Examines the historical bases for the story of Squanto's introduction of fish fertilizer to the Pilgrims at Plymouth (Massachusetts). Presents new evidence from an ethnohistoric, anthropological, and archaeological perspective that challenges Indian fish fertilizer use, suggesting that Squanto conveyed knowledge of the practice from one group of…

The narrative of the American Indian has pronounced social, political, and economic implications; the complete story predicates and ratifies a special place for the Indian in North American moral and political systems. But mythic structures and cultural fictions must be combated with true accounts of historical events and relationships. (AF)