Powhatan Indians Jamestown Tobacco

Colin Farrell and Q'orianka Kilcher play Captain
John Smith and Pocahontas in "The New World,"
opening in theaters today.
Captain John
Captain John Smith
Pocahontas
Born: 1580, Wiloughby, England
" An ambityous unworthy and
vayneglorious fellowe" – George Percy
Born: 1595
Pocahontas was one of the many children of Chief Powhatan. Her real name was Matoaka, although she is
more commonly known as Pocahontas, which means
frisky or playful. Pocahontas developed a close bond
with John Smith and became a frequent visitor to
Jamestown following her life-saving encounter with the
adventurer. Through Pocahontas, Jamestown realized a
period of relative peace. On her visits she brought food
and trade goods that were essential for the survival of
the settlement.
Relations between the Indians and the English deteriorated, and with Smith's departure in 1609, Pocahontas'
visits became less frequent. In 1610 she married an Indian named Kocoum, who died soon after. Two years later, at age 17, she was kidnapped and ransomed by Captain Samuel Argall in an attempt to recover eight
Englishmen held by Chief Powhatan. During her oneyear captivity, Pocahontas converted to Christianity and
fell in love with John Rolfe. Pocahontas was baptized Rebecca and married Rolfe in 1614. A year later she gave
birth to a son, Thomas.
describing John Smith
Smith left home at age 16 after the death of his father. In the years that followed he would find himself involved in a number of professions including soldier, cartographer, ethnographer, trader, governor, sailor and
writer. Though talented in many areas, Smith was also
an ambitious, proud self-promoter. Many scholars believe he was one of the key reasons Jamestown managed to survive its early years, while others point out his
almost constant problems with other settlers and the
colony's authorities. He escaped the gallows for various
misdeeds (including accusations of mutiny) more than
once. Smith could be a charming negotiator or a cruel
adversary and was not above using force to achieve his
goals.
1596: Served as a mercenary with the Dutch army
against the Spanish
1598: Served as merchant sailor
1601: Joined European armies fighting Turks in
Transylvania
Nineteenth-century depiction of the Pocahontas, John Smith encounter.
By Robert Noyce
DESERET MORNING NEWS
ne of the most romanticized incidents in early
American history may have simply been a tribal
initiation.
The legend begins with three Englishmen, led by
Captain John Smith, being lured ashore by Indian
women during a trading and exploration mission.
Sold into slavery
An ambush quickly followed. Smith, the sole surviDuring the campaign against the Turks, Smith was
vor, was then dragged before chief Powhatan to dewounded, captured and sold into slavery. His master's
sweetheart is said to have fallen in love with him during
cide his fate. According to Smith, his life hung in the
his captivity. He managed to escape while being trained
balance. His head was placed on a stone while Indifor Turkish imperial service. His flight took him through
an warriors prepared to pummel his brains out. At
Russia, Poland and eventually North Africa before he rethe last moment, Pocahontas, a young Indian printurned to England.
cess, rushed forward and laid her head on Smith, savJamestown
ing his life. Was this young love or something else?
Smith was among the first settlers in Jamestown. His
Scholars now believe Pocahontas' actions were probencounter with Pocahontas occurred in December 1607
ably part of an elaborate adoption ritual. It seems
when he was 27. Between 1607 and 1609 Smith acted
the self-confident English captive had managed to
as a stabilizing force as the colony experienced its
worst period of starvation, disease and Indian attacks.
impress his captors and was adopted into the tribe
In 1609, a bag of gunpowder Smith was carrying on a
through the execution ritual.
belt ignited and burned him severely. He returned to
Smith would later recount the episode in his
England to recover. He would never see Virginia
books, and although the validity of the
again.
story has been questioned, the relationSmith returned to America in 1614, spending
Morion-style
several months exploring the coast of Massaship between Pocahontas and John
helmet
chusetts and the area he would name "New
Smith would prove invaluable in the
England."
survival of the Jamestown colony.
He died in 1631 at age 51.
John Smith is said to have taken one
year to clear 40 acres of land. English
settlers seized 2,000 to 3,000 acres
of farm land from the Indians that
same year.
Priming pan
London
Pocahontas, her son and a dozen Powhatan Indians accompanied Rolfe and Sir Thomas Dale on a Virginia
Company promotional voyage in 1616. The well-publicized visit was a smashing success. Pocahontas was presented to James I and the cream of London society. During her visit she had an unexpected meeting with John
Smith, who she had been told was dead.
After a seven-month stay in England, a return voyage
was arranged, but Pocahontas' health had begun to deteriorate. She was put ashore at Gravesend, England, either dead or dying. The cause of death is unclear. It has
been speculated that she died from pneumonia, tuberculosis or smallpox. The 22-year-old was buried in
Gravesend at St. George's parish church.
Her son, Thomas, would remain in England until age
20 and would never see his father again. He would later
marry and return to Virginia.
Survival
Of 900 settlers who arrived in Jamestown
between 1607 and 1610 only 150 survived.
The massacre of 1622 killed 350 settlers, onethird of the colony's population.
Burning wick
Serpentine
Dense white smoke produced when firing a matchlock
was so thick it often made aiming difficult.
The matchlock musket was fired when a long-burning
Williamsburg
Jamestown
Yorktown
r
ive
Bear gut bow string
Turkey feather
Sword
Tattoos were common
Language: Algonquian (“tomahawk,” “skunk,” “squash,” “wampum”
Wahunsenacawh used the name Chief Powhatan because
of a belief that an individual could gain control of your soul
by speaking your name.
The height of the average Powhatan Indian was 6 feet
the right side to keep it from
getting tangled in the bowstring.
The left side was left long.
Neither sex wore shirts,
although turkey-feather capes
were used in the winter.
Powhatan Indians
and “succotash” are Algonquian words used today)
Habitat: Coastal plains of Virginia
Society: Hunters and farmers. Jobs were divided according to gender.
Women built shelters, raised children and grew corn, beans, squash and
sunflower seeds
Transportation: Dugout canoes with a capacity of 10-30 people
Confederation: The Powhatan Indians belonged to a loose confederation
of 32 tribes (200 villages and 10,000 people) when Jamestown was
established. It was led by 60-year-old Chief Wahunsenacawh
(commonly known as Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas).
Interaction: From the beginning, relations between the settlers and
Indians was uneasy. Interaction vacillated between minor skirmishes
and amicable trading. The Indians, while having the ability to crush the
English at any time, seemed to prefer the uneasy coexistence. Within
15 years, the settlers had become too numerous and well-established
to expel. A coordinated attack by the Powhatans in 1622, headed by
Opechancanough (Chief Powhatan's successor and brother),
was ineffective in eliminating the English.
The hair was shaved on
Reed arrow with
quartz arrowhead
The Indians referred to
the English as "coat wearing
people" or "cutthroats."
among both sexes.
Breech cloths were worn by
men, while women wore kneelength deerskin skirts.
Deerskin
leggings
for cooler
weather.
Moccasins
Tindal's
Point
James I wrote a tract against
the evils of smoking, while Sir
Walter Raleigh (the man who
introduced tobacco to England)
is said to have puffed a pipe before
his execution to show his disdain
for the king.
West Indian tobacco was
smoother and sweeter than the
native Virginia variety.
SOURCES: Books – “Indians,” “The Indian Wars,” “Powers of the
Crown,” “The New World World/Before 1775,” “Arms and Armor.”
Web sites – Colonial Williamsburg Journal, www.history.org;
Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, www.apva.org;
The Bowyer's Den, Colonial National Historic Park (Jamestown),
www.nps.gov; Matchlock, www.silcom.com; The Story of Pocahontas,
www.stgeorgesgravesend.org.uk, Matchlock, www.silcom.com.
Chesapeake Bay
made of mulberry
or ash.
Point
Comfort
sR
of horn to prevent
powder from
igniting. Used for
priming the musket.
The bow was
me
Ja
Powder flask made
nicknamed the
"apostles" for its
12 wooden flasks,
contained premeasured
powder charges for
Musket rest
each shot.
aided in
stabilizing and
aiming the
heavy weapon.
r
(.68 caliber lead shot)
The bandoleer,
ive
Shot pouch
wick (on the serpentine) was pushed into the priming pan, igniting
the powder. The burning wick made it difficult to use in damp
weather and in a surprise attack.
R
rk
Yo
The English considered the
Powhatan men to be lazy because
hunting (their primary chore)
was considered a sporting
pastime and the Powhatan
women performed most of
the other vital tasks.
Norfolk
Jamestown
Atlantic
Ocean
A short history
Jamestown was the brainchild of a group of London
entrepreneurs whose goal was a permanent settlement that could provide a way station during passage
to the Orient (North America was thought to be only a
narrow strip of land) and a new source of gold. Investors also looked to cash in on a lucrative fur trade and
perhaps corner the market on sassafras. A charter
was granted by King James I in June of 1606, and a
group of 104 settlers on three ships (Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery) sailed to the Chesapeake area from London in December of that year.
The new settlement was plagued by problems from
the beginning. A swampy area with poor drinking water
was chosen for the fort, and the settlers, mostly gentlemen, were ill prepared or unwilling to engage in the labor needed to provide basic food and shelter. Malnutrition, malaria, pneumonia and dysentery were a part of
daily life along with the constant threat of Indian attack. Of the 104 original settlers, only 38 survived the
first year.
Sassafras tonic had a number of medicinal uses
in the early 1600s, including a cure for syphilis.
During the 17th century, crossing the Atlantic
Ocean was a four-month ordeal.
Tobacco
A major reason for the eventual success of Jamestown
was tobacco. John Rolfe is credited with bringing the
tobacco seeds from Trinidad that saved the colony's
economy.
The production of tobacco
Tobacco production
proved to be a great source of YEAR
POUNDS
contention between the English 1616 2,500
and the Indians. Tobacco culti- 1617 20,000
vation requires large plots of
1618 50,000
land because it can wear out
the land quickly in two to three
years. The settlers found it much easier to take over Indian fields than to clear farmland themselves.