Pocahontas
For more than two centuries since the death of the Indian princess , legends and stories of romance have been imbedded into our minds, but her dramatic life was more important to the creation of a segment of American history than legend.
Around the year of 1595, was born to chief Powhatan, the powerful chief of a federation of Algonquian Indian tribes who lived in the tidewater region of Virginia. She was but one of the many children of Powhatan, who ruled more than 25 tribes.
Her real name was Matoaka, a name used only within the tribe. Her tribe, the Powhatans, believed that harm would come to them if outsiders learned of their tribal name. Therefore, she went by , a nickname given ...
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of public disembowelment of thieves and the burning of women accused of being witches.
In May of 1607, English colonists arrived on the Virginia shoreline with hopes of great riches. They established a settlement that they named Jamestown. Little watched as these strangers built forts and searched for food. She eventually became quite familiar with them and brought the near starving settlement food from time to time.
In December of 1607, Captain John Smith led an expedition and was taken captive by the Indians. He was taken to Werowocomoco, 12 miles from Jamestown and the official residence of chief Powhatan. He was treated kindly and a great feast was prepared in his honor, which he would later record in his report, A True Relation, published in 1608. Smith was injured in a gunpowder accident in 1609 and returned to England. Later in 1612, Smith would publish his Map of Virginia along with a detailed account of his friendly encounter with the Indians titled The ...
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married to an Indian named Kocoum and therefore, could not marry again. Also, she would only have been 17 at the time and would not have had any interest in the 28 year-old Rolfe.
The union of Rolfe and Pocahontas did have some benefits, however. It brought peace between the natives and settlers that would last for eight years. A general peace and spirit of goodwill between the two groups resulted from this marriage.
Shortly after Rolfe and Pocahontas married, they had a son whom they named Thomas. He was the only child born to them and would later become an important member of the Jamestown society.
Sir Thomas Dale, the leader of a new settlement in Virginia, made an important ...
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Pocahontas. (2006, September 26). Retrieved April 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pocahontas/53019
"Pocahontas." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 26 Sep. 2006. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pocahontas/53019>
"Pocahontas." Essayworld.com. September 26, 2006. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pocahontas/53019.
"Pocahontas." Essayworld.com. September 26, 2006. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Pocahontas/53019.
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