to officially make someone a member of a specified Christian church through the ceremony of baptismĮxaggerate - v. a union between people, groups, countries, etc.īaptize - v. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. Caty Weaver was the editor.ĭoes your country have history stories that might not be true? We want to hear from you. She was the first Native American to be baptized into the Christian faith. Phil Dierking adapted the story for VOA Learning. Pocahontas married John Rolfe, a shrewd Jamestown businessman. This story was originally written by Cecily Hilleary for VOANews. Non-Native researchers also suspect the truth of this story, taking note that even in his own time, people saw Smith as a liar who had an inflated sense of his own importance. They say such behavior would not have been consistent with Virginia Native culture or custom.

Today, the Mattaponi say it could not have happened. But, he wrote, Pocahontas threw herself down on top of the prisoner, which saved his life. Smith said they were ready to kill him with a club. Smith claimed that he had been taken prisoner by a group of fighters, who brought him before Chief Wahunsenaca. Illustration from an 1868 history book, depicting Pocahontas pleading with her father for the life of Captain John Smith, an event historians say never happened. In his writings, Rolfe said that he loved Pocahontas but also recognized that a marriage alliance between Britain and Virginia tribes would be helpful. The details of their relationship are not clear. During that visit Pocahontas told her sister that she had been raped.ĭuring her time at Jamestown, a British farmer named John Rolfe took an interest in her. The Mattaponi say at one point the English settlers permitted her sister to visit her. At some point during her imprisonment, Pocahontas was declared a Christian and her British captors gave her a new name: Rebecca. They kept her for a year at the settlement of Jamestown. In 1613, the English took Pocahontas and imprisoned her because they thought it would help influence negotiations with her father. The book also says that the English murdered the older Kocoum. They had a child called Little Kocoum, who was raised among the Mattaponi. It says Matoakoa married a young Potowomac fighter named Kocoum when she was about 14.

Linwood’s book, The True Story of Pocahontas, the Other Side of History reports about Mattaponi oral history. Linwood “Little Bear” Custalow was a member of the Mattaponi tribe, an ally of Wahunsenaca’s. Little is known of Pocahontas’ childhood. Tradition has said that her father also called her “Pocahontas.” This has several possible meanings, including “ wanton” to “ mischievous.” The name suggests she had a lively personality. Courtesy John Carter Brown University, Brown University. Pocahontas, from a 1616 engraving believed to be the work of Simon van de Passe.

The real pocahontas