Pocahontas: Girl, Interpreted

In The New World, the latest film from director Terrence Malick, it's interesting to note that though Pocahontas' face is the first we see and her voiceover is the first of many we hear, she's never referred to by name. Not once in this cinematic portrayal of Europeans landing on North American soil in 1607 do we hear John Smith, John Rolfe, or any of the other historical figures who interact with the legendary Native American utter the name "Pocahontas." And perhaps that's appropriate, since much is unknown about this woman who went by many names throughout her turbulent 21 years.

History tells us that her given name was Matoaca, but most of her tribe called her Pocahontas, which means "playful one." There are also recorded accounts of her having the names Amonte and White Feather. When she converted to Christianity and was baptized in 1614, she was given the Christian name Rebecca. For as many names as she had, there are as many interpretations of her role in American history: savior, victim, peacemaker, mother of the new world, pawn, ambassador, first Christian convert in America.

15-year-old Q'Orianka Kilcher plays Pocahontas

Though there are many documented accounts of her conversion to the Christian faith, there's widespread disagreement over whether that conversion was voluntary or forced. In Malick's telling of the story, there are differing opinions even among those involved in the project. Q'Orianka Kilcher, the 15-year-old newcomer who portrayed Pocahontas, thought her conversion was an "instinct of survival"—i.e., she didn't have much choice in the matter.

Kilcher, who's of Quechua/Huachipaeri Indian and Alaskan/Swiss heritage, describes herself as a "spiritual person" who was "deeply affected" by playing Pocahontas. "When Pocahontas is converted to Christianity and she lives with the English, it's kind of sad for me because that was the only thing left for her," Kilcher says, implying that Pocahontas' conversion wasn't necessarily by choice. "Her family had cast her out, John Smith had left her, and so she was left really with nothing. She was trying to forget who she was in a way. She had nowhere else to go."

Sarah Green, producer of the film, has a different take: "She absolutely voluntarily chose [to convert]. She was interested in Christianity, and she converted not just to marry John Rolfe and not because she was a victim, but because she was drawn to that." Green does mention that in the film Pocahontas melds her Native spirituality with Christian beliefs, as was often the case for such converts. In many scenes Pocahontas is heard in voiceovers praying to "Mother." While a case could be made for that being Mother Earth, Green notes that in the film, a character representing Pocahontas' deceased mother is sometimes seen "hovering around" the girl: "She actually talks to her mother quite regularly; they have a very active communication."

Film, Fact, and Fiction

About a year of research went into The New World's portrayal of Pocohontas' life, but even existing accounts are contradictory. She's probably best known for saving John Smith from her father's club by placing her own body over his as he was about to be struck. Smith was then welcomed by the tribe as a friend, even as family, and he and Pocahontas became good friends—perhaps even romantically. This is the version of the story Disney portrayed in their 1995 cartoon flick Pocahontas, and isn't far from the savior-turned-romantic-interest portrait Malick paints.

John Rolfe (Christian Bale) marries Pocahontas after her conversion to Christianity

This story is disputed by many, as Smith was a known colorful character prone to telling tales. And he didn't give this account of "salvation" until more than a decade later in his Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, which was published in 1624. It's also widely accepted that the dramatic "rescue" in 1607 was possibly part of an elaborate Native ritual. Regardless of the conditions of Smith and Pocahontas' original meeting, it's known that he was around 28 at the time and she was about 10 to 12.

While much attention is given to Pocahontas' alleged act of saving Smith, the even more compelling—and widely accepted—story is how she acted as a peacemaker and "savior" to the English settlers. After their initial meeting, Smith returned to the newly formed Jamestown, where Pocahontas was a regular visitor, often bearing food, gifts, and important messages. Some believe the food she brought helped the dwindling number of colonists survive their first winter. Between 1608 and 1610 Pocahontas negotiated the release of Powhatan prisoners held by the colonists and often shielded Englishmen from her father's wrath. This is where the Disney telling—and any common knowledge of Pocahontas' story—peters out. Thankfully, Malick includes the rest of the story in The New World.

In 1609, Smith was badly injured in a gunpowder explosion and was forced to return to England. During her next visit to Jamestown, Pocahontas was told her friend was dead. Her visits became less frequent after that and finally ceased when the first Anglo-Powhatan War broke out in 1610. In 1613, Captain Samuel Argall kidnapped Pocahontas as a bargaining chip for the release of several English prisoners as well as stolen arms and supplies. During her one-year captivity at Jamestown, Pocahontas was taught her first lessons about Christianity by Alexander Whitaker, a Calvinist minister. During her captivity, she also met John Rolfe, a tobacco farmer and one of the first successful businessmen in the English settlements. Pocahontas converted to Christianity in 1614, was baptized by Whitaker and christened Rebecca, and married Rolfe later that year.

Up for Interpretation

It's interesting to note the differing accounts of this part of the story—as well as their sources. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) calls Rolfe "a very religious man who agonized for many weeks over the decision to marry a 'strange wife,' a heathen Indian. He finally decided to marry Pocahontas after she had been converted to Christianity, 'for the good of the plantation, the honor of our country, for the glory of God, for mine own salvation …' A general peace and spirit of goodwill between the English and the Indians resulted from this marriage." ChristianAnswers.net says she married Rolfe after her baptism, that she "took the 'Christian' name of Rebecca to mark the beginning of her new life," and that she was the "first Native American in the new world to … accept Jesus Christ."

In contrast, The Encyclopedia of North American Indians notes, "The timing of this betrothal was no accident from a diplomatic standpoint, for both the Powhatans and the English wanted to end five years of atrocity-ridden warfare without either side admitting defeat… . Although Pocahontas may have had some affection for Rolfe, their marriage in April 1614 was a diplomatic union that suddenly ended the war and prevented a recurrence of large-scale hostilities as long as Pocahontas lived." On the Powhatan website, Chief Roy Crazy Horse asserts that "As a condition of her release, she agreed to marry Rolfe, who the world can thank for commercializing tobacco."

Whether these pivotal events in Pocahontas' life, which also had a profound effect on the new world, were the choices of a devoted young woman, the resigned acts of a weary hostage, or the calculated sacrifices of one wise beyond her years, we may never know.

Pocahontas helped to bring peace between the warring English settlers and the native Powhatans

Before Her Time

Unfortunately, Pocahontas' fascinating though widely disputed story is a short one. In 1616 she traveled to England with her husband, John, their son, Thomas, and a delegation of leaders and Natives to secure additional funding for the struggling colonies. On the trip back to her native, though rapidly changing land, she became gravely ill and died.

Another sad twist to the story is that the period of peace her marriage to Rolfe created between the Natives and the settlers died with her. The Encyclopedia of Native American Indians states, "Ironically, she was such a powerful, virtuous, and respected symbol of harmony between the races that her sudden, premature death crushed all hope of continued intercultural cooperation in Virginia."

Though her life and the peace she worked for were tragically short, her legacy remains an inspiration. Smith wrote of her as a brave pioneer, "the first Christian ever of that [Powhatan] Nation, the first Virginian [who] ever spake English, or had a childe in marriage by an Englishman," and this was before she left her home soil to explore even more new people and customs. Some refer to her as a founding mother of our country, creating the first interracial marriage and child in this melting-pot culture. Her line of descendants through her son Thomas includes such notable American families as the Jeffersons and the Lees.

Thanks to The New World, her legacy continues to touch lives and inspire new generations.

Kilcher says she "really identified" with Pocahontas because of the things they share in common—namely, backgrounds with Indian/Native roots. Kilcher says she can relate to Pocahontas' "struggles as a young woman, trying to identify herself in a modern, changing world and trying to stay true to her culture and her heritage. I fell in love with her because she was a visionary of peace far ahead of her time. She was able to dream of two very different worlds coexisting and collaborating together in peace."

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