequashet and the stars, Anokquis. And all this he caused to move well. By his act, it blew hard, clouded up and deep water ran off. It looked bright and there stood an island - menak.

Then he, Cautontowet, he the creator, he Menoh Manitou, the master of life, he the good god, Woonand, he Kinim, the great god - all this was the one man, the first being, of all - he made the makers of spirits, Manito Manitoak, and also the first beings, Owiniwak, also the souls, Chichankwak.

Afterwards he made the man being, Jin-wis, ancestor of all men. He gave him the first mother, Netanigaho, mother of first beings, Owini. Then the birds, the fishes, and the beasts he gave him. But there was a bad spirit, Mesandorist, Mtandou or Tantum, who caused bad beings, Makowini, black snakes and hideous monsters. Also flies and gnats were caused by him.

Thou being Kinim, the great god, Woonand, the good god - makers of spirits were such.

The Jins-Nijini were the first men, descendants of the first man being Jin-Wis, and the first mother, Netamigaho. Their wives were fairies, Nantinewak. The first food of the Jins and fairies was a fatty fruit called guttamin.

All were willingly pleased, all easy thinking and happy. But after a while, all things changed for Powako, the snake-priest, brought on earth secretly, the snake worship, Initako, with the god of snakes, Wakon. Then came wickedness, crime and unhappiness. It caused the bad weather, distemper and death.

All this happened long ago at the first land, Netamiki, beyond the great ocean, Kitahikan.

Long ago, a powerful snake, Maskanako, dwelt on Netamaki, the first land at the time when men became bad things, Makowini. This strong snake was a foe to the Jins-Nijini. From then on there was no peace, but a continual struggle least man, Mattapewi, with deadkeeper, Nihanlowit. The snake, Maskanako, resolved to destroy the beings and the men by sending Amaugam, the dark rushing water, to drown them.

Much water flooded the valleys and arose above the hills; achooak; much penetrated and much destroyed. Finally, it arose far above the highest mountains.

Nanabush (the great hare) was born creeping, ready to move and dwelt at Tula, an island. All the beings were struggling in the water for Tulapin, turtle back. Nanabush discovered the great turtle and got safely on his back, as did several other beings, aided by the noble Nanabush, and were saved.

After the waters had gone down, the giant turtle's feet were upon land at Talli. So there dwelt the many men, descendants of Nanabush, also the turtle beings. But it was cold. There was deep snow and ice and freezing weather.

So, to possess mild coldness and much game, they moved to the northerly plain, to hunt cattle. To be strong and rich, they divided into hunters, Wikhickik, and tillers, Elowichik. The most strong, good and holy hunters were they, who spread themselves north, east, west and south.

North of the turtle country, Talli, was the white country, Lumonaki. This became the hunting country of the turtling true men.

And all snakes, askug, were afraid in their huts and the snake-priest, Nekopowa, said to all, "Let us go!" So easterly they went at Snakeland Akhokind. This divided Lusaiki, the burnt land, from Akomenaki, the snake fortified land.

The "northlings" all go out separate, being free, at land of snow, Winiaken, under their leaders, Waplanewa, White Eagle and Waptumeni, White Wolf. While fishing at gaping sea in crude boats, they saw snake-land bright and wealthy.

Head Beaver, Wiklanok and Big Bird, Kicholen, then said to the others, "Let us go to Akomen (snake island). For by going there we can kill the snake-people, Wunaken."

Having all agreed, the "northerlings" and the "easterlings" went over the water of the frozen sea to possess that land: It was wonderful for ten thousand people went over in the dark, one single night, to the snake island of Eastland - Wapanaki. All the people, Olini, crossed on foot. There were manly north, manly east, manly south, manly eagle, manly beaver, manly wolf, manly hunter, manly rich, manly daughter, manly dog. Upon arriving, they tarried at Finland, Shinaki. But the west men, doubtful of passage, preferred to remain at the old turtle land.

In the year 1602, a Nauset Indian stood on the shore of Cape Cod Bay (Nai-sun-ket-og). He was tall and graceful and of a pleasing countenance. Plates of copper hung from his ears, but on his handsome face was an expression of amazement. So surprised was he that he was actually speechless. For far out on the waters of Nai-sun-ket-og was a big white bird monster, its white wings glistening in the sunlight. It came nearer and finally stopped, and as the Nauset leader stood in bewilderment, he saw men coming in canoes from the sides of the bird. Many summers and winters had this Nauset seen, and one of the bravest of the brave was he. But here before his eyes was a miracle, surpassing anything before seen on the waters of Nai-sun-ket-og. And as he stood there, firmly rooted to the sandy beach, the flat-bottomed canoes reached the land. And behold what were these people? Their skin was white like the snow, their eyes blue as sky on a summer day and hair yellow, and stranger still - on their faces grew hair!

More amazed than ever was the Nauset. Was he dreaming? No, some words the strangers were speaking in their language, a language stranger and harsher than the musical voice of an Indian. At last, seeing they were mortals like himself, he strode up to them and made signs meaning "I am your friend." Signs were made then between both parties, although neither hardly understood the other.

Other Nausets from a nearby village strode out from the forest and stood at a distance, looking in utter amazement at the newcomers.

Finally, the pale-faces departed to the bird and sailed away.

The Nausets wondered who these strange people might be, but not for long, for following the first came many others, until the first settlement was made, eighteen years later.

These people who landed there in 1602 were Bartholomew Gosnold and his crew. They treated the Cape Indians with kindness, doing more or less trading with them. Gosnold, although credited as discoverer of Cape Cod, was not however, the first white man to land on its shores, for in 1586 Sir Francis Drake landed at Cape Cod and after being greatly honored by the Indians left for other parts.

After leaving Cape Cod, Gosnold sailed around the Cape to the Isle of Nope, which he named Martha's Vineyard. The chief (sagamoh) of Nope greeted him with 50 warriors. Captain Gosnold presented the Indians with knives and later traded his cargo of English goods for grapes, sassafras, and articles of Indian manufacture. Before he left he built a fort, planning to make a colony there. However, the entire crew left, never to return.

In 1604, Champlain, the famous French explorer, landed at Mattakeese (now Barnstable) and named the harbor "Port aux Huistres", or "for the many good oysters there". He is quoted as saying, "This is an excellent place to erect buildings and lay foundations of a state, if the harbor can be made somewhat deeper and its entrance safer." Champlain named the tip of the Cape "Cap Blanc" and the treacherous shoals at the elbow "Mallebane". At Monomoy he came near being swamped in the shoals, but the Indians dragged his boats over into the harbor which he called "Port Fortune".

In 1611 Captain Harlow captured several Indians from the south shore of Cape Cod. One of these was the famous Epanoh, who escaped and swam ashore. In 1619, Epanoh led a band of Cape Indians against Captain Dermer, who landed at the Cape with good intentions, bringing back Tasquantum from his captivity across the water.

At this time the Cape Cod Indians were quite busily engaged in whaling, an enterprise which they carried on before white men were known here, as well as the killing of blackfish.

The Nausets, or Cape Cod Indians, were a gentle, forgiving race, with long memory for ill-treatments. But kidnapping was with them an unpardonable sin. Their descendants of today have inherited many of their characteristics, being loyal, dignified and proud citizens of the state of Massachusetts.

Many titles has this famous "elbow" held, the original being Nauset or "place of the bend". That name it held for centuries before white men came. Nauset signified the entire Cape, although there was an Indian village named Nauset or Nai-set from "near the bend" and the lower portion of Cape Cod from Bass River to Provincetown was called Nauset or "at the bend". But the title of "Cape Cod" had succeeded "Nauset" in 1602 and the French title of "Cap Blanc" and name of "Cape James" given by Captain John Smith never stayed, for the ever popular title, Cape Cod, is here to stay.

In the year 1611, the Earl of Southampton had the famous mariner, Captain Harlow sail to the shores of America. Harlow made several trips. On one he took captive five Indians from Cape Cod and returned to England, selling them for slaves. One of those Indians fought in the wars of Bohemia. Another time, Captain Harlow captured several more Indians from the Cape and Isle of Nope, now Martha's Vineyard. One of these, named Epanoh, escaped and later in 1619 led a party of Indians against Captain Dermer. This kidnapping slave trade aroused the anger of the native Indians and others as well, and but for the cool head of the Great Chief Yellow Feather, they never would have permitted a settlement to have been made in New England by those people.

This kidnapping of the Indians by the white men made the Nausets wish for revenge. Their noble warrior chief sagamoh declared war on the first white men to set foot upon the Cape. He sent word to the sagamohs of Nemasket, Nope, Nantucket, Sognatis, Poccasit and Punkatest. On the date set, all these division leaders met at the selected spot and after a conference beneath a giant oak started for the headquarters of the great chief of all Wampanoags.

Yellow Feather, great chief (Massi-Soet) over all the Wampanoag divisions, invited them into his lodge. The sagamohs of the Nausets of Cape Cod and the Nope's leader of Martha's Vineyard presented him with the entire story of the captivity of their warriors. Patiently Yellow Feather listened, but his reply was not as they had hoped for. For years he had led the Wampanoags in war. Sometimes he had sent war parties of the Pokanekets against the enemy, then again he had joined all his bands together.

Had he not joined together all the Wampanoags - the Nausets of the east, the Nopes of the south, the Punkatests of the north, the Seconets of the west and the Sowanis, Nemaskets and Pocassets, and with all these some half a hundred thousand warriors defeated the Tarratines of the north and the Narragansetts to the west? He had always been wisest counting more on his craftiness, his skill and cunning in war than the onslaught of his sannops. By his brains they had defeated all their enemies but the fierce Caughnawaugas, or Mohawks.

This tribe of Indians called themselves Caughnawaugas or "keepers of the place of flint". Other tribes, including the New England Indians, named them Moho-wauk, or "they eat animate things", which was changed into Mohawk or "man-eaters". No two New England tribes could unite and defeat the Mohawks, who claimed that all the eight or nine New England tribes combined could not harm them.

And again, using his brain, the great chief Yellow Feather told his division leaders that the white men with their "thunder" could be used to help them. By becoming friends with the intruders, the Wampanoags would be able to get their aid in defeating the Mohawks, and later other powers to the westward. Old hereditary hatred for the Tarratines and the Mohawks were talked of and the division leaders at once began to think of obtaining the friendship of the whites, that their aid might be secured in gaining the Pokanoket's long hoped for revenge.

The sagamohs returned to their homes. But when a few months later a French crew was shipwrecked on the Cape, mothers bewailed the loss of their sons taken as captives, sisters, brothers, fathers and the wives of the kidnapped warrior longed for revenge on the white man who had caused unhappiness to come upon them. Urged by these people, the Nauset sagamoh cast aside the advice of his chief, Yellow Feather and cruelly tortured to death all but one, whom they kept as a slave. Learning their dialect, the Frenchman informed them that the white man's God would surely destroy them and give their country to the white race. "We are too many for Him to destroy," replied the Nausets.

Soon after this there descended on these people a plague. They looked back in wonder. Was it the white man's God destroying them? Or was it the Great Spirit, made angry because they had failed to do as their great chief, Yellow Feather, had advised? Some believed one thing, some another, but it had come, sometime about 1612, and stayed for some five years, ending around 1617. The Patuxet village was entirely destroyed, none being left to bury the dead. From the youngest to the oldest, men, women and children, only their bones remained, glistening in the sunlight.

But of all the Wampanoag divisions, the Nausets suffered about the greatest. From Onset Bay to the tip of the Cape, only half of the Nauset population was left. The sagamoh of all these people died at his home at Nai-set (now Eastham). Many medicine-men and village captains also were killed by this dreaded disease. But the Nausets were not alone in their suffering, for many other Wampanoag villages were greatly reduced until in 1617, the Pokanokets had dwindled greatly, having less than 60,000 warriors where once had been a hundred thousand.

But the Massachusett Indians suffered more than the Wampanoag. Their tribe became only a shadow of itself; so small did it become that it asked the cooperation of the Wampanoags to protect it.

In 1614, while the Indians were in the midst of the Great Plague, the famous Captain John Smith drew a map of it. His original plans were to find whales and gold mines. Failing in this enterprise, he was to secure "fish and furres". He explored the coast, dedicating his map to Prince Charles. The spot which is now the town of Plymouth he gave its name, Plymouth, for Plymouth, England. Cape Cod he named Cape James; Cape Cod Bay he named Stuart Bay and the present harbor of Provincetown he named Milford Haven.

Captain Thomas Hunt was in charge of Smith's larger boat. Under no authority, other than his own, Captain Hunt took captive 27 Cape Cod Indians and set sail for Malaga, selling his human cargo at twenty pounds a head. The money he put in his own pocket. One of these Nausets was Tisquantum. He got from Malaga to England, where he lived in Cornhill, London, with a man by name of Slanie. Later he became acquainted with Captain Dermer, who was sailing for Fernando Gorges, Governor of Old Plymouth. Dermer sailed to Cape Cod, bringing Tisquantum back to his native sod. He was fired upon by Epenow's revengeful band, who however, upon seeing Tisquantum, became Dermer's friends.

In November 1620, the MAYFLOWER, an English vessel containing the people known as the Pilgrims of New England, landed at Meeshawn or "the end of the trail" now Provincetown. On November 15th, that year, they were first seen by the Cape Indians. Because of the ill-treatment received by Captains Hunt and Harlow, they were very skeptical of these white people. They stood in the open, gazing at the invaders until they were seen by a white man. Then, fearing unfriendly motives, they went into the woods, calling their dogs, and traveled so that they could not be followed.

Soon after this incident, while the Pilgrims were exploring the "place of the bend", one of their number, William Bradford, was caught by his leg in a deer trap and found by his comrades, suspended in mid-air.

On another occasion, these "white invaders" came upon some mounds on a hill known today as Corn Hill. Digging into these mounds, they found a quantity of baskets full of corn, which they carried to their vessel. Their intentions may have been good, but the idea of their taking without permission marked them as thieves. An example of this is - if after a hard days work you came home to find that someone had stolen food you had stored after hard labor, you would not regard those who took it as honest. Naturally, that was the attitude the Indian took. An Indian is as human as his white brother and should be treated so. Indian law said, "It is all right for anyone to steal, but to get caught in the act of stealing is a crime and will be punished accordingly." Because of this and the severe penalty, there were few thieves in those days among the Indians, for whenever one stole he was always caught. Thus the penalty of that day, to punish "him who got caught" taught more to be honest than the law of today, strictly against stealing.

On November 27, 1620, the Pilgrims, on another of their exploring trips discovered a deserted Indian village, the Indians having journeyed to another Nauset village to participate in a celebration. This time, again without consent, they helped themselves to a number of baskets wrought of crabshells, wooden trays and bowls, and "hart's horns and eagle claws".

On December 6, 1620, the Nausets, arriving home to their village, discovered its loss. They attacked the Pilgrims. But the shots from the latter's muskets so frightened them that they fled. None were injured on either side. The place of this "battle" was near Great Meadow Creek, Eastham, and was named "The First Encounter".

After weeks of exploring, the Pilgrims re-united December 16th and set about in building their first settlement.

In July, 1621, a white boy, young John Billington, tired of playing with the other children, went exploring in the woods and became lost. He wandered to Cape Cod, where Aspinet, chief of the Cape Cod Indians, took him into his wigwam, changed his tattered garments for the ornamented buckskin suit of an Indian boy and fed him with a meal of "Indian food". When the boy was missed, ten settlers and two Indians sailed to Barnstable Bay, where they met Yanno, chief of the Upper Cape Indians. Yanno (also written Iyanno and Iyanough) was sagamoh of the Matakeesets. Ruler over him was Aspinet ("at the spring"), chief of the Cape Cod Indians, or Nausets, yet under the great Massasoit. While at Cummaquid the Pilgrims saw a Nauset woman over a hundred years of age, who was mother of three of Hunt's victims.

Yanno, accompanied by two of his men, took them to the noble Aspinet at Nauset, now Eastham. Chief At-the-Spring, himself, brought the boy to them. The lad was dressed entirely as an Indian boy, with strings of beads about his neck. While there the Pilgrims paid for the corn they had stolen at Corn Hill, thus gaining by their "honesty" the friendship of Aspinet. Thus was the pipe of peace smoked by the Cape Cod Indians with the Pilgrims.

The settlers then returned to Cummaquid with Yanno, where they were greatly entertained. The women and children joined hands in a dance before them, and Chief Yanno himself led the way to a spring that they might fill their water cask.

Young John Billington's expedition caused the feeling of brotherly love, respect, and friendship to come among the settlers and Cape Indians. At no time was friendship bound stronger between two people than in 1621, between the Cape Cod Wampanoags and the settlers. So greatly did Chief Aspinet treasure the friendship that he sent Apanoh (or Epanow) to Plymouth to sign a treaty between the Nauset Wampanoags (or Cape Cod Indians) and the settlers.

So well was this treaty kept that in November, 1621, when the FORTUNE was seen off the Cape, that the Indians at once notified the Pilgrims in fear that it might be a hostile French ship.

Many members and descendants of members of the MAYFLOWER and FORTUNE parties intermarried with the Wampanoag Indians. Thus it might be said that the first marriages between Indians and whites in New England were on Cape Cod.

On the MAYFLOWER came the Winslows, Bradfords, Wings and many others, whose descendants are found today scattered over Cape Cod. On the FORTUNE came the Bassetts, Wixons, Doanes, Ellises and others. Robert Wixon, a white man, married the daughter of Chief Aspinet and we find that many of his children, grand, great, and great-great-grandchildren, married with Indians, so that early in the eighteen hundreds the white blood was extinct, but the name stayed. However, as the red man's population decreased and the white men increased, it necessitated the family to again intermarry with the "Cape Cod Yankees". One of these Indians, a Potanamaquit ("village on the Herring River") Nauset, fought in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, losing a leg in the service of the country. He returned to Potanamaquit to marry a white woman. His son, Captain Job Wixon, was a renowned sea captain of Brewster.

Chief Yanno in 1621 was about 26 years of age. Many historians have called him Iyanough, Janno or Iyanno. This name was caused by a misunderstanding. Yanno knew a few English words and when questioned as to his name he replied, "I (am) Yanno," from which comes "I Yanno" or Iyanough. The name signified "land-owner". One of the Pilgrims, Edward Winslow, wrote of him, "he was very personable, generous, gentle, courteous, cheerful and very handsome."

One thing which has never been forgotten by the historians are the words of Samoset, "Welcome, Englishman", those words which cheered the hearts of the tired Pilgrims.

The next chapter, chapter nine, deals with the first Thanksgiving, also the deaths of Aspinet and Yanno.

Governor Bradford of the Pilgrim colony at Plymouth set aside November 1, 1621, as a day to give thanks for the welfare of the community. He sent an invitation to Massasoit to be present for the occasion.

Massasoit (Chief Yellow Feather) at once sent for Aspinet, the sagamoh of the Cape Cod Indians. He also sent for the other sagmohs of the other Wampanoag divisions, who came with a number of lesser chiefs and men. The noble Aspinet came, accompanied by Yanno, Apanoh and several others. The Indians brought in deer and turkeys. After the dinner, which was enjoyed by all, the whites and Indians each got recreation from their games and watching the various sports of each other.

In March 1622, Chief Canacum of the Commassakumkanit (Herring Pond) village sold some corn to the Pilgrims. At the time, two Massachusetts Indians were present, talking in the Algonkin language to Canacum. They wished Canacum to enter in a plot with them, which he refused. They had asked Aspinet to aid them, but he had refused, saying, "Since my great chief (Massasoit) Yellow Feather (Ousamaquin) sees fit to be friends, and I and all the Cape Cod Indians are subjects of Massasoit, his policy is ours. Furthermore, I have no reason to harm them." And so for a time nothing was done.

Before the Pilgrims had come to this country, the Massachuset Indians were so few and the pestilence did so much harm to them, that their great chief buried the hatchet with the Wampanoags and acknowledged himself and tribe as subjects of the Massasoit of the Wampanoags. Thereby the supreme ruler of all Wampanoags became also the supreme chief of the Massachuset tribe.

But the Massachuset Indians disliked the white men and Massasoit's policy toward them, and when a tract of Massachuset land was sold by the Wampanoag ruler to the English, the Massachusets did not like it because they had given the Wampanoag ruler that authority. So when the Massachusets were caught in a plot near Weymouth, and their Chief Wittaumet was killed, some of the Cape Indians were said to be implicated.

Innocent Chief Aspinet, ruler of all Cape Cod Indians, was afraid his supreme chief Massasoit would think him guilty and that the Pilgrims and off-Cape Wampanoags would destroy his people. He fled to the swamps, where he was killed by disease, and there died one of the most prominent, noble and illustrious of the chiefs of the Cape Cod Indians. Chief Yanno, also afraid of being called guilty, as he was not, fled to a swamp in Mattakeese (now East Barnstable, or Hyannis). There he died, and almost 250 years later his bones were found, encased suitably and placed in Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth. The modern village of Hyannis, within the limits of the town of Barnstable, is named for Chief Yanno.

In December, 1626, the ship SPARROWHAWK, grounded on the flats of Monomoy. The captain was ill and the others knew not where they were, only that they were out of "wood, water, and beer". A group of Indians on the shore discovered the grounded ship and paddled their canoes to its side. They rescued crew and passengers and supplied their immediate needs.

About 1623 the settlers sent missionaries among the Wampanoags. Among them were Eliot, Cotton, Bourne and Mayhew, each of whom played prominent parts in the history not only of the Cape Cod Indians, but also the entire Wampanoag nation. During the next century, many Wampanoag villages became Christianized and from then on were known as "Praying Wampanoags", but more often "Praying Indians".