By the time settlers came to the South Pond area almost 150 years had passed since the arrivals of 1620 and it would seem that few Indians were in the general area by 1770. Those who were had by necessity been strongly oriented to the white culture. Their habitations near the woods enabled them to be near lands for hunting and the growing of corn, squash and other crops. Fish and shellfish along the coast were a traditionally substantial part of their diet and probably could be obtained without great harassment well into the eighteenth century. In the early 1600’s it was customary for the Indians to spend the winters in communal long houses back away from the coast for better protection from the weather. Spring, summer and fall were spent near the ocean for the gathering of fish and shellfish and the planting of crops. Meat and fish were preserved by smoking and drying. Corn, groundnuts, acorns and nuts could be preserved and cooked and provide starch and protein for their diet. They had no animals domesticated except dogs. The men did the hunting and the women tended the crops. One of the big chores was to scare away the birds until the seedlings were self-sustaining, requiring a constant all-day vigil in which the children helped. Plymouth had been occupied by the Patuxet, or more accurately, the Wampanoags, one of the tribes designated as Algonquins, according to Squanto the only native to survive. He had been brought to England in 1619 by a coastal vessel, and had come back with a knowledge of English and was a faithful and helpful friend to the settlers in their relations with the Indians. The proprietors, whose function we see in connection with the division of the ten great lots, had jurisdiction over the deeds of land bought from Indians. In 1643 the General Court required that all purchases of Indian lands have its approval. In 1660 it further required that it was prohibited to receive any lands under the pretence of a gift from the Indians without the approval of the Court. Until by conquest in King Philips War in the 1670’s, all Indian lands were secured to them by purchase or treaty. Major conflicts until then were avoided in comparison with other New England settlements. The Indian population in Southern New England before 1620 has been estimated at 20,000, and the Indian population was .22 Indians per square mile. The Indians had a valuable cultural trait in that they emphasized hospitality and considered giving to be as important as receiving, if not more so. By 1800 the town voted that the sale of Indian lands that were held by the town should have the proceeds of their sale applied to the support of the schools, but the records are silent concerning the amount realized from the sales, according to Wm. T. Davis.