The Disneyficotion of Histoiy
Pocohontos
Movie
Actual
John Smith
Movie
Actual
Myths
1.
Pocahontas and John Smith are depicted as being young adults at the same time. Pocahontas was
in fact only a girl of twelve or younger when she met the veteran adventurer John Smith who was
in his mid-30's.
is uncertain whether John Smith was telling the truth when he wrote the story of the rescue.
Also the movie changed all the details. Smith was not out alone, or at night, or to meet anyone.
The execution ceremony was not outdoors, and the colony made no attempt to rescue him.
J. Pocahontas did not fall in love with John Smith but married another colonist named John Rolfe
after she was kidnapped by colonist and held ransom for food.
2
It
Facts
1.
7
Pocahontas was a daughter of chief Powhatan and met John Smith
in
1607.
Jamestown and Native village are portrayed authentically.
3. Pocahontas did help save the struggling Jamestown settlement by providing food.
The Disneyfication of History:
Why Books, Libraries
and Librarians
Remain Essential
by Jamie McKenzie
"We live in a world where there is more and more information,
and less and less meaning."
Jean Baudrillard
Simulacra and Simulation, 1981
't
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R.{.i,4tr-
I)OCAH{}l,lTr\S
by Dctyid A[ctrenu,s'
Matoaka rvas the beautiful and lively daughter of Powhatan, ruler of the land that the English
named Virginia. "Pocahontas" was her childhood nickname, translated as "little wanton," which
is a short u'a)'to say, "child whom you can never find because she's out playing somewhere."
Pocahontas may have helped saved the struggiing Jamestown colony from extinction twice. The
first tinre (Dec. 29, 1607) is the famous story that is retold in the Disney movie, Pocahontas,
wherein she saves the life of John Smith fi'om execution by Powhatan, her father.
Tlre second tirne (Apr. 24?,.1614) was when she marlied colonist Joim Roife. A squad from
Jamestown had kidnapped Pocahontas, intending to trade her for concessions fi-om powiratan.
Duling her captivity, leading colonists worked to con\zefl her to Cluistianity. One of those
colonists, John Rolfe, fell in love with her, and she with hirn. Pocahontas married John Rolfe,
accepted Christianity, and u,as baptized Rebecca. This created several years of peace between
the Jamestown colonists and Powhatan's tribes.
Pocahontas' life ended on a high note, u'ith a tliumphal tour of England (Starting June 3, 1616)
as a visiting princess. This part of her life is covered in the new Disney video, Pocahontas II;
Journey lo a New l|/orld. As she started home, English disease took her iife. She was buried in
tlre clrurch at Gravesend, England (Mar. 17,1617) age 21 or so. (Records of names and dates
frorl that peliod are contradictorl,, irnprecise, and incorlplete.)
There u,ere four principal meir in hel life: her father, Chief Porvhatan, the intrepid adventurer
Captain Johrr Snrith, her father's captain Kocoum, and her husband John Rolfe. Click the pictules
on this page, to see tnore.
Tire Disrtcr'\{ovre. "Pocahoulas". is accnLate in soure respccts. It captures the spirit of the
\vottlalt Pocahontas aud irerpeople. and the spilit of the eally days of Jamestou,n. The settings
ate accurate: both .lamestorvn and Pou4ratan village are pofirayed authenticalll,, according to
cuffent historical and archaeological knowledge. So are London, the American wilderness, and
the sirip Susan Conslant..Tohn Ratcliffe was in oharge of the coiony when Johl Smith was
captured and released bl,Pora4ratan. And last but not ieast, Jolrr smith lr'rote that he u'as saved
fi'our execution by Pou,hatan. when Pocahontas tluerv herseif between Smitir's head and her
fatl-ier s stone club.
Hou,ever, the rest of the movie is pure fiction:
' The physical appearance of Pocahontas and John Srnith in the rnovie are fabricated to
please modern tastes. They didn't look anylhing like that.
. Pocahontas and John Srnith are depicted as being young aduhs at the same time.
Pocahontas was only a girl of twelve (or younger) when she met the veteran adventurer
John Srnith and (possibly) rescued hirl from execution by Powhatal.
. It is uucertain r.r4rether Johl Smith was telling the truth rvhen he \\Tote the story of the
lescue. To top that, the movie changed ali the details. Smith was ot out alone, or at night,
or to tneet anYone. The execution ceremon)/ was not outdoors, and the colony made no
attempt to rescue him.
. Ratcliffe uras not in charge of the ships on the way over, he was not in charge of the
colony at first, and ire \vas never Govemor. Ratcliffe was the second President of the
color-iy. eiected after President Wingfield rvas arrested and deposed. Admiral ryswport
rvas in charge of tlie ships, and also took charge of the colony frorn time to time. Smith
favored fcrrce, rvirile Ratciiffe favored conciIiation.
. fite friends of Pocahontas and John Smith are fictional, of course, although some of the
nalres are talcen fi'om real life.
The movie is.irrst a cartoon musical, afler all. Disney was nlore interested intelling a good story
than in sticking to tire facts.
Tire Pou,hatan l{enape }.iation comments on the Pocaitontas N4yth.
Porvhatan
chic 1'.irtrrrl
chief.lrtnrlPowhatan rvas the father of Pocahontas. As a )/oung v)erov)ance (chief), Powiratan
inherited the leadersliip of eight tribes. which he built into a loose empire controlling
Chesarrealie Bav and its tributary rivers. This corresponds to Eastem Virginia, most of Maryland,
atrd Delarvare. As the Mantanatov,ick, he ruled over about 28 tribes. Each Powhatan tribe had its
own village, with houses of bark over rvooden frames. Tliel,planted com and tobacco, hunted
and fished. Ever1, feu,years, the local land would be depleted, so tirey would abandon the oid
village and rebuild a few rniles awa)/.
ln 1607, English colonists of the Virginia Company arrived, hoping to make their forlune (as
depicted in the tnovie). Initialll', they built a wooden palisade fort, James Fort, which gradually
became the English colonial village of James Towne, ol Jamestowlt. Relations irr the early days
were chaotic. On an1' given week, the settlers at.Iames Fort could be fighting with one of
Powhatan's tribes, rvhile trading peacefuliy u'ith others. The various tribes fought with each other
as well.
Pou'hatan lived long, and allegedl), had 100 wives, with one child by each. There were a dozen
knorvn children of his; Pocahontas u'as his favorite. King..Iames had Pou&atan coronated
Emperor of Vilginia. (This made Pocahontas aprincess, theoretically outranking a lot ofthe
English nobilitl,u'hen she visited England. The English had not yet decided how to treat
" savages ".)
Tl-ie Poivhatan Reuape Nation comments on their jristotr'.
Captain John Smith
tt.:.'.,
,,:l
:"1i't::
.jii.r. iri.;lii;
Captain John Smitir really was the intrepid soldier-adventurer portrayed in the Disney
movie
"Pocahontas"."otirer than his looks and personality. He was a short man who wore a
beard. Like
mally famous shorties, he was feisty, abrasive, self-promoting, and ambitious. He was an
experienced soldier and adventurer, the man who boldly went out and got things done. If not
for
him, the colony may have failed at the start -- according to hirn, uny*uy.
The Disney movie "Pocahontas" centers on the most famous incident in the lives of all involved,
in rvhich Pocahontas rescued.Iohn Srnith from execution by her father, Powhatan. John Smith is
tire soie source for this tale, in a book he wrote several years afteru,ards. It was not in his i'itial
report, aud was not mentioned by other writers at the time, so historians have always wondered
what really went on. This most famous incident may never have happened, since Smith
liked to
teil stories about himself being rescued b),famous ladies. perhaps john Smitli made it up;
perhaps it was a show orchestrated by' po*+utan, with pocahontas "saving"
.Iolm Smith as
plamred; perhaps it went down just as Smith described.
His stay ln America was compressed in the movie, but eventuatly Joirn Smith was shipped back
to England on a stretcher, after a mysterious incident in which his powder bag exploded,
i,lurirrg
liis leg.
Kocoum
The onlt'thing we really know about Kocoum is that u,hile Pocahontas was visiting
E1gla1d" a
court eltetny of hers claimed she was living in sin, married to John Rolfe yet also
still
to
"Kocounl, a captainle of Powhatan." Since this reporl has the quality of a vicious rumor,
'rarried
no-one
reaily knows if there was anlthing to it, or if Kocoum even exiited. bitn"y chose to assume that
Porr4ratan arranged a marriage, but that Kocoum was kilied before it was hnahzed. powhatan
ciriefs would sometimes give a young daugirter in honorary marriage, often to form an aiiiance.
When they grew up, their marriage rnight become real, or they might decide to marry someone
else. Your guess is as good as any.
John Rolfe
lolle.html
roile.htrlrlPocahontas may have had a girlish crush on Jolu Smitli. but the man she married was
John Rolfe. When John Rolfe and his wife, Salah, sailed to Jamestou,n, they were shipwrecked
in Bermuda by a terrible storm. A reporl of that veLy event. by a fellow passenger, might liaye
inspired Siral<espeare's play. "The Tempest". \\/hile in Bermuda. Sarah gave bir-th to a da,ghter"
Bet'tlluda. brtt both claLrghtcl and u,if'e soon died. .lohn f{ollt piclied ull sol1e Bernruda tobacco
seeds, and rvhen he got to Vireinia, he cross-bred therl with the harsher Vireinia tobacco. to
create a mild hybrid. This new tobacco was a big hit back in England, u,hich made the struggling
colony a financial success at last.
Jolm Rolfe feli in lor,e rvith Pocahontas. and obtained pelnrission from Poutatan and the
Governor to rnarrl,. TI-re1' had a child. Thomas Rolfe, u4rom they brought to Eirgland rvith them.
When Pocahontas died on the way back, Thornas was iefl behind to be raised by relatives. John
Rolfe died in Virginia at the same time as a terrible Indian uprising that killed many coionists.
Horvever, rve don't know if he was killed in the massacre. When Thomas Rolfe grew up, he
moved back to Virginia to claim his parents' land, and stayed. He had one daughter, who had one
son, but eventually, manv Americans could proudly say that they were descended from
Pocahontas. I am one of them.
1.
Name at least five rnWhs from the movie Pocairontas
2.
Why do you believe the The Disneyfication of History occurs?