Introduction
The story of Pocahontas is perhaps one of the most significant in the history of Native America, as it describes the life of a young and beautiful Indian ‘princess’ that played a key role in saving the first settlers that had moved into Virginia from ultimate death. The story seeks to describe how she would sacrifice herself to the British colonials as a way of saving the settlers. However, the story has been shrouded in myths that have been popularized in fictional books, as well as, Hollywood films that do not reflect on the ultimate truth of her story. The main focus for this report is to seek to disseminate between the truth and mythology associated with the story of Pocahontas as a way of trying to understand how her story remains relevant to Native American history.
Truth vs. Mythology
The first aspect to note when seeking to disseminate the truth and mythology associated with Pocahontas relates to her name ‘Pocahontas.’ Mythically, it is indicated that her real name was Pocahontas, which was not the case. Camilla Townsend indicates that the name Pocahontas was a nickname that was given, which meant “ill-behaved” or “mischievous,” which goes against the mythical beliefs that reflect on her character. Pocahontas was the favored child of Chieftain Powhatan, who was the leader of 30 tribal nation that had under the under the Algonquian umbrella; thus, disputing the fact that his nickname would have described her character. Whilst it is not believed that Pocahontas was a mischievous child, her real name, as was given by the Powhatan tribe, was Amonute. However, a majority of the people used to call her Matoaka while in private.
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Another key myth that has been highly popularized in the story of Pocahontas reflects on the arrival of the British colonizers, who had come with the intention of settling in the new land. The popularized version of the story indicates that the Native American Indians were very welcoming to the British, who had moved into the region with the large ships as a way of ensuring that they would seek to conquer the new land. However, the reality was the fact that the Native American Indians were very hostile to the Englishmen immediately they came into contact with land. Although the colonists assumed that the natives would be welcoming, they were met with Indian arrows that were believed to be a reflection of seeking to repel them from the land. The story reflects on the fact that this created the hostility between the Indians and the British colonists.
Lastly, popular mythology has indicated that Pocahontas and John Smith, who was one of the Englishmen coming into the new land would fall in love and live happily ever after. The story has been reflected on a wide array of Disney films, as well as, a significant number of books and short stories that were published in the 1980s. However, this was not the case, as the truth indicates that Pocahontas was only 12 years when the Englishmen came to the native lands. That meant that Pocahontas and Smith were years apart considering that Smith was 28 years old. Townsend builds on the fact that Pocahontas and Smith would only establish a friendship that cannot justify the fact that it has been considered as love, as has been perpetuated in a majority of fictional writing today.
Understanding of Early Colonial History
The myth and reality reflect on different aspects with regard to the early colonial history, especially in dealing with whether the Englishmen coming into the Native American lands were indeed welcomed. The myth does not add any value in this understanding considering that it seeks to reflect on the fact that the Englishmen were indeed welcomed by the Native American Indians, which was not the case. By understanding the fact that the Indians had resisted the British colonists, the understanding of how the British settled changes significantly considering that it seeks to suggest that the Englishmen used a significant amount of force to coerce the Indians. Additionally, this also indicates that the British colonists used their power, influence, and education over the Indians towards ensuring that they would trick them into signing treaties that would allow the British to settle.
Personally, my analysis of the reality, as has been brought out in the true story of Pocahontas, has changed the way I perceive about early American history. I have been able to understand the fact that the British, who were well educated and exposed, sought to use this against the Indians, who at this time were natives. That means that the early American history saw a significant rise in social injustices against Native American Indians. The story of Pocahontas also indicates that the British sought to use force, which means that they were involved in forceful acquisition of land from the Native Americans. In my view, this serves as a clear indication of the fact that the popularized myth has changed the way people perceive history, as it shapes a story that does not reflect on the actual occurrences during that period against the Native American Indians.
