Person Information
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Matoaka
Birth: unknown
Death: unknown
Nickname: Pocahontas
RelationshipsParents, Powhatan
Biography
"Reputedly the favorite daughter of the Algonquin chief Powhatan, Pocahontas contributed significantly to the early survival of the Jamestown colony and played a brief but dramatic role in English imperial propaganda. Her untimely death in 1617 cut short her successful mediation between the Powhatan Indians and the colony. Both before her intercession and long after her death, Jamestown–the first permanent English outpost in North America–was precarious, largely because of Indian hostility to the colony and its expansion.
Pocahontas’s contributions to Jamestown date from her early acquaintance with Capt. John Smith after his capture by Powhatan’s men in 1607. Her legendary rescue of the English captain on the verge of his execution was probably part of a traditional Indian adoption ceremony (misinterpreted or misunderstood by Smith), though it is possible that without her intercession he would have been killed. In any event, relations between Powhatan and the fledgling colony improved, and Pocahontas, then about twelve years old, became a frequent visitor at Jamestown and an important supplier of food for the colonists. She also became an informer for the colony, warning Smith of her father’s belligerent plans."
Letter References
Letter from Anna Wharton Seward to Frances Miller Seward, May 13-19, 1862
Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., January 25, 1846
Citations
Biography and Citation Information:
Biography: "Reputedly the favorite daughter of the Algonquin chief Powhatan, Pocahontas contributed significantly to the early survival of the Jamestown colony and played a brief but dramatic role in English imperial propaganda. Her untimely death in 1617 cut short her successful mediation between the Powhatan Indians and the colony. Both before her intercession and long after her death, Jamestown–the first permanent English outpost in North America–was precarious, largely because of Indian hostility to the colony and its expansion.
Pocahontas’s contributions to Jamestown date from her early acquaintance with Capt. John Smith after his capture by Powhatan’s men in 1607. Her legendary rescue of the English captain on the verge of his execution was probably part of a traditional Indian adoption ceremony (misinterpreted or misunderstood by Smith), though it is possible that without her intercession he would have been killed. In any event, relations between Powhatan and the fledgling colony improved, and Pocahontas, then about twelve years old, became a frequent visitor at Jamestown and an important supplier of food for the colonists. She also became an informer for the colony, warning Smith of her father’s belligerent plans."Citation Type: WebsiteCitation URL: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/pocahontasTitle of Webpage: Native American History: PocahontasWebsite Viewing Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 12:15Website's Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 12:15
Citation for Birth Info:
Citation for Death Info:
Parents, Powhatan
, Powhatan
Biography
"Reputedly the favorite daughter of the Algonquin chief Powhatan, Pocahontas contributed significantly to the early survival of the Jamestown colony and played a brief but dramatic role in English imperial propaganda. Her untimely death in 1617 cut short her successful mediation between the Powhatan Indians and the colony. Both before her intercession and long after her death, Jamestown–the first permanent English outpost in North America–was precarious, largely because of Indian hostility to the colony and its expansion. Pocahontas’s contributions to Jamestown date from her early acquaintance with Capt. John Smith after his capture by Powhatan’s men in 1607. Her legendary rescue of the English captain on the verge of his execution was probably part of a traditional Indian adoption ceremony (misinterpreted or misunderstood by Smith), though it is possible that without her intercession he would have been killed. In any event, relations between Powhatan and the fledgling colony improved, and Pocahontas, then about twelve years old, became a frequent visitor at Jamestown and an important supplier of food for the colonists. She also became an informer for the colony, warning Smith of her father’s belligerent plans."
Letter from Anna Wharton Seward to Frances Miller Seward, May 13-19, 1862
Letter from William Henry Seward to William Henry Seward, Jr., January 25, 1846
Citations
Biography and Citation Information:
Biography:
"Reputedly the favorite daughter of the Algonquin chief Powhatan, Pocahontas contributed significantly to the early survival of the Jamestown colony and played a brief but dramatic role in English imperial propaganda. Her untimely death in 1617 cut short her successful mediation between the Powhatan Indians and the colony. Both before her intercession and long after her death, Jamestown–the first permanent English outpost in North America–was precarious, largely because of Indian hostility to the colony and its expansion.
Pocahontas’s contributions to Jamestown date from her early acquaintance with Capt. John Smith after his capture by Powhatan’s men in 1607. Her legendary rescue of the English captain on the verge of his execution was probably part of a traditional Indian adoption ceremony (misinterpreted or misunderstood by Smith), though it is possible that without her intercession he would have been killed. In any event, relations between Powhatan and the fledgling colony improved, and Pocahontas, then about twelve years old, became a frequent visitor at Jamestown and an important supplier of food for the colonists. She also became an informer for the colony, warning Smith of her father’s belligerent plans."
Citation Type:
Website
Citation URL:
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/pocahontas
Title of Webpage:
Native American History: Pocahontas
Website Viewing Date:
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 12:15
Website's Last Modified Date:
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 12:15
Citation for Birth Info:
Citation for Death Info: