Journey to England.

Manteo traveled voluntarily to England in 1584 with the initial ships sent to North Carolina by Sir Walter Raleigh. He learned English rapidly while living in London. He accompanied the first settlement attempt by the English on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 1585 as an interpreter and guide. In June 1586, however, he returned to England where he worked closely with Thomas Harriot and John White to complete a vocabulary of the Algonquian language. Both groups of men learned much about the other's culture. Knowledge of the English language and ways enabled Manteo to take a dominant position among his people when he returned for good in 1587.

Return to the Outer Banks.

Manteo's mother ruled a small chiefdom in the area of present-day Cape Hatteras. When he returned to Roanoke Island once again with John White in 1587, he built upon his noble...