PocahontasMany of us know the name Pocahontas. Some of us may associate it with certain acts of bravery and selflessness. She is a central icon in American national history, as she contributed to the survival of one of the earliest colonies, Jamestown. She left no written record and so her story must be distorted in the way that fits the author's account. What is reality and what is fiction? I will lead the journey to discover him, starting with his biography, then his contributions and finally his legend. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Pocahontas, or Rebecca Rolfe, was a Native American who helped Virginian settlers survive their arrival in the 1600s. Her father Powhatan was the leader of the powerful Pamunkey tribe, which derived its power from their alliance along with thirty other local tribes that 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 into political politics. meaning, and her life was very much like that of all other Indian girls:. She gathered food, farmed, built houses and helped organize traditional celebrations. However, his life changed when in 1607, hundreds of English explorers came and decided to settle near the lands of the Chesapeake Bay, declaring it as Jamestown. They encountered the tribes often, sometimes with friendly and sometimes hostile experiences. Twelve-year-old Pocahontas befriended the settlers (especially their leader John Smith) by visiting them, giving them gifts, guiding them, and often saving many settlers from hunger and poverty. dead. When Smith decided to return to England, the settlers found themselves disheveled and many conflicts broke out when the Pamunkey tribe felt threatened. Conflict broke out in 1609 with the Anglo-Powhatan War, but the colonists attempted to reach a negotiation and end the little war by kidnapping Pocahontas. So the English war captain tricked her into boarding a ship, held her for ransom, and asked her father, Powatan, to release the captive colonists and give up some supplies ( corn and tobacco). Powatan resisted and so the young Indian woman remained in the ship. hands of the English for a year. During this period, she converted to Christianity and met John Rolfe. After the tension had eased slightly, the two married in 1614, creating the 6-year "Peace of Pocahontas", where the settlers and Indians remained on relatively good terms (Townsend p. 115.) In 1616, Pocahontas, Rolfe and a small group of Indians sailed to England to obtain funds and encourage the British to settle the colony of Virginia. Pocahontas was well received by King James and important high-class Englishmen. A year after the show ended, the two men returned to the colonies. Pocahontas became very ill and died on the ship. Following her death, the "Peace of Pocahontas" began to crumble. Her grace stands near a church in England, and a statue was made in her honor, demolished in front of St. George's Church (Townsend p. 141.) Pocahontas had an impact on relations between the Indian tribe ( Powhatan) and the English (Jamestown). ) The settlers to bring communication and peace through three main stages. First, the arrival of the English causesimmediately tensions and threats with the Indians, leading to confusion and anger between the groups. Pocahontas facilitated the relationship and communication between the two, easing friction as much as she could and promoting peace. She has been cited as one of the main reasons the settlers survived during their early years of colonial settlement in Jamestown. In the 1610s (“The Starving Time”), approximately 500 settlers died of starvation and disease. The Native Americans were well adapted to the Virginian environment and so Pocahontas spread her knowledge to help the English settlers (GLI-Anonymous.) She brought them food, supplies, warned them of possible attacks, and even developed a friendship while playing with English children. Many lives were saved from hunger, starvation and disease due to his visits every four to five days. Thanks to his presence and help in the colony, the new society became increasingly secure. Second, although Pocahontas eased the conflict, the Pamunkey tribe felt threatened by the settlers appearing to infiltrate their land, causing the tension to rise again. Her direct political involvement was limited, but she eventually paved the way for a short period of peace when in 1614 she was baptized a Christian and married John Rolfe. Believing that marriage would benefit relations, the governor of Jamestown willingly settled some negotiations with Powhatan. Thus began an eight-year "Peace of Pocahontas," during which there was minimal conflict between the Jamestown and Chesapeake Bay regions. Since Pocahontas was the first Indian to marry a white man, the union helped show that it was possible for them to get along and unite. An example of beneficial camaraderie was when Pocahontas taught Rofle, an already successful tobacco farmer, how to properly cultivate tobacco and allow the business to prosper even more. This was the basis of the first commercial crop that invaded America later in history (Stebbins.) The Virginia Company of London, the fountain of funds for the Jamestown colony, considered its "help" as proof of the possibility of good relations between the natives. and newcomers and therefore urged even more people to cross America by boat. The unification between natives and settlers had thus taken a big step forward. Third, continuing this success, they believed that as a Native American who converted to Christianity and married a white man, Pocahontas could be used to their advantage to bring publicity and attention to the colonies and entice people to join them. When she traveled to England in 1616, she was introduced to King James and further proved that an Indian woman could be popular with the English nobility. This was the first time an Indian was accepted into high-class English society and mingled 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 storyline that needs to be told. She said nothing, which makes the debate between truth and error a very difficult one. His actions and motivations are filled with many myths from anyone willing to spread stories about him. In attempting to attract attention and lure the British to come to Virginia, the Virginia Company greatly exaggerated Pocahontas by portraying her as a politically powerful heroine. Although she helped the colonists in their survival crisis, she was actually unable to stop the wars or be a true ambassador between the two groups..