Pocahontas….not some Disney character but the real-life person from the days of Jamestown.
Not much is known about this memorable woman. What we do know was written by others, as none of her thoughts or feelings were ever recorded. Specifically, her story has been told through written historical accounts and, most recently, through the sacred oral history of the Mattaponi. Most notably, Pocahontas has left an indelible impression that has endured for more than 400 years. And yet, many people who know her name do not know much about her.
Sad but true…most Americans know the character and not the person…..there is so much more to Pocahontas and her life…..
She is among the best known Native Americans in history, but the modern-day descendants of Pocahontas, who four centuries ago married an English colonist and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, show little interest in her.
On March 21, ceremonies in the United States and England will mark 400 years since her death. But there will be no event to honour that date on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in Virginia where her tribespeople now live.
Source: Will the real Pocahontas please stand up? | | Al Jazeera
I guess in the context of Women’s History Month this subject deserves a historical mention, but somehow debating the variety of merits (or not) of Pocahontas seems a bit out-of-place in world priorities at the moment… at least for me. But far be it for me to dispute Disney, the National Park Service, or English royalty on the subject. The dichotomy to me is in the Al Jazeera article is that an Islamic news entity is mentioning it at all given given that religion’s historical propensity to position women below men in any number of ways. Does Islam celebrate a version of “women’s history month”. I am guessing, not, because women typically are not allowed to have a contributive “history” in that religion.
Actually the Quran is pretty liberal toward women…it is those damn hadiths that crap on everything….chuq
She never should have gone to England!
True that
Very true, GP. London at the time was a foul place, with poisonous water, and rife with disease. She probably contracted tuberculosis from living in a cheap overcrowded inn in the old city.
Regards, Pete.
I don’t believe she had any disease resistance either. Any place in Europe would probably killed her. Just as the white man killed so many Native Americans when came ashore here in the states, they had developed antibodies, but the Indians had not.
Pocahontas is buried in Gravesend, a Thames Estuary town some thirty miles east of London. She is celebrated in that town, and although her actual grave site has been lost to time, there is a statue of her in St George’s Church there. One of my friends lives nearby.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/mar/16/pocahontas-statue-gravesend-400-years-listed
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanx for that and the info….chuq