Date: 11/19/00
PEOPLE IN AMERICA #1798 - POCAHONTAS
By SHELLEY GOLLUSTVOICE ONE:
PEOPLE IN AMERICA, A PROGRAM IN SPECIAL ENGLISH ON THE VOICE OF
AMERICA.
(THEME)
VOICE ONE (CONT):
SHE LIVED ALMOST FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO IN WHAT BECAME THE
AMERICAN STATE OF VIRGINIA. SHE WAS THE FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN TO
MARRY A WHITE PERSON. I'M Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
AND I'M Ray Freeman. TODAY, WE TELL ABOUT POCAHONTAS, THE
DAUGHTER OF THE CHIEF OF THE POWHATAN [POW A TAN] INDIAN TRIBE.
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
POCAHONTAS WAS BORN IN FIFTEEN-NINETY-FIVE. SHE WAS ONE OF
TWENTY CHILDREN OF CHIEF POWHATAN. POWHATAN RULED A GROUP OF
MORE THAN TWENTY INDIAN TRIBES IN TERRITORY THAT IS NOW THE
EASTERN STATE OF VIRGINIA.
IN SIXTEEN-OH-SEVEN, THE VIRGINIA COMPANY IN ENGLAND SENT
COLONISTS TO SETTLE THE LAND THAT LATER BECAME THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA. THE LEADER OF THE ENGLISH SETTLERS WAS JOHN
RATCLIFFE. HE CLAIMED THE LAND FOR KING JAMES OF ENGLAND. HE
NAMED THE NEW COLONY JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA. THE ENGLISH COLONISTS
DID NOT KNOW THAT THE AREA ALREADY WAS SETTLED BY INDIANS.
VOICE TWO:
THE POWHATAN INDIANS LIVED IN THE AREA WHERE THE ENGLISH
COLONISTS LANDED. THEY WERE PART OF A LARGE GROUP OF AMERICAN
TRIBES WHO SPOKE THE ALGONQUIAN LANGUAGE. THE POWHATANS HAD LIVED
IN THE AREA FOR ALMOST ONE-THOUSAND YEARS. THEY BUILT VILLAGES.
THEY GREW BEANS, CORN, SQUASH AND MELONS. THEY CREATED A STRONG
POLITICAL SYSTEM, LED BY POWERFUL CHIEFS LIKE POWHATAN. HIS
POWER AND WEALTH WERE EVIDENT.
WOMEN OF THE TRIBES CONTROLLED THE HOUSES AND THE FIELDS. THEY
MADE CLOTHING OF ANIMAL SKINS AND CONTAINERS OF CLAY. MEN HUNTED
AND FISHED FOR FOOD. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN WORE EARRINGS AND OTHER
OBJECTS MADE OF SHELLS, PEARLS AND COPPER.
THE YOUNG POCAHONTAS OFTEN VISITED JAMESTOWN DURING THE COLONY'S
FIRST MONTHS. SHE WAS ABOUT TWELVE YEARS OLD. THE COLONISTS
KNEW HER WELL. SHE BECAME AN IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN THE
COLONISTS AND HER FATHER, POWHATAN.
VOICE ONE:
THE INDIANS' CULTURE WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE ENGLISH
SETTLERS. THE TWO GROUPS DID NOT UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. THE
MIS-UNDERSTANDINGS LED TO HOSTILE INCIDENTS BETWEEN THE COLONISTS
AND THE INDIANS.
JOHN SMITH WAS AN EXPLORER, SOLDIER AND A LEADER OF THE JAMESTOWN
COLONY. HE WAS CAPTURED IN SIXTEEN-OH-SEVEN BY FOLLOWERS OF
POWHATAN. CAPTAIN SMITH WROTE ABOUT THIS INCIDENT IN A BOOK THAT
WAS PUBLISHED IN SIXTEEN-TWENTY-FOUR. HE WROTE THAT POCAHONTAS
SAVED HIM FROM BEING EXECUTED BY POWHATAN. THIS STORY HAS BEEN
REPEATED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THIS IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE KNOW
ABOUT POCAHONTAS.
VOICE TWO:
MOST HISTORIANS, HOWEVER, DO NOT BELIEVE THAT POCAHONTAS SAVED
THE LIFE OF JOHN SMITH. SOME BELIEVE THAT CAPTAIN SMITH INVENTED
THE STORY AFTER READING ABOUT A SIMILAR EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE IN
FLORIDA. THAT EVENT INVOLVED A CAPTURED SPANISH EXPLORER, AN
INDIAN CHIEF AND THE CHIEF'S DAUGHTER.
SOME HISTORIANS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT JOHN SMITH'S LIFE WAS IN
DANGER. THEY SAY THAT WHAT CAPTAIN SMITH THOUGHT WAS TO BE HIS
EXECUTION WAS REALLY AN INDIAN CEREMONY. THE CEREMONY WAS MEANT
TO SHOW THAT POWHATAN ACCEPTED SMITH AS PART OF HIS TRIBE.
HISTORIANS SAY THE INDIAN CHIEF WANTED TO MAKE THE ENGLISH
COLONISTS HIS ALLIES.
VOICE ONE:
AFTER CAPTAIN SMITH'S CAPTURE, THE INDIANS AND THE COLONISTS
AGREED TO A TRUCE. POCAHONTAS VISITED JAMESTOWN MORE OFTEN. SHE
MAY NOT HAVE REALLY SAVED JOHN SMITH'S LIFE. BUT MOST EXPERTS
AGREE THAT POCAHONTAS HELPED THE COLONISTS. SHE BROUGHT THEM
CORN WHEN THEY WERE STARVING. SHE ONCE WAS SAID TO HAVE WARNED
THE COLONISTS ABOUT A SURPRISE ATTACK BY THE INDIANS.
JOHN SMITH HAD BEEN WOUNDED DURING HIS CAPTURE. HE RETURNED TO
ENGLAND. HOSTILITIES ONCE AGAIN BROKE OUT BETWEEN THE INDIANS
AND THE ENGLISH SETTLERS. IN SIXTEEN-ELEVEN, THOMAS DALE BECAME
ACTING GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY. HE STARTED A NEW AGGRESSIVE
POLICY TOWARD THE INDIANS. TWO YEARS LATER, AN ENGLISH SOLDIER,
SAMUEL ARGALL, KIDNAPPED POCAHONTAS. SHE WAS ABOUT EIGHTEEN
YEARS OLD. THE COLONISTS KIDNAPPED HER BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO
PREVENT MORE ATTACKS BY THE INDIANS. THEY ALSO WANTED TO FORCE
CHIEF POWHATAN TO NEGOTIATE A PEACE AGREEMENT.
VOICE TWO:
POCAHONTAS LIVED AS A HOSTAGE IN THE JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT FOR
MORE THAN A YEAR. A COLONIST, JOHN ROLFE, TAUGHT HER ENGLISH.
HE ALSO TAUGHT HER THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. POCAHONTAS WAS THE
FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN TO BECOME CHRISTIAN. SHE CHANGED HER NAME
TO REBECCA.
IN SIXTEEN-FOURTEEN, SHE MARRIED JOHN ROLFE IN THE CHURCH IN
JAMESTOWN. SHE WAS THE FIRST INDIAN WOMAN TO MARRY A WHITE MAN.
HER HUSBAND BELIEVED THAT THEIR MARRIAGE WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE
COLONY. JOHN ROLFE SAID HE MARRIED POCAHONTAS "FOR THE HONOR OF
OUR COUNTRY, FOR THE GLORY OF GOD."
VOICE ONE:
GOVERNOR DALE IMMEDIATELY OPENED NEGOTIATIONS WITH POWHATAN.
THE RESULT WAS A PERIOD OF PEACE THAT LASTED FOR ABOUT EIGHT
YEARS.
POCAHONTAS' HUSBAND WAS A TOBACCO GROWER. SHE TAUGHT HIM THE
INDIAN WAY OF PLANTING TOBACCO. THIS METHOD IMPROVED THE TOBACCO
CROP. TOBACCO LATER BECAME AMERICA'S FIRST SUCCESSFUL CROP.
VOICE TWO:
IN SIXTEEN-FIFTEEN, POCAHONTAS AND JOHN ROLFE HAD A SON. THEY
NAMED HIM THOMAS. THE NEXT YEAR POCAHONTAS AND HER FAMILY SAILED
TO ENGLAND FOR A VISIT. IN LONDON, SHE WAS TREATED LIKE A FAMOUS
PERSON. SHE WAS OFFICIALLY PRESENTED TO KING JAMES THE FIRST.
SHE ALSO MET JOHN SMITH AGAIN.
THE VIRGINIA COMPANY SAID HER VISIT PROVED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE
TO HAVE GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN THE ENGLISH COLONISTS AND THE
INDIANS. THE COMPANY URGED MORE PEOPLE TO MOVE FROM ENGLAND TO
THE VIRGINIA COLONY.
POCAHONTAS HAD HER PICTURE PAINTED WHILE VISITING ENGLAND. SHE
IS WEARING THE CLOTHES SHE WORE WHEN SHE MET THE KING. THEY ARE
THE KIND OF CLOTHES THAT WERE POPULAR IN ENGLAND IN THE
SIXTEEN-HUNDREDS. THIS PICTURE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY IS OF
HER. THE PAINTING IS IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN
WASHINGTON, D. C.
VOICE ONE:
POCAHONTAS AND HER FAMILY STAYED IN ENGLAND FOR SEVEN MONTHS.
THEY PREPARED TO RETURN TO JAMESTOWN. BUT POCAHONTAS BECAME SICK
WITH SMALLPOX. SHE DIED FROM THE DISEASE. SHE WAS BURIED IN
GRAVESEND, ENGLAND. SHE WAS TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD.
HER SON, THOMAS ROLFE, WAS RAISED IN ENGLAND. WHEN HE WAS
TWENTY, HE RETURNED TO VIRGINIA. HE LIVED AS A SETTLER IN HIS
MOTHER'S NATIVE LAND. HE MARRIED AND HAD A DAUGHTER. THROUGH
THOMAS ROLFE, A NUMBER OF FAMOUS VIRGINIANS HAVE FAMILY TIES TO
POCAHONTAS. THESE FAMILIES ARE PROUD TO CLAIM THEIR TIES TO
POCAHONTAS. THEY CALL HER "VIRGINIA'S FIRST LADY."
VOICE TWO:
POCAHONTAS LEFT NO WRITINGS OF HER OWN. THE ONLY REPORTS ABOUT
HER FROM THE TIME WERE WRITTEN BY JOHN SMITH. HIS REPORTS MAY
NOT ALL HAVE BEEN TRUE. YET THE STORY OF HER RESCUE OF CAPTAIN
SMITH BECAME A POPULAR FOLK STORY.
AMERICANS KNOW THAT POCAHONTAS PLAYED A PART IN THE EARLY HISTORY
OF VIRGINIA. THEY REMEMBER HER BRAVERY AND FRIENDSHIP.
AMERICANS ALSO REMEMBER HER FOR WHAT SHE REPRESENTED AS A NATIVE
AMERICAN: THE HOPE OF CLOSE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE WHITE PEOPLE
AND THE INDIANS.
VOICE ONE:
POCAHONTAS IS HONORED IN THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL BUILDING IN
WASHINGTON, D. C. THERE ARE THREE ART WORKS OF HER IN THE LARGE,
ROUND, MAIN HALL OF THE CAPITOL. THERE ARE MORE REPRESENTATIONS
OF HER THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN EXCEPT FOR THE NATION'S FIRST
PRESIDENT, GEORGE WASHINGTON. THE THREE ART WORKS SHOW THE
POPULAR STORIES ABOUT POCAHONTAS. ONE IS A PAINTING OF
POCAHONTAS TAKING PART IN A RELIGIOUS CEREMONY IN WHICH SHE
BECAME A CHRISTIAN. TWO OTHERS SHOW HER SAVING THE LIFE OF
CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.
VOICE TWO:
MANY DIFFERENT AMERICAN GROUPS HAVE USED THE NAME AND SOME
VERSION OF A PICTURE OF POCAHONTAS. WHALE HUNTERS IN THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY NAMED SHIPS AFTER POCAHONTAS IN HONOR OF HER
BRAVERY. THEY ALSO PUT SMALL STATUES OF HER ON THEIR SHIPS.
BOTH THE CONFEDERATE FORCES IN THE SOUTH AND THE UNION FORCES IN
THE NORTH USED HER NAME OR PICTURE DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.
A PICTURE OF POCAHONTAS WAS ON THE FLAG OF A DIVISION OF
CONFEDERATE FORCES CALLED THE GUARD OF THE DAUGHTERS OF POWHATAN.
UNION FORCES NAMED A WARSHIP AFTER THE INDIAN WOMAN.
MANY AMERICAN WRITERS HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT POCAHONTAS.
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY PRODUCED A POPULAR CHILDREN'S
MOVIE ABOUT HER.
VOICE ONE:
TODAY, VISITORS TO THE JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT IN VIRGINIA CAN SEE
WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE THERE IN THE SIXTEEN-HUNDREDS.
THEY CAN SEE COPIES OF THE SHIPS THAT BROUGHT THE ENGLISH
SETTLERS. AND THEY CAN SEE STATUES OF THREE OF THE PEOPLE
IMPORTANT IN EARLY AMERICA: JOHN SMITH, CHIEF POWHATAN, AND HIS
DAUGHTER -- POCAHONTAS.
(THEME)
VOICE TWO:
THIS SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY SHELLEY GOLLUST. IT
WAS PRODUCED BY LAWAN DAVIS. I'M Ray Freeman.
VOICE ONE:
AND I'M Shirley Griffith. LISTEN AGAIN NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER PEOPLE
IN AMERICA PROGRAM ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA.
Source: www.voa.gov/special/