Meeting the Native Americans

The English colonists had not landed on an uninhabited continent and so had to deal with the local tribes and natives that they came across. Unfortunately, Europeans had gotten into the habit of taking natives back to Europe to show off to investors and the Royal Court as proof of their endeavour and to convince their backers at the need for further investment and the possibility of new markets and products. This habit backfired in Popham. The local tribes were far from hostile to the European settlement, but tended to give it a wide berth and tried to keep themselves separate from the fledgeling community. There were attempts to trade, but the Europeans had few items that were of value to the Indians. This isolation meant that the Europeans could not call upon the expertise and experience of the local tribes when their own food supplies and stores ran low. There was to be no 'Thanksgiving' moment to save Popham

Popham Colony