In the case of the early French, Algonquin and Huron languages the groups would arrange exchange young men who would overwinter in the each others villages (or in some cases return to France with the ships). This was a common practice in peace making and treaty relationships in the Eastern Woodlands and was seen a commitment to an ongoing relationship of trade and goodwill. The most famous of these people is Etienne Brule who was the first french person to live in Huron villages. Brule was exchanged for Savignon who went back to France with Champlain.
There's also the interesting case of Mathieu da Costa. Da Costa was at least of partial African ancestry and there's some speculation that his experience with creoles, pigins and trade languages in Africa may have been a transferable talent in developing trade languages and interpretation with the unknown Algonquin and Iroquoian languages. The theory is that pidgins and trade languages in multilingual African ports gave him common grammatical shorthands and tricks that could be adapted to this new context.
Sources: Johnston, A. J. B. (2012). "Mathieu Da Costa and Early Canada: Possibilities and Probabilities*". Northern Blue Publishing. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
Trigger, Bruce G. The Children of Aataentsic: A History of the Huron People to 1660. Kingston and Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. 1987.