Samoset, also
Somerset, (c. 1590–1653) was an
Abenaki sagamore and the first
Native American to make contact with the
Pilgrims of
Plymouth Colony. On March 16, 1621, the settlers were more than surprised when Samoset strolled straight through the middle of the encampment at Plymouth Colony and greeted them in English, which he had begun to learn from English fishermen frequenting the waters of what now is
Maine.