Final answer:
The hostility between Native Americans and the Pilgrims was due to misunderstandings, cultural differences, competition for resources, diseases to which the Natives had no immunity, and conflicts over land known to Europeans advanced weaponry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hostility between Native Americans and the Pilgrims stemmed from a confluence of factors. Misunderstandings and cultural differences, such as the differing concepts of land ownership, severely impacted relations; Native Americans saw the land as communal property, while the Europeans viewed it as something to be owned and demarcated with fences. Furthermore, competition for resources, European diseases like smallpox which decimated Native populations due to a lack of immunity, and conflicts over land and power dynamics also fueled hostilities. Added to this were the introduction of advanced weaponry which the Europeans used to gain superiority, and the cultural imposition attempted by settlers, like the attempts made by the Spanish to convert the Pueblos to Catholicism.
In some cases, such as the alliance of the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes with Puritans against the Pequot tribe during the Pequot War, political dynamics and strategic interests took precedence over tribal unity. These alliances were complex and often based on the tribes' own interests in gaining advantage or protection against rival groups. Historical accounts, such as William Bradford's narrative about the Pilgrims' early struggles and Edward Winslow's acknowledgment of the trustworthiness of Native Americans like Squanto, highlight the nuanced and varied nature of early encounters and relationships between Native Americans and European settlers.