Pocahontas

                                                                                    Written by Soo Y. Kim

   Matoaka was born in Jamestown, Virginia in 1595. Later her name was called ‘Pocahontas’. She was an American native girl whose father was chief of Algonquin tribe called Powhatan. English colonists came here by three ships to colonize the Americans Indians in Jamestown, Virginia. English settlers arrived from the Virginia Company from England in 1607. One hundred people came to new world. Colonists were hard to settle down on new land. They did not know how to grow crops. Half of the settlers were starved to death including children. American Indians were afraid of white people at first. American Indians gave some food to the settlers and let them know how to grow crops. Gradually they came to know each other little by little and made friendships. Two peoples had their own boundary of territory. No trespass was allowed between them.

   Pocahontas was very friendly, amiable and active. She didn’t confine herself in her room. She was very playful around. One day, an English soldier whose name was John Smith trespassed over the boundary and strolled into the American Indian land. She found that an English man was captured and her people threatened to kill him. All of a sudden, Pocahontas was in sight and dashed to the Englishman to protect him with her body.  She intervened between them not to kill him. She saved his life.

   Eventually Pocahontas and John Smith fell in love with each other. In 1616, Smith wrote a letter to Queen Anne in anticipation of Pocahontas’s visit to England. He explained that Pocahontas saved his life in danger of life in his letter about his encounter with Pocahontas as a heroine worthy of reception. Pocahontas saved a lot of English colonists in hunger with much provision. As the colonists expanded their settlement further, the Powhatan, Pocahontas father, felt their lands were threatened, and conflicts arose again.

   In late 1609, an injury from gunpowder forced John Smith to return to England for medical care. When he was aboard a ship, there was a big storm in the sea and the ship was wrecked. The English told the Powhatans that Smith was dead. She was heartbroken. Much later, she learned that he was living in England when she traveled there as the wife of John Rolfe. In the meantime, Pocahontas’s capture occurred during the First Anglo-Powhatan War. The Native Americans stole a lot of guns, tools and captured a lot of English settlers. The colonists had negotiation with the Native Americans. They came to conclusion that they wanted to trade Pocahontsa with stolen guns, tools and the captives. On the contrary, the Native Americans returned only the guns and tools, but not English captives. The English settlers didn’t return Pocahontas, because they didn’t keep promise to return the English captives. A truce had been called, and the Indians still far outnumbered the English, and the colonists feared retaliation.

   During her captivity in Henricus, Jamestown, she was treated with extraordinary courtesy. She met the minister, Alexander Whittaker in Henricus. She could be converted to Christianity through Whittaker and he helped her to improve her English. Upon her baptism, Pocahontas took the Christian name “Rebecca”. During her stay in Henricus, Pocahontas met John Rolfe whose religion was Christianity. He cultivated a new strain of tabacco there. He wanted to marry Pocahontas. With the governor’s approval, he married Pocahontas in April 15, 1614. Their son, Thomas was born on January 30, 1615. They lived for two years on Rolfe’s plantation. With conversion of Pocahontas and her marriage to an Englishman, the First Anglo-Powhatan War came to an end. The Rolfes traveled to England and journeyed to London by coach. John Smith was living in London at the time while Pocahontas was in England.

   John Smith wrote a letter to Queen Anne, the wife of King James, urging that Pocahontas be treated with respect as a royal visitor. Pocahontas was apparently treated well in London. Finally, Pocahontas told Smith that she and her fellow American natives had thought him dead.

   In Mach 1617, John Rolfe and Pocahontas boarded a ship to return to Virginia. On the way home, near the river Thames, Pocahontas fell seriously ill. She was stricken with Smallpox and died at the approximate age of 21. Her father, Powhatan, died within a year of Pocahontas. After this, the “Peace of Pocahontas” came to an end. Her funeral took place on March 21, 1617. She was buried in Gravesend. Her grave is underneath the church’s chancel. A life-size bronze statue was made in honor of her memory at St. George’s Church.

   I think that English colonists of Mayflower could settle down with help of native American Indians in 1620. Before their settlement, Pocahontas intervened between the English colonists and Native American Indians as peacemaker. She played really an important and significant role in American history.

   I think she is a really remarkable woman who was very courageous with mind of challenge and adventure. She was a peacemaker between two peoples. She is a historic memorable figure in US history.