The Story of What Happened to the Real Pocahontas

The Story of What Happened to the Real Pocahontas

Written by: Malik

Pocahontas is a name most people are familiar with. However, her story is different from the one we think is true. It wasn’t all roses and romance as portrayed in the movie, and explorer John Smith’s writing.

Instead, the Native American woman faced many hardships in the 21 years of her life. Let’s read exactly who Pocahontas was and what happened to her.

The Famous Girl

Pocahontas is a name we’ve all heard, largely thanks to the 1995 eponymous Disney movie. The lively animated movie turned the Native American woman into one of the most popular Disney princesses of all time.

The Famous Girl

Even though the movie brought joy to everybody’s heart, the real story of the beautiful Pocahontas is much darker and more tragic than shown in the film. Let’s see who Pocahontas really was.

The Nickname

Pocahontas was born in 1596 in a Powhatan tribe, but she wasn’t born with the name Pocahontas. Her parents initially gave her the name Amonute and Pocahontas was her nickname, which she shared with her mother. The name is a Powhatan nickname meaning ‘the playful one.’

The Nickname

The happy child was a delight to be around, spinning cartwheels and always in a playful mood. She received another name when she became older…

The New Name

According to the Native American culture, as the kids get older, they’re supposed to get a new name. This name was supposed to reflect the personality traits that the child exhibits.

The New Name

Pocahontas’s new name was Matoka. The name, in her native language, meant ‘the flower between two streams.’ This was a reference to Pocahontas’s beauty, which was growing.

The Parents

The young girl’s parents were a woman named Pocahontas and a man called Wahunsenaca, who was a Chief Powhatan.

The Parents

The chief oversaw multiple other tribes and was the chief of approximately 25,000 people. He even had 30 low-level chiefs working under him. Although a lot is known about her father’s history books, only a few things are known about her mother.

The Powhatan Culture

In the Powhatan culture, the chief’s customary duty was to have multiple wives. Whenever a wife fell pregnant, she had to return to her original Powhatan tribe to wait out her pregnancy duration until giving birth. The child would only return to the chief when strong enough.

The Powhatan Culture

Post that, the child would live with her father and half-sibling while the mother got free reign to marry any other man. Pocahontas’s mother was never truly described post the birth of her daughter. The only thing known is that she was playful, just like her daughter.

Pocahontas Never Saved John Smith

According to John Smith’s adventure retellings, Pocahontas was responsible for saving his life, but that wasn’t the case. According to the English explorer, he was captured by a man called Opechancanough, who paraded him through every Powhatan village.

Pocahontas Never Saved John Smith

This showing ended at the village where Pocahontas’ father was the chief, where it was decided that Smith’s life was to be forfeited. But it was Pocahontas who stepped in and saved him. In reality, this is not what happened though.

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Malik
Malik is a content editor at Trending that who specializes in entertainment, celebrity, music, and viral news. With a passion for pop culture and storytelling, he delivers fresh takes on trending topics that keep readers coming back.