PocahontasMany of us know the name Pocahontas. Some of us may associate it with certain acts of courage and selflessness. He is a central icon in American national history, thanks to his help in the survival of one of the first colonies, Jamestown. He left no written record, and so his story can be twisted into whatever path suits the author's narrative. What is reality and what is fiction? I will lead the journey to find out, starting first with his biography, then his contributions, and finally his legend. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Pocahontas, or Rebecca Rolfe, was a Native American who helped Virginia settlers survive the arrival in 1600. Her father Powhatan was the chief of the powerful Pamunkeys tribe, which drew its power from its alliance with thirty others local tribes who also resided in the Chesapeake Bay. Pocahontas' name meant "playful" or "mischievous", although it was a nickname: Matoaka was her real name (Townsend, 2004, p. 11). Although many of us know her as an Indian princess, she was not in a political position. sense, and her life was very similar to that of all other Indian girls:. He harvested, cultivated, built houses and helped organize traditional celebrations. However, his life changed when in 1607 hundreds of English explorers arrived and decided to settle near the Chesapeake Bay land, declaring it Jamestown. They encountered the tribes often, sometimes with friendly and other times hostile experiences. Twelve-year-old Pocahontas befriended the colonists (particularly their leader John Smith) by visiting them, offering them gifts, guiding them, and often saving many colonists from starvation and death. When Smith decided to return to England, the colonists found themselves disheveled and many conflicts arose as the Pamunkey tribe felt threatened. Conflict erupted in 1609 with the Anglo-Powhatan War, but the colonists attempted to reach a deal and end the little war by kidnapping Pocahontas. The English war captain thus tricked her into boarding a ship, held her for ransom, and asked her father, Powatan, to free the captive colonists and deliver some supplies (corn and tobacco). Powatan resisted and so the Indian girl remained in the ship. hands of the English for a year. During that time she converted to Christianity and met John Rolfe. After the tension had dissipated somewhat, the two married in 1614, creating the 6-year “Peace of Pocahontas,” in which both settlers and Indians remained on relatively good terms (Townsend pg 115.) In 1616, Pocahontas , Rolfe and a small group of Indians sailed to England to obtain financing and encourage the English to settle the colony of Virginia. Pocahontas was well received by King James and prominent high-class Englishmen. A year after the show ended, the two returned to the colonies, Pocahontas became seriously ill and died on the ship. Following her death, the "Pocahontas Peace" began to falter. Her Grace is located near a church in England, and a statue was created in her honor, destroyed in front of St. George's Church (Townsend page 141.) Pocahontas influenced the relationship between the Indian tribe (Powhatan) and the English one ( Jamestown). ) Settlers bring communication and peace through three main stages. First, the arrival of the English immediately caused tension and threat towards the Indians, causing confusion and anger among the groups. Pocahontas facilitated the relationship and communication between the two, easing friction as much as possible and promoting peace. Wascited as the primary reason settlers survived during their early years of colonial settlement in Jamestown. In 1610 ("The Starving Time") approximately 500 colonists died of starvation and disease, the Native Americans were well adapted to the Virginia environment, and so Pocahontas spread her knowledge to aid the English colonists (GLI-Anonymous). He brought them food, supplies, warned them of possible attacks, and even developed friendships by playing with English children. Many lives were saved from hunger, famine and disease by his visits every four or five days. With his presence and help in the colony, the new society became increasingly secure. Secondly, although Pocahontas de-escalated the conflict, as the Pamunkey tribe felt threatened as settlers seemed to be encroaching on their land and so tensions rose again. Her direct political involvement was limited, but it eventually paved the way for a brief period of peace when in 1614 she was baptized as a Christian and married John Rolfe. Believing that marriage would be beneficial to relations, the governor of Jamestown willingly established some negotiations with Powhatan. Thus began an eight-year “Peace of Pocahontas,” in which conflict between the Jamestown and Chesapeake Bay areas was minimal. Since Pocahontas was the first Indian to marry a white man, the union helped demonstrate that it is possible for them to get along and unify. An example of this beneficial companionship occurred when Pocahontas taught Rofle, an already successful tobacco farmer, how to properly grow tobacco and allow the business to prosper even more. This was the basis for the first cash crop that took over America later in history (Stebbins). The Virginia Company of London, the source of funds for the Jamestown settlement, saw its “help” as evidence of the possibility of good relations among the natives. and the newcomers and thus pushed even more people to sail to America. The unification between natives and settlers had therefore taken an enormous step. Third, by continuing with this success, they thought that, being a Native American who converted to Christianity and married to a white man, Pocahontas could be used to her advantage to bring publicity and attention to the colonies and convince people to join them. When she went to England in 1616, she was introduced to King James and further demonstrated that an Indian woman could be popular among the English nobility. This was the first time an Indian was accepted into the English upper class society and mixed with important people (Rountree). Pocahontas is widely considered a very iconic heroine in American history. Since his death, his life story has been twisted and transformed to fit the plot that needs to be told. He said nothing of his own, making the debate between truth and error a very difficult debate. Her actions and motivations are filled with many myths from anyone who wishes to spread stories about her. In an effort to gain attention and entice the English to come to Virginia, the Virginia Company greatly exaggerated Pocahontas by calling her a politically powerful heroine. Although he helped the colonists in their crisis of survival, he was actually unable to stop the wars or be a true ambassador between the two groups. Her true celebrity really only came in the 1820s, when Virginians sought a colonial heroine to complete their great story in competition with the story of the Massachusetts Pilgrims, they used her heroic traits to enhance their story and establish Virginia as a more glorified colony (Rountree). Since then, countless people in Virginia have claimed to.