Pocahontas

Pocahontas was an Indigenous woman from the Powhatan paramount chiefdom in present-day Virginia, known for her association with the early English colony at Jamestown.

Pocahontas was an Indigenous woman from the Powhatan chiefdom in present-day Virginia, known for her association with the Jamestown colony. Her life has been heavily mythologized, but historical sources show she was born around 1596, baptized as Rebecca, married John Rolfe, and died in England in 1617.

Who she was

Born around 1596, Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the paramount chief of a confederacy of Indigenous groups in the Tidewater region. Her birth name was Amonute, and she was also known as Matoaka. 'Pocahontas' was a childhood nickname, not her formal name.

Key events

She became associated with English settlers at Jamestown in the early 1600s. In 1613 she was captured by colonists, later baptized as Rebecca, and married tobacco planter John Rolfe in 1614. She travelled to England with Rolfe in 1616 and was presented as an example of colonial success.

Death and myth

Pocahontas fell ill in 1617 while preparing to return to Virginia and died in Gravesend, England, at about age 21. She was buried at St. George's Church, though the exact grave location is unknown. Popular stories about a romance with John Smith are not supported by historical evidence.