Saturday, March 10, 2012

Who was the first Native American to visit England?

In can be difficult to pinpoint exactly who was the first Native American to visit England, but the contenders include Manteo of the Croatan tribe of coastal North Carolina, who came in 1584 and again in 1585, and Wanchese, leader of the Roanoke Native Americans. These two men traveled together to London with Sir Walter Raleigh.
Each of these Native American men encountered the ill-fated English Roanoke settlement in North Carolina, which is how they came to make the trip to England. While, as might be imagined, the two Native Americans were the subject of intense interest and celebrity in Queen Elizabeth I's court, they were there primarily so the English could gain information about the territory they hoped to settle/conquer. They also helped attract investors to the Roanoke Colony.
Although the English hoped to strengthen relations with the Native Americans, in terms of Wanchese, that goal backfired. He came to feel himself a captive, not a guest, in England. Back in North Carolina, he broke ties with the English and warned his tribe to beware of them. Only Manteo remained an ally.

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