Located in Wicomico in Gloucester, the original chimney stood until about 1888 and then in the 1930s was rebuilt by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. One of the remaining visual pieces of that story is an old chimney, all that remains of a house that Smith built for Chief Powhatan. In the greater legend of Captain Smith and the Powhatans, several landmarks in Gloucester, Virginia claim to tell the story of the tribe. Rolfe was one of the early English settlers of North America and credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia.Ĥ: Powhatan’s Chimney in Wicomico was a clue, and what you see today is a recreation of the original. But Pocahontas did in fact marry an Englishman named John Rolfe. Their love story that follows this legend is just that – legend – as it’s neither confirmed nor denied. They then fed him a feast and laid his head on two stones to “beate out his braines” when Pocahontas quickly rushed in and placed her head on his to stop the execution.
Pocahontas was only 11-years-old when she, as legend has it, rescued Captain John Smith.Īs the story is told from Captain Smith’s journal, he was captured by Pocahontas’s brother and brought to the Powhatan Tribe. Perhaps it was this work ethic that forged her place in history as a brave woman who was, at a time of great change and exploration, able to bridge two cultures.ģ: She was a child, by all accounts and by today’s standards, when she rescued Captain John Smith. Pocahontas learned all these skills within her tribe and was prepared to use them to the best of her abilities. Their role in the tribe was crucial to keeping everything running smoothly.
The work between men and women were different, but both were just as important to maintain function in their community.īesides bearing and rearing children, the women of the tribe were responsible for building the houses, taking charge of all the farming, cooking, collecting water for cooking and drinking, gathering firewood, and making house mats, baskets and cooking utensils. He was, after all, the ruler of 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes.
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It was in her father’s best interest to make sure his daughter knew how to be a functioning adult woman within the tribe. Just because she grew up as Chief Powhatan’s daughter, that didn’t give Pocahontas any outs from day to day work. Some will even tell you, like in this article in Smithsonian Magazine, that Pocahontas could have even meant “ill-behaved one.” History tells us she was one to seek out an adventure and roam the grounds of the Powhatans.
She was called “Pocahontas,” which means “playful one,” due to her frolicsome and curious nature.
Here’s seven things you may not have known about Pocahontas and her Powhatan Tribe.īorn around 1596, Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan and named “Amonute.” In fact, some of the facts aren’t facts at all and continue to be disputed as myths among historians.Įither way, her story is one for the ages and a source of pride for the Middle Peninsula community where she lived ( Werowocomoco, translated from the Virginia Algonquian language as “place of leadership,” was the residence of her father, Chief Powhatan, and is located in present day Gloucester County on the York River). How could you not want to listen to tales of an Indian princess who saved the life of an English explorer by throwing her own head on to his execution stone?īut some of the most interesting facts about Pocahontas aren’t as widely known. Chances are, whether you live in or near the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, the story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith is one you’ve heard.