Pocahontas

No love story, no raccoon and no colors in the wind. Everything seemed wonderful in the movie, although it might not end idyllically like other Disney ones, but the portrait of that strong and brave Indian princess dazzled audiences. Apparently Pocahontas had a much less idyllic life and her mysteries are still being unraveled.

It is known that Pocahontas was born in 1595 in Virginia into the Pamunkey tribe under the name of Matoaka and that Pocahontas (something like mischievous) was her nickname. Daughter of a Powhatan chief, she grew up motherless and was 10 years old when she allegedly saved John Smith from death.

In fact, it is not known for sure if he saved him or he confused the gesture with a ritual because the only testimony we have for such facts is the one of John himself but it has been theorized that the story could have been exaggerated or misrepresented by himself.

Powhatan and Englishmen at the recently founded Jamestown built bridges between them, but it seems that the settlers ended abusing of the Powhatanpeople. Pocahontas was teared from her family, that may already have included a husband and a son, when the englishmen made her their prisoner and, after suffering a depression and several abuses, eventually, she married ... or was married, to John Rolfe, whether if it was because Rolfe fell in love with her or because he wanted to know the sacred knowledge of curing tobacco.

They eventually had a son and sailed for England where she died at the age of 21. In the end, the tale of a Pocahontas among white men became attractive in the Old Continent, a Native American woman renouncing her culture, embracing the Christian religion and adopting a new identity "Lady Rebecca" but it seems that this story, like all those of the conquest of the "New World", is written by the hands of the conquerors, white and very subjective. According to them Pocahontas would renounce her culture and be declared a christian of her own free will, something very hard to believe. Rather it seems that she had no choice but to sacrifice herself and served as a bridge for peace to protect her loved ones in an act of great courage for a young girl.

by The Barbiest