Manteo was a prominent Carolina Algonquian and a member of the ruling family of a Croatoan sub-tribe. He provided enormous help to Sir Walter Raleigh and those who attempted to set up an English colony on Roanoke Island in the 1580s. He was respected by Wingina, the local chief of Roanoke Island, as well as the English.
To compete with Spanish colonial efforts in the Americas, Sir Walter Raleigh chartered an expedition to America in April 1584 to scout for a location for a permanent settlement. Led by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, the expedition decided on Roanoke Island, in present-day North Carolina’s Outer Banks on July 13, 1584. Returning to England to report their findings, Amadas and Barlowe brought with them two Indians, Manteo and Wanchese.
Manteo and Wanchese were important in Raleigh’s campaign to establish a colony on Roanoke Island. Raleigh portrayed the Indians as friendly and helpful. Furthermore, the natives were vital for communication and cultural understanding. While in England, Manteo and Wanchese learned English and taught Algonquian to Thomas Hariot. They also helped Hariot understand Native American culture and religion. By the time of the 1585 colonial expedition, all three were capable interpreters. During Manteo’s time in England, he forged a close bond with the English. However, Wanchese did not.
Manteo and Wanchese accompanied the second expedition to Roanoke Island, led by Sir Richard Grenville and Ralph Lane, in the summer of 1585 to establish a permanent colony. Manteo acted as a confidant, guide, translator, and adviser. Shortly after leaving England, a storm, with its surging waves and forceful winds, scattered the expedition’s numerous supplies across the Atlantic. As a result, the English became dependent on the Native Americans and Manteo during the winter.
The First Attempt at Colonization
The Grenville-Lane expedition reached the present-day North Carolina coast on June 26, 1585. Manteo played a prominent role as a guide, translator, and negotiator during the first attempt at colonization, and his prominence among the English was demonstrated by his inclusion in scouting expeditions to Native American towns. On July 29, 1585, the Englishmen returned to Roanoke Island and established a settlement near Dasamonquepeuc, the village of Native American high chief Wingina, and Manteo was selected to inform the chief of the white man’s return. Wanchese, who was more hostile to the English, returned to the Roanoke tribe.
The first attempt at colonization on Roanoke Island was invaluable for English understanding Native American culture and religion. Thomas Hariot, with the help of Manteo, interacted with and studied Native American culture. His findings were included in Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1588).
However, English tensions with the natives developed as Grenville and Lane exerted English dominance. During a scouting trip, Grenville burned the native village of Aquascogoc because he believed the natives stole a silver cup. After the completion of the fort, Grenville left Roanoke on August 26, 1585, to return to England. Ralph Lane, who was previously part of the subjugation of Ireland, was left in charge of the settlement. During the winter, the English relied on Chief Wingina’s tribe for the food and supplies. Manteo’s positive relationship with both Chief Wingina and the English fostered cooperation. However, the English’s parasitic relationship caused relations between the natives and the Europeans to wane.
Problems continued in the spring of 1586 when Lane led an expedition to the Albemarle Sound searching for wealth. Manteo accompanied the expedition as an adviser, guide, and translator. During the expedition, Lane captured Menatonon, the Chowanoac king, to learn about the Indian kingdom’s wealth. To ensure the king’s future cooperation, Lane also captured his favorite son Skiko. Menatonon was ransomed back to his tribe, but Skiko remained a prisoner.
As word spread that the English were conquerors, cooperation with the Native Americans declined. Tribes abandoned villages and removed all supplies before the English arrived. When avoidance turned to violence, Manteo sided with the English, providing the m with insight into Native American war practices.
English-Indian Relationships Suffer
After returning to Roanoke Island, Lane accused Wingina of conspiring to starve the English colonists. Trying to secure his son’s release, Menatonon assembled a delegation, including representatives from the Weapemeoc king Okisko. To appease the English, the delegation acknowledged the English Queen as their only sovereign. However, Lane refused to release Skiko. Still trying to appease the English, the natives planted large tracts of land specifically for English consumption. However, waning food supplies created more tension. The Indians, low on food after supplying the English all winter, stopped providing the English with food. Lane placed increased pressure on Wingina for food; but the Indian chief was incapable of helping.
When Wingina’s father Ensenore, a strong advocate for peace, died on April 20, 1586, Wanchese, who was more hostile to the English, became the chief’s prominent adviser. Lane believed Wingina, who changed his name to Pemisapan, and Wanchese conspired to unite the Indian chiefs and destroy the English. However, Hariot’s account contradicts Lane’s and he claims the conspiracy was mostly fabricated by Lane. Regardless, on June 1, 1586 Lane launched a surprise attack and killed High Chief Wingina (Pemisapan). Manteo’s men accompanied the English in the attack, and Lane even deliberately attempted to save his Native American allies.
About a week after the death of Chief Wingina, Sir Francis Drake stopped at Roanoke on his return to England. Drake was previously raiding Spanish interests in the West Indies. After a hurricane hampered Drake’s ability to supply the colony, Lane abandoned the colony. When the English left on June 18, 1586, Manteo accompanied them to England.
Manteo returned to America with the third English expedition led by Governor in 1587. White’s expedition was the second attempt at colonization, and was comprised not only of soldiers but also families. Manteo’s loyalty earned him favor among the English, and Sir Walter Raleigh instructed White to establish Manteo at the head of Wingina’s former domain. The natives in the Roanoke region, remembering Lane’s treatment, were wary of the English and were poised to attack or flee on sight. However, Manteo succeeded in establishing friendly relations with his native tribe, the Croatoans, who later acted as intermediaries to reestablish friendly relations with the other native tribes.
Relations soured again after Wanchese, who took command of Wingina’s forces after the chief’s death, killed one of the English settlers. In response, the English, with the assistance of Manteo, attacked the village of Dasamonquepeuc. However, Wanchese’s men had already fled and the attack instead hit Croatoans foraging for food in the abandoned village. Manteo once again sided with the English and blamed the tragedy on the folly of the Croatoans who did not inform the English of their presence. Manteo eventually smoothed over relations with the Croatoans.
Manteo Becomes Lord of Roanoke
Manteo remained a constant ally to the English. To show their appreciation, on August 13, 1587, Manteo was baptized and named the Lord of Roanoke and “Dasamonqueponke.” He was the first person in America baptized into the Church of England. On August 25, 1587, John White was forced to return to England to request supplies for the colony. White agreed upon a system where, if the settlers moved, they would inform him by carving their new location into a tree.
White’s return was delayed by England’s war with Spain. When he returned in 1590, there was no trace of the colonists except two carvings: “CRO” was carved into a tree and ”CROATOAN” was carved into a post. As a result, White assumed the colonists joined Manteo’s tribe. However, due to storms and unrest among the English sailors, White never made his way to the Croatoan village. The missing colonists are now known as the “Lost Colony.” Although it is likely they went to live with Manteo’s tribe, their fate is unknown.