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Pocahontas was not yet a teenager when she represented her people in negotiations with Englishmen
Pocahontas was born around 1595; her father was Chief Powhatan, and the tribe was named for him. She has become one of the most famous Native Americans – with most of her achievement when she was a teenager. Her given name was Mataoka, and Pocahontas was a nickname that meant "playful one." Pocahontas lived in the Tidewater region of what later became Virginia, far down on the peninsula that separates the James and York rivers. In May 1607, when Pocahontas was 12, English colonists landed in that area and founded Jamestown, which was 12 miles from where Pocahontas lived. She befriended Captain John Smith when Powhattans captured Smith and famously protested his execution; her father obliged, saving John’s life. This was not unusual; women in many tribes had significant authority in deciding the fate of prisoners of war. The custom, however, was so different from Europe that most newcomers never understood that good relationships with native women literally could save their lives. Pocahontas is likely the reason that other settlers survived, as she brought them food, supplies, and warned them of possible ambushes. She also would talk regularly with John Smith. She learned enough English in just one year that, in 1608, Pocahontas served as her father's representative in negotiations with John Smith concerning the release of Native Americans captured by the English. John Smith is quoted as saying that Pocahontas saved "this colonie from death, famine and utter confusion". In 1608 – when the first Englishwomen came to Jamestown—John Smith suffered a severe injury, as well as challenges to his leadership. He returned to England in 1609 and would not return to North America until 1614. That the colony missed his sometimes-severe leadership can be seen in that the winter of 1610 was called “the starving tyme.” Approximately 450 of 500 settlers died of starvation and related disease. Pocahontas and other Native Americans understood the rhythms of life in Virginia, and they did not starve. The English also began adjusting within a few years, and with the presence of more women, the colony became more secure. Meanwhile, Pocahontas married a man named Kocoum and moved north to the area that became Henrico County, near modern Richmond. Kocoum may have died – or, because divorce was a largely personal matter in most tribes she, may have simply left him for Englishman John Rolfe. In an English ceremony on April 5, 1614, John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married. He had asked permission of both Powhatan and Henrico’s leader, Sir Thomas Dale, and a new feeling of peace between the English and Native Americans resulted. She combined the two cultures by adopting English dress, being baptized, and changing her name to Rebecca Rolfe. After two years of marriage, Pocahontas, John Rolfe, and their child, Thomas, voyaged to England. Sir Thomas Dale planned the trip seeking further financial support for the colony from England. He specifically wanted Pocahontas to make the voyage because he knew that the “Indian Princess” would be good publicity. She reunited with Captain John Smith, and he sent a letter of introduction to the queen; in it, he praised the “relief brought to us [Jamestown] by this Lady Pocahontas.” They spent months visiting Rolfe’s family in Norfolk and then rented a house near Kew Gardens. She had her portrait painted, attended balls, and was received at the court of King James I and his wife, Queen Anne of Denmark. Pocahontas’ tour was a clear diplomatic success – but unfortunately, she did not live to implement this precedent for international cooperation. The three were already onboard ship and headed down the Thames to the ocean, when it was apparent that Pocahontas was too ill with either pneumonia or tuberculosis to survive the voyage. She died on March 21, 1617, at age 22, and is buried at St. George’s Church in the parish of Gravesend. 1
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