The Virginian Princess - The True Story of Pocahontas in London
By Mohammed Ali
You all might have seen the Disney film “Pocahontas” but in real life, she was not a young adult, she was actually a young teen. And this is her true story.
The first British settlement in America was in Virginia, in a town called Jamestown in 1607. This was also the home of the Powhatan tribe. They lived in peace because there was a confederacy between all the tribes in the area. They spoke an eastern-Algonquian language. During the time that the treaty was in place, there were no arguments or wars and nobody tried to break the treaty.
"Powhatan" was also the original name of the town that Wahunsunacock (the Chief Powhatan) came from, as well as the name of the river where it sat (today called the James River). "Powhatan" is a Virginia Algonquian word meaning "at the waterfalls." The settlement of Powhatan was at the falls of the James River.
Pocahontas was an Indian princess, the daughter of Powhatan, the powerful chief of the Algonquian Indians. She was born around 1595 to one of Powhatan's many wives. They named her Matoaka, though she is better known as Pocahontas.
Pocahontas first met the English in 1608, when she famously saved John Smith’s life. This is the story told in the Disney film. But after Smith returned to England, Pocahontas was kidnapped by the English because they wanted food that the Indians owned, but couldn’t spare. So she was used to bargain.
During 1613, Pocahontas fell in love with a man named John Rolfe, an English man, or so the story goes. Pocahontas was then baptised and changed her name to Rebecca Rolfe. This made her the first Indian to become a Christian.
The only witness of her marriage from the tribe of Pocahontas, or Rebecca, was her uncle Opachisco. When they got married, they lived on a small plantation that Rolfe owned called Varina house. John Rolfe was the first gentlemen to plant tobacco in Virginia and was well respected among the colonist. During sometime in December 1614 or January 1615, nobody knows the exact time, Pocahontas and Rolfe had a son called Thomas.
In 1614, she and Rolfe went to England. And a man called Uttamatomakkin, AKA Tomocomo, was sent by the Powhatan leader to accompany Pocahontas and to count the number of people in England, just to see if they could launch an attack on them! It was said that he gave up his search almost as soon as he landed. When he got back to the tribe, Tomocomo said to the leader that if they wanted to find out the number of people in England, he would have to “count the stars in the sky, the leaves on the trees and the sand upon the seashore.”
Meanwhile, in London, Pocahontas lived a life of sensation everywhere she went. She was famous for converting to Christianity. During this period, Pocahontas’ status had become increasingly dramatic. Even the Bishop of London had something to do with her. He hosted a lavish entertainment in her honor at Lambeth Palace. After this, she met the king and queen and was crowned for her incredible celebrity status.
Although the common flu was a minor obstacle in modern people’s health, during that moment in history, the flu was a terrible problem for the Virginian Indians health since they were used to clean, outdoor environments. There were a lot of Indians dying at this time from things like the common cold.
During the new year of 1617, Pocahontas’s health was getting bad so the party retired to the country; Brentford, Middlesex, where they were guests of Sir George Percy. Pocahontas’ illness included respiratory problems and it is now believed she had tuberculosis (TB). Doctor Gold Stone attended to Pocahontas, but Tomocomo wanted to treat her himself through tradition and rituals.
However, Pocahontas fell gravely ill aboard ship in preparation for the return trip back home to Virginia and sadly died on 21 March 1616. She was buried in Gravesend, Kent.
Young Thomas stayed in England and lived with his uncle Henry Rolfe in London, whilst his father and his Native American Aunt and Uncle (Matachanna & Tomocomo) returned to Virginia. The descendants of Pocahontas, therefore, come from her only son; Thomas Rolfe.
The story of Pocahontas tells us that during the time she lived, there was a possibility that the Virginian Indians could have had a good relationship with the English, but when Pocahontas died, this all stopped and the treaty between them ended. Within 50 years, 90% of the Virginian Indians were annihilated. This brings sorrow to my heart, seeing as there could have been such a good relation between the two peoples.
So next time you watch the Disney film, remember the reality behind the story of Pocahontas.