Pocahontas: A Great American Myth Essay -- Native Americans History Es

Pocahontas A Great American MythJohn Smiths tales of the Indian princess, Pocahontas, have, everyplace time, encouraged the evolution of a great American myth. According to this myth, which is common knowledge to most Americans, Pocahontas relieve Smith from being killed by her father and his warriors and whence fell in love with John Smith. Some versions of the myth popular among Americans include the marriage of Smith and Pocahontas. Although no one can be real of exactly what happened almost four-hundred years ago, most historians agree that the myth is incorrect. Pocahontas did not save John Smiths heart from savages and never showed any affection for him. The events of her life resist greatly from the myth Americans have created. Historians, such as Nancy Egloff, of the Jamestown settlement, believe Smith created the story of his attempted murder to gain fame (Vincent 1). Our sole evidence that Pocahontas saved Smiths life comes from his story in The General History of Vir ginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624), but this may not be a reliable source. According to Smith, he was captured by Indians, taken to their chief, Powhatan, and was to be killed, but Pocahontas, Powhatans daughter, saved his life (111). John Smith was captured by the Indians, but whether he was to be killed by them in the ceremony which he describes in The General History of Virginia is not certain. Smith describes a scene where all of the Indians gather around him, place his headland on a stone, and Pocahontas lays her head on top of his to save him from being clubbed to death (111). Historians believe that this was not an attempt to beat out his brains, as Smith describes (111), but rather an espousal ceremony. The Indians merely welcomed Smith into the tribe, for after the ceremony, Chief Powhatan named him his son, which Smith also describes in his General History, but attributes his acceptance to Pocahontas love for Englishmen. This ceremony was actually a traditio nal ritual of the tribe, and Pocahontas played a designated role in that ritual (Chief nutty Horse). She accepted Smith as her brother in the ritual, while Smith believed she saved his life from ruthless savages. Smith may have misinterpreted an Indian ritual, or he may have romanticized the story to gain fame, which many believe was true of him. Some believe Smiths captivity may never have occurred... ...eys further dramatization of the myth It is unfortunate that this sad story, which Euro-Americans should find embarrassing, Disney makes entertainment and perpetuates a double-dealing and self-serving myth at the expense of the Powhatan Nation. (3)Perhaps we, as Americans, enjoy this romantic tale of Indians and Europeans, our ancestors, uniting. We therefore continue to relay this obstruction of the truth from multiplication to generation, until the truth is no longer recognizable. Works Cited Pocahontas. Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Online. Inte rnet. January 24, 1998. Available at http //www.apva.org /history/ pocahont.html. John Smith. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Baym, Nina et. all. 4th ed. Vol. 1. New York Norton, 1994. 111. Chief Roy Crazy Horse. Pocahontas Myth. Powhatan Nation. Online. Internet. January 24, 1998. Available http//www.powhatan.org/pocc.html. Pocahontas. Columbia Concise Encyclopedia Microsoft Bookshelf. Microsoft Corporation 1993. 1. Vincent, Mal. Preview the historical Pocahontas. Online. Internet. 24 Jan. 1998. Available http//www.pilotonline.com/movies/mv0620his.html