Pocahontas: Princess or Protector? Quiz

Answer: Matoaka

It was the tradition of the people of Pocahontas to give different names to an individual at different times in the person's life, and even keep some of the names secret. Believed to be her birth name, Matoaka translates as "Bright Stream Between the Hills"; later in her life she was also called Amonute.

The childhood nickname, Pocahontas, translates as "playful one" or "wanton one". Some theorize that the Native Americans were superstitious about revealing the true name of an individual, thinking the English could somehow cause them harm if the name was known, therefore, her real name was not readily revealed.

Answer: Powhatan

Powhatan was the main chief of the Tsenacommacah, which was an alliance of native peoples who lived near the English colonists. His birth name was actually Wahunsenacawh; apparently the colonists were told that Powhatan was the name of the village where the chief was born.

It is estimated that he ruled a group, the Powhatan Confederacy, which consisted of about thirty tribes. There is virtually no information available concerning the mother of Pocahontas. As chief, Powhatan took many wives, and each was sent back to her home village after the birth of a child; she would be supported by the chief until she found another husband.

It may have been that Pocahontas's mother died in childbirth (some sources claim that Pocahontas was her name too); for some reason - perhaps Pocahontas was the daughter of his favorite wife? - she was brought up in her father's camp from a very young age, and was obviously a favorite.

Answer: Jamestown

There is no disputing the fact that Pocahontas was instrumental in contributing to the survival of the Virginia Company's colony at Jamestown, Virginia. Believed to be about eleven years old at the time of the colony's founding, it was written that she befriended children there, and visited the settlement frequently, bringing provisions that were desperately needed.

As the population of the settlement grew, however, the Native Americans, fearful of the loss of their land, became less willing to help the colonists.

Answer: John Smith

John Smith is given much of the credit for the survival of the Virginia Company settlement. His adventures before going to the New World perhaps gave him the military experience necessary to take charge. Appointed as a member of the governing council by the Virginia Company, he explored and mapped much of the area, attempted to forge a relationship with Native Americans in the area, and, perhaps most importantly, made everyone work, saying, "He that will not work shall not eat." Forts and other buildings were constructed, and farming programs were begun. Even though he was only in the new colony for two years, his later writings served to encourage future settlement.

Answer: She was pampered and waited on hand and foot.

The women in Pocahontas's village apparently worked very hard, and it was vitally important for her to learn skills that young women were expected to know. In her world, aside from child rearing, women built the houses and did all of the farming and food preparation.

They processed the meat the men brought home and tanned the hides. Knowing the edible plants in the area would have been extremely important. It is estimated that Pocahontas was around eleven years old when the English settlement was founded, and by the time she was thirteen, she was expected to be ready and take care of her own home and family - whether she was the main chief's daughter or not!

Answer: Rebecca

In the summer of 1609, Pocahontas was captured during the First Anglo-Powhatan War; tricked into boarding a ship, she was held hostage while her father was supposed to return stolen items (tools and weapons), as well as English prisoners. Even though he returned the captives, he did not return the stolen items to the satisfaction of the colonists.

While she was held captive in the village of Henricus, the minister taught her about Christianity; some sources say that she was the first native Christian in the New World.

However, considering Spanish efforts in converting native people, it seems doubtful. She took the name Rebecca, which some believe was a reference to the wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament.

Answer: John Rolfe

It is believed that Pocahontas was married to a member of her confederation (who may have been one of her father's bodyguards) named Kocoum, with whom she may have had a daughter. While some sources state that he was killed during a confrontation with the English after she was taken hostage, others believe that Pocahontas simply left him, as was her prerogative, or the marriage dissolved after her capture. According to the letter John Rolfe wrote to Governor Thomas Dale, he believed that marrying Pocahontas would be good for the settlement, and for saving both his and her souls, "...for the good of this plantation, for the honor of our country, for the Glory of God, for my own salvation".

Answer: James I

This is where it is quite possible that the misconception of Pocahontas being a princess was formed. In 1616, Pocahontas, her husband and young son, and a group of her people visited England. At the time John Smith wrote to Queen Anne, the wife of James I, that Pocahontas should be treated the same as any royal visitor, and that her father was the king of his people.

The Virginia Company made an engraving inscribed with "MATOAKA ALS REBECCA FILIA POTENTISS : PRINC : POWHATANI IMP:VIRGINIĆ", which means: "Matoaka, alias Rebecca, daughter of the most powerful prince of the Powhatan Empire of Virginia". Even though she was presented to the king, there is evidence that she really didn't understand the importance of his position. So why did the Virginia Company feel it necessary to label Pocahontas as a princess? Could it be that there was no other way to make the English people see her importance? The truth of the matter is that even though Pocahontas was the chief's favorite daughter, among her people she was never treated as an English princess would have been treated, and that even though her father was the main chief of his people, he was not a king.

Answer: No

Some sources would say that John Smith wrote about the incident in his journal, so it has to be true. Well, the truth of the matter is that John Smith wrote about the incident in 1616, years after it was supposed to have happened. This information was included in his letter to Queen Anne, and was expanded in his "Generall Historie", written in 1624.

Not only that, but in a later document he claimed that a Turkish girl had rescued him during a similar incident in 1602. Maybe Smith was trying to emphasize to Queen Anne that Pocahontas was worthy of her time? Maybe he wanted to make himself look important after the kind reception the family received in England? While some might indicate that Smith misunderstood a ritual that was meant to welcome him into the tribe (a ritual head bashing!), the truth of the matter is that there really isn't any clear cut evidence that Pocahontas actually saved Smith life.

Answer: Edith Bolling Galt Wilson

John and Rebecca Rolfe had a son named Thomas, who was about a year old when they made their trip to England. At the same time that Rebecca fell sick (and subsequently died), Thomas also fell ill. His father, believing he might not survive the return trip, left him in the care of his uncle, Henry Rolfe, with whom he stayed until he was twenty-one years old. Thomas eventually traveled back to Virginia, and married Jane Poythress; they had a daughter also named Jane.

His grandson, John Bolling's descendants, are the only known descendants of Pocahontas.

After her husband, Woodrow Wilson, fell victim to a stroke, Edith Bolling Galt Wilson took control for over a year, making decisions regarding what information was important enough to present to her sick husband, and what could be dealt with in some other manner.

While some would call her actions "devotion", others might suggest that she surely overstepped the bounds of her authority as First Lady.