Manteo (Croatan) - Travel To England

Travel To England

Early encounters with the natives were friendly, and Manteo became one of the first Native Americans to travel to England. Despite the difficulties in communication, the explorers were able to persuade "two of the savages, being lustie men, whose names were Wanchese and Manteo" to accompany them on the return voyage to London, in order for the English people to report both the conditions of the New World that they had explored and what the usefulness of the territory might be to the English.

Once safely delivered to England in September 1584, Manteo and Wanchese soon caused a sensation at court. Raleigh's priority however was not publicity but rather intelligence about his new land of Virginia, and he restricted access to the exotic newcomers, assigning the brilliant scientist Thomas Harriot with the job of deciphering and learning the Carolina Algonquian language, using a phonetic alphabet of his own invention in order to effect the translation.

Both Wanchese and Manteo were hosted at Raleigh's London residence, Durham House. Unlike Manteo, Wanchese evinced little interest in learning English, and did not befriend his hosts, remaining suspicious of English motives in the New World. He soon came to view himself as a captive of the English rather than as their guest. By Christmas of 1584 Harriot was able to converse successfully in the Algonkin language with the two Native Americans, though it appears that Manteo was far more co-operative than Wanchese.

Harriot and Manteo spent many days in one another's company; Harriot interrogated Manteo closely about life in the New World and learned much that was to the advantage of the English settlers. In addition, he recorded the sense of awe with which the Native Americans viewed European technology:

"Many things they sawe with us...as mathematical instruments, sea compasses... spring clocks that seemed to goe of themselves - and many other things we had - were so strange unto them, and so farre exceeded their capacities to comprehend the reason and meanes how they should be made and done, that they thought they were rather the works of gods than men."

Manteo and Wanchese went back to the New World in April 1585, sailing with Sir Richard Grenville's expedition in the Tiger, reaching the warm waters of the Caribbean in just 21 days. The expedition was led by Sir Ralph Lane, and was accompanied by Harriot who, having mastered the Carolina Algonquin language, would act as translator between the local tribes and the English settlers.

Records indicate that Manteo and Wanchese also went on a voyage from the New World to England sometime later in the same decade. Following the voyage, Manteo, Wanchese, and the English returned to Roanoke. It is speculated that Sir Walter Raleigh chose to have Manteo accompany him on his journey to England in order to better acquaint him with certain elements of English culture; specifically, so that he would be able to improve his skills in the English language and so that he might gain a deeper understanding of the Anglican Christian faith.