When we were kids, children’s movies were the best. Toy Story, Beauty and The Beast, Emperors New Groove and yes, even Pocahontas. The beautiful story of a young, beautiful Indian women falling in love with the great Captain John Smith who came to America looking for a fresh, new life. Of course, Pocahontas’s father, Chief Powhatan does not approve of the two’s love and wants his daughter to marry one of the tribes mighty warriors. One thing leads to another and the colonists and the tribe are at war and right as Pocahontas’s father was going to kill John Smith, Pocahontas steps in and tries to convince the two groups to stop fighting and both groups gracefully agree and happily ever after. It was a beautiful movie right?
Wrong.
The Disney movie Pocahontas is a prime example of how from a VERY young age, society directs us away from the truth of what happened to the Native Americans. The real Story of Pocahontas is far from a happy musical love story with a happy ending, like all other Native American stories, is a tragedy.
The true story of Pocahontas: (Brief Summary; More Info Available In Link)
- John Smith came to the Powhatan when Pocahontas was about 9 or 10, the two were never involved with one another.
- Pocahontas never saved the life of John Smith.
- Pocahontas never defied her father to bring food to John Smith or Jamestown.
- Pocahontas did not sneak into Jamestown to warn John Smith about a death plot.
- As colonists terrorized Native People, Pocahontas married to a man in her tribe and became pregnant with her first child.
- Pocahontas was kidnapped by Captain Samuel Argall, her husband was murdered and she was forced to give up her first child in hopes to give the colonists an upper hand on the Native Americans and to prevent the tribe from attacking.
- Pocahontas was raped while in captivity and became pregnant with her second child.
- John Rolfe married Pocahontas to create a Native alliance in tobacco production. She also converted to Christianity and changed her name to Rebecca.
- Pocahontas was brought to England to raise money and was then likely murdered.
Obviously there are some differences from what we are taught. The story of Pocahontas is just one story of how poorly Native Americans were treated, there are countless more. All of this information and more in depth information can be found on:
