The True Story of Pocahontas: What Disney Didn't Show? The real story of Pocahontas: why the Indian princess converted to Christianity and left for England.
Name: Pocahontas (Matoaka)
A country: India
Activity: princess
Family status: Married
Pocahontas: character story
Her father's favorite and a true child of nature, Pocahontas had the gift of diplomacy since childhood. Thanks to the young princess, for many years there was a delicate balance between two completely different worlds. The chief's daughter took into account the interests of her native tribe and was interested in foreign culture. By giving her hand and heart to the Englishman, Pocahontas delayed the death of the primordial civilization at the hands of the invaders.
The history of the legend
One of the most detailed written references to a girl named Pocahontas dates back to 1616. The letter, dedicated to his own salvation and the role of the little Indian girl in this, was written personally by John Smith. The note is addressed to the aristocrat who organized a reception on the occasion of the arrival of such an exotic person in England.
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There is no doubt that Pocahontas is a real person, as evidenced by the many references to the “right-thinking savage.” But modern researchers believe that the image created by Smith and other Englishmen differs from the real personality of the princess.
For example, saving the life of a colonialist, so popularized throughout the world, might not have been salvation at all. In the territory of Tsenakommakah (as the Indians call Virginia), the custom flourished of accepting strangers into the tribe, feigning their death. Probably John Smith became a participant in an unfamiliar action, which he misinterpreted.
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And the love of an Indian girl for an English planter loses its romantic flair after reading the notes of the couple’s contemporaries. Rolf's marriage to the chief's daughter (yes, Smith's role here is exaggerated) became a political and economic event. There was talk about an interracial union:
“He is one example of bad education, barbaric manners and the influence of a cursed generation, beneficial only to the prosperity of the plantation.”
Biography
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Little Matoaka was born in 1595 (in other sources - in 1596) in the family of an Indian leader of the Powhatan tribe. The Indian settlement was located in the territory of the modern state of Virginia. The cheerful girl was nicknamed Pocahontas for her curiosity and liveliness. The daughter of the tribal leader stood out among the local residents, as evidenced by an entry from the diary of an unknown Englishman (presumably John Smith):
“She was a charming young girl, her self-control and posture stood out among all the Indians, and her spirit and intelligence surpassed everyone around her.”
Thanks to the colonialists, the biography of Pocahontas is known. In 1606, a British ship landed near the place where the Indians lived. The invaders founded their own colony on Powhatan land called Jamestown.
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The head of the colony, John Smith, seeing the plight of the British, who were dying without food and water, went to the Indians for help. It is unknown what went wrong, but the Powhatan tribe decided to get rid of the stranger. Smith was saved from death by an Indian princess. The girl shaded John's head with her body. The warriors of the tribe did not dare to contradict the leader’s favorite and spared the Englishman.
There is no evidence that Pocahontas and John Smith had a romantic relationship. The young beauty had just turned 12, and the colonist was already 27. Moreover, according to the notes of his contemporaries, Smith was not distinguished by beauty and charm.
The friendly relations that began in such an unconventional way reconciled the British and Indians. The leader's daughter acted as envoy and diplomat. The girl often visited Jamestown and learned English.
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The truce ended suddenly. John Smith became seriously ill and was forced to leave the colony. The new leaders of Jamestown were unable to find a common language with the neighboring tribe. To force the Powhatans to cooperate, the English kidnapped Pocahontas. What happened to the girl in captivity is unknown. Some sources claim that the leader's daughter was protected like a treasure. Other evidence supports the theory that Pocahontas was brutally abused.
While imprisoned in Jamestown, Pocahontas meets plantation owner John Rolfe. After a short time, the leader's daughter converts to Christianity and marries a new acquaintance. It is impossible to know what prompted Pocahontas to take such a step. Whether it was love or political calculation, the Indian princess found a husband and a European name - Rebecca Rolfe.
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In 1615, Pocahontas became a mother - Thomas Rolfe was born in Jamestown. Soon John's plantations needed new workers, so Rolf gathered his wife and son and went to England.
The journey brought Pocahontas a lot of new impressions. In her homeland, her husband perceived an Indian girl as a curiosity. The beauty stood out from the crowd even in a traditional English dress. The unusual couple was received in noble houses of the Old World. Pocahontas was even introduced to King James I of England.
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Shortly before returning home, Mrs. Rolfe fell ill. There are several theories about what kind of disease struck the smart and determined girl. According to official data, Pocahontas died of smallpox. But researchers do not exclude that the disease could be pneumonia or tuberculosis. It is possible that Rebecca Rolfe was poisoned. Allegedly, the girl learned about the impending extermination of the tribe and was going to warn her native people.
John Rolfe recorded the last words of his dying wife:
“Everything must someday die, the tree, the flower, and I... An ear will sprout from my body. Don't cry, darling. Take comfort in the fact that our child will live!”
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Pocahontas was buried in the English city of Gravesend. The monument dedicated to the girl diplomat protects the peace of the leader’s daughter and is a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world.
Film adaptations
One of the first to tell the love story between Matoaka and an English colonist was director Lew Landers in the film “Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.” The debut of the film took place in 1953. Most scenes were filmed in Virginia. The role of the Indian chief's daughter went to actress Jody Lawrence.
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A film co-produced by the USA and Canada, released in 1995 under the title “Pocahontas: The Legend”, repeats the plot of the previous film. The fictional tale of love was an extraordinary success. Matoaka's husband is not mentioned in the script. The role of Pocahontas was played by Sandrine Holt.
In parallel with the Canadian film, the first full-length animated film from Disney, based on historical events, was released. A special feature of Pocahontas was the music - composer Alan Menken was awarded two Oscars for the compositions he created for the cartoon. The characters in the animated film looked realistic and captivated audiences of all ages.
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In 1998, a sequel to the cartoon “Pocahontas 2: Journey to the New World” was released. In the second part of the adventure, the princess went to England to prevent war. The voice of Pocahontas in both films was provided by Irene Bedard.
The drama “New World” was released in 2005. The film raises the theme of the conquest of the first Indians and touches on the love story of John Smith and Pocahontas. The role of the shrewd Indian girl went to actress K'Orianka Kilcher, and he played the colonial adventurer.
- The meaning of the heroine’s name is “white feather,” and the nickname “Pocahontas” translates as “prankster.”
- Pocahontas died at age 22.
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- Among the descendants of the Indian princess are two first ladies of the United States - Nancy Reagan and Edith Wilson.
- According to unconfirmed reports, before her wedding to John Rolfe, Pocahontas was married to fellow tribesman Kokoum, but left the man for a planter.
Matoaka, Pocahontas, Rebecca Rolfe
Pocahontas was born in 1595. in the Indian settlement of Werawocomoco (now Wicomico), Virginia, north of the Pamaunkee River (York River). She was the daughter of a powerful chief of the Powhatan tribe, named Wahunsonakok. However, in history, the English colonists called him by the name of the union of tribes that he led - Powhatan. About 25 tribes who spoke the language of the Algonquian family were subordinate to him. All that is known about Pocahontas’ mother is that she was one of the many wives of the great leader.
Pocahontas's native Indian name was Matoaka, meaning "White Feather." The real name was carefully hidden, because according to beliefs, only members of the tribe could know it. Pocahontas is the name by which the English colonists began to call her, and by which she remained in history.
In the spring of 1607 English settlers landed at the mouth of the Pamaunka River, and then the young princess saw white aliens for the first time.
At the confluence of the Pamaunka and Chickahiminy, the city of Jamestown was founded, named after King James.I (James I). By that time, the local Indians already knew about the existence of white people. In 1570-7. they had encountered Jesuit Spaniards, and they had also heard about attempts at colonization in Carolina. And so the English ships finally arrived at the mouth of the Pamaunka River. A few years before the founding of Jamestown, the British killed one of the leaders, and many Indians were captured and enslaved. So the new colonists were greeted without much enthusiasm. The Indians attacked them first, killing one and wounding several others. But still, after two of the three ships weighed anchor and sailed for provisions, the supreme leader proposed to make peace with the settlers, and as a sign of goodwill he sent a deer to the governor of Jamestown, Wingfield. It was then that Pocahontas met Captain John Smith.
One of the two ships that sailed to England was supposed to return with supplies for the settlers, but was delayed on the way; there was a catastrophic shortage of food in the town, people suffered from hunger on the deserted shore. Then John Smith in December 1607 at the head of a small detachment, he decides to leave the fort in search of food in the Indian forests. However, Smith's foray was not successful; the Indians, led by Pocahontas's uncle and brothers, attacked the expedition, everyone except Smith was killed, and he himself was taken to the capital of Powahatan, to the supreme leader.
At first, the leader warmly welcomed the new uninvited guest and treated him to a sumptuous dinner, but then the captain was taken to the place of execution, where he was to be beaten to death with sticks. At the moment when the fatal staff of one of the leaders was raised above Smith’s head, the young Indian woman and the leader’s beloved daughter covered it with herself, bending down and hugging his head with her hands, saving him from the clubs of her fellow tribesmen.
The leader was touched by his daughter’s act, and left John Smith’s life, declaring him his son and friend. After this, Pocahontas and John Smith became friends and spent a lot of time together.
Smith later returned to Jamestown, taking with him provisions given to him by the Indians. Relations between the latter and the settlers improved noticeably; Pocahontas, along with her fellow tribesmen, often came to Jamestown to exchange food for tools and all sorts of small things.
In his book, John Smith described Pocahontas as a charming young girl, distinguished by her composure and bearing among all the Indians, and surpassing everyone around her in spirit and intelligence.
John Smith was born around 1580. (that is, he was approximately 15 years older than Pocahontas). His life was full of adventures. Before arriving on the shores of the new continent, he managed to fight in Hungary against the Turks (in 1596-1606). Contemporaries called him "a rude, ambitious and boastful mercenary." According to eyewitnesses, he was short and had a beard. An experienced soldier, adventurer, explorer, Smith also had a quick pen and a rich imagination. It was he who wrote the first known description of an English settlement in the New World through the eyes of an eyewitness - “A True Narrative of the Remarkable Events in Virginia since the Founding of this Colony,” 1908. in this book, however, Pocahontas is not mentioned. Smith told about how the Indian princess saved his life only in 1616. in a letter to Queen Anne, just then Pocahontas arrived in England, and then repeated his story in his book "The Big Story", published in 1624.
Since 1860 History scholars disagree about the veracity of his story about Pocahontas. Smith could well have made it all up; his imagination worked well. Doubts were aggravated by the fact that he had already been saved by a Turkish princess before, when in 1602. he was captured by the Turks in Hungary. Karen Kupperman suggests that he "described events that occurred several decades earlier" when telling the story of Pocahontas. Various theories suggest that Smith may have misunderstood an incident he had while visiting Pocahontas's father. He may have undergone a tribal ritual intended to symbolize his death and rebirth as a member of the tribe. David A. Price notes that about ritualsPowhatanLittle is known, and there is no evidence of similar rituals among other North American tribes.
However, historian J.E.O. Leo LeMay noted in his 1992 book that since Smith had written books before that were primarily geographical and ethnographic in content, he had no reason to subsequently rewrite the story of Pocahontas.
One way or another, in Smith’s account, Pocahontas became a real good angel for the English colonists. Thanks to her help, relations with the Indians improved for some time. The princess visited the fort often and maintained a relationship with John Smith. She even saved his life again by warning him that the leader wanted to attack the city again.
However, in 1609 Smith suffered a mysterious accident, was seriously injured by a black powder explosion and was forced to return to England. Pocahontas was told that he died. Relations between the Indians and the settlers rapidly deteriorated, mutual hostility grew, and more and more frequent clashes began, although this did not affect the trade in basic necessities. In the autumn of 1609 The supreme leader of the tribal union gives the order to attack the newly arrived settlers in Werawocomoco, during the clash the latter killed about 60 people.
In April 1610 Pocahontas marries her fellow tribesman, the young military leader Kokum, and goes to live in an Indian settlement on the Potomac River. Living in the village, she still maintained contact with the British. Little is known about this period of Pocahontas’ life, as well as about the fate of her husband. Perhaps he died in one of the clashes with the English colonists.
Captain Samuel Argall, who lived in Jamestown, planned to kidnap the princess in order to force her father to return English prisoners in exchange for his daughter, as well as return the stolen weapons and pay a ransom in grain and corn. The captain carried out his plan in 1612. The chief sent part of the ransom and asked that his daughter be treated well.
So, for some time Pocahontas lived in Jamestown, then in 1613. she was sent to the settlement of Henrico, of which Thomas Dale was governor. The governor entrusted the Indian woman to the care of Pastor Alexander Whitaker. Thanks to the pastor, Pocahontas learned English and began to become acquainted with the Christian faith.
At the same time, in July 1613. she meets colonist John Rolfe, who plays a significant role in her life. Rolf was rich and respected, and was also known as a successful tobacco planter.
At the end of 1613, having received the entire ransom, the British returned the princess home, but in the name of making peace, the father and great leader of his people decides to marry Pocahontas to an Englishman, this man was John Rolfe. However, Rolf was a pious man, he did not accept a marriage to an Indian princess, and he agonized over the potential moral consequences of marrying a pagan. In a long letter to the governor, he expressed both his love for her and his faith, he wrote that he would save her soul. Pocahontas's own feelings about Rolf and marriage are unknown. But still, Pocahontas, already familiar with the basics of the Christian religion, accepts a new faith.
In 1614 In Jamestown, the English priest Alexander Whitaker baptized the Indian princess, giving her the name Rebecca. This name was not given to her by chance; it was taken from the Bible and belonged to a girl with dark skin, who became the mother of children who united two nations. For John Rolfe this was already the second marriage.
John Rolfe and his wife Sarah sailed from England to Jamestown, but on the way they were overtaken by a storm and thrown into Bermuda. While in Bermuda, Sarah gave birth to a girl, but both Rolf's wife and his newborn daughter soon died. There, in Bermuda, Rolf picked up local tobacco grains, and, sailing to Virginia in 1612, crossed them with local and coarser varieties. The resulting hybrid gained enormous popularity in England, and the export of tobacco ensured the financial well-being of the colony for a long time. Of course, John Rolfe became one of the most revered residents of Jamestown. The tobacco plantation he owned was called Bermuda Hundred.
April 5, 1614 28-year-old widower John Rolfe and the Indian princess got married. The bride's relatives were at the wedding - her uncle and brothers.
Leader Powhatan himself was not at the celebration, but sent a pearl necklace as a gift for his beloved daughter.
January 30, 1615 Rebecca gave birth to a son, the boy was named Thomas, in honor of the governor. The descendants of Pocahontas were called “Red Rolfs” in the United States.
In 1616 in his Narrative of Virginia, Rolfe describes several years as “blessed” for the inhabitants of the colony. Thanks to this largely political marriage, peace reigned between the Jamestownians and the Indians for 8 years. This short period of time was enough for the colony to strengthen and gain a solid economic basis - the tobacco trade. This was the only acceptable competitive product that the small colony of Jamestown could supply to Europe. It was necessary to conquer the English market; this was the only way the colonists could stay afloat in the future, perhaps even count on profit. To do this, it was necessary to obtain an audience with the king and obtain permission to trade. For this purpose, in the spring of 1616. Governor Thomas Dale set out for England, reaching first Plymouth and then going to London. In order to impress and attract public attention to the life of the colony, he took with him Princess Pocahontas and about eleven natives of the Powhatan tribe, including a holy man named Tomokomo. Mrs. Rebecca Rolf was accompanied by her husband and son. On July 12th, when the ship arrived in Plymouth, it was there that she learned that John Smith was alive and living in London. During her stay in England, John Smith wrote a letter to Queen Anne, in which he told the story of his miraculous salvation and in every possible way extolled the positive role of Pocahontas in the fate of the colony.
It was also he who asked the queen that Pocahontas be accepted as a person of royal blood. And indeed, the Indian princess was a stunning success in London.
In 1617 she and Tomokomo were presented to King JamesIand Queen Anne at Banqueting House in the Palace of Whitehall during Ben Jonson's masque performance of The Vision of the Rapture. King James (James) was so uninviting that none of the Indian guests realized who they had met until it was explained to them later.
For some time, Pocahontas and Rolf lived in the suburbs of Brentford, Middlesex and in Rolf's family home of Norfolk. At the beginning of 1617.Pocahontas and John Smith met again. Sources disagree on the circumstances under which this meeting took place. It is only known that after meeting with Smith, Pocahontas spoke about the words of her father, when everyone thought that Smith was dead, her father told Tomokomo to look for Smith because white people lie.
Seven months after arriving in England, John Rolfe, thanks to his wife, received the necessary support to sell the goods. In March 1617 The Rolf family began to prepare to go home to Virginia, but when the ship just approached Gravesend, Rebecca fell ill on the Thames River, either with a cold or pneumonia, some sources indicate tuberculosis or smallpox.
March 21, 1617 At the age of 22, Pocahontas died and was buried in the chapel of the town church in Gravesend, Kent, England. In her last days, she reassured her husband: “... everything must go away someday, it’s enough that our son is alive...”.
Pocahontas's father, Chief Powhatan, died the following spring of 1618, and relations between the colonists and the Indians deteriorated completely and irrevocably.Cities were built during this time And . In summer. The Legislative Assembly, the House of Burgesses, met in Jamestown. House of Burgesses), the first democratically elected body in the New World.Jamestown, meanwhile, flourished.
After spending several years in England, John Rolfe returned to Jamestown, where he continued to successfully cultivate tobacco. In 1619, he was one of the first to use the labor of black slaves on the plantation; in general, he was a progressive-minded person for his time and, as a result, forever entered the history of the tobacco industry and the history of America. Also in 1619, Jamestown became the state capitalVirginia. However, in 1676, the city was practically destroyed during one of the largest Indian uprisings in American history, the Baconis Rebellion, after which it fell into relative decline and in 1698 lost its status as the state capital.
In 1622, the Indians, under the leadership of a new leader Opekankanohomaattacked Jamestown and killed about 350 settlers. The British responded to aggression with aggression. Even during the lifetime of Pocahontas's peers, the Indians living in Virginia were almost completely exterminated and scattered throughout America, and their lands were given to the colonists. Soon, similar methods of treating Native Americans spread throughout the continent.
Pocahontas' son, Thomas Rolfe, was raised in England under the care of his uncle, Henry Rolfe. However, at age 20, he returned to his mother's homeland, became an officer in the local militia, and commanded a frontier fort on the James River.
Through this son, Pocahontas has many living descendants. Many First Families of Virginia trace their roots to Pocahontas and tribal leader Powhatan, including such notables as Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson; George Wiese Randolph; Admiral Richard Beard; Virginia Governor Harry Flood Beard; fashion designer and socialite Pauline de Rothschild; former First Lady Nancy Reagan; actor Glenn Strange; and astronomer and mathematician Percival Lowell.
John Rolfe died in 1676, the year of the rebellion, but whether he died a natural death (he would have been about 90 years old) or was killed during a massacre committed by Indians in the city is unknown.
In subsequent years, the story of Pocahontas, Captain Smith and John Rolfe gradually became one of the favorite Virginian and then all-American myths. Many people in Virginia and beyond are descended from Pocahontas, and references to her and her descendants appear in many literary works. Here is what Mine Reed writes, for example, in the novel “Osceola, Chief of the Seminoles”: “There is an admixture of Indian blood in my veins, since my father belonged to the Randolph family of the Roanoke River and traced his descent from Princess Pocahontas. He was proud of his Indian ancestry - he almost boasted of this. Perhaps it will seem strange to a European, but it is known that in America whites who have Indian ancestors are proud of their origins. Being a mestizo is not considered a shame, especially if a descendant of the natives has a decent fortune. the nobility and greatness of the Indians are less convincing than the simple fact that we are not ashamed to recognize them as our ancestors. Hundreds of white families claim to be descended from the Virginia princess. If their claims are true, then the beautiful Pocahontas was a priceless treasure for her husband."
The image of Pocahontas still adorns the flag and seal of the city of Henrico.
Well, after cinema was invented, the myth of Pocahontas - the Indian woman who helped the pale-faced - was repeatedly captured on film in different versions. The first film about Pocahontas was the silent film of the same name in 1910, Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953) was filmed in the middle of the century. In 1995, the Walt Disney Company's full-length animated film "Pocahontas" was released, which depicts a fictional love affair between Pocahontas and John Smith. The sequel, Pocahontas II: Ride to a New World, depicts her meeting John Rolfe and traveling to England. Also in the same 1995, a second feature film based on her life, Pocahontas: The Legend, was released. The latest project currently listed is Terence Malick .
My chest was heaving heavily. Sick of smallpox, Pocahontas lay in bed, exhausted. There was a cool breath through the window.
“John...” she whispered, and her husband bent over her head and carefully placed his hand on her forehead. Compared to his hand, Pocahontas was burning.
“I’m here,” he said tenderly, but she did not react.
“John,” she called pitifully again and stared blankly into his eyes. - Do you remember that small stream near which we...
It became difficult for Pocahontas to speak. She squeezed John Rolfe's hand tightly.
The sun was at its zenith; Pocahontas shuddered all over.
Her dark skin was pockmarked; blisters covered his sharp cheekbones and Indian nose. The plump lips that had previously kissed and loved continued to whisper the name. But John Rolfe understood that she was not talking to him.
“I was in such a hurry to shut you up...” she said again and smiled. John Rolfe smiled back. There was probably another person in her eyes.
Pocahontas was tossing about in delirium and fever. She clenched the edges of the blanket in her fists and spoke heatedly:
- If you ask me if I will board the ship... ask again... John.
The husband remained silent. In the next room, a little son began to cry. Even this did not bring Pocahontas out of her delirium: she looked pleadingly at John Rolfe with her large doe eyes. Only she could look like that.
“Please,” she asked. Tears began to tremble on her eyelashes.
John Rolfe restrained himself from telling her: honey, it’s not him. It's me. Your husband. Honey, you'll get better.
“Pocahontas,” he said and trembled. -Will you come with me?
She raised her hand and gently touched his cheek. Her face brightened. She stroked the man's lips with her thumb.
“Yes,” she said, and the last breath left her lips.
The huge sails were inflated by the wind, and the Indian wind, free and fresh, breathed in them. The ship was leaving into an unknown distance. But Pocahontas stayed with him.
He smiled tenderly at her, burying his face in his dark hair. Words were unnecessary. For the first time in many years, she felt how deeply her heart was beating, like the beating of tom-toms.
“John,” her lips parted in a smile. She ran her fingers through her golden hair.
Now everything was right.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to come to you,” she said.
Embracing, they watched the sun set into the deep blue sea...
Pocahontas, aka Matoaka, princess of the Powhatans, died at age 22 from smallpox. Her new and final name was carved on the tombstone: Rebecca Rolfe.
The sun set on her native land and rose here in England.
John Rolfe covered the lifeless body, disfigured by smallpox, and straightened up.
My Pocahontas never existed.
After all, she didn't belong to me.
Everybody knows Princess Pocahontas like the Disney cartoon heroine who saved the life of her lover, a European settler John Smith. In fact, the girl was about 10 years old when the Indians wanted to kill the Englishman, and there was no romantic history between them. But she really married a European. Her life was cut short at the age of 22, and her grave was located thousands of kilometers from her homeland. What was the fairytale story of Pocahontas?
Very little information has been preserved about the girl’s life, and some of it is very contradictory. No reliable images of her have survived. In fact, Pocahontas is not a name, but a nickname that meant “prankster.” The girl’s real name was Matoaka (“white feather”), it was hidden from strangers. She was born around 1595 into a Native American tribe and was the chief's favorite daughter.
In 1607, English settlers appeared on the lands of Indian tribes. John Smith was really going to be executed for killing an Indian, but the girl begged her father to spare his life. A year later, she helped the British by revealing to them her father’s plans to liquidate the colony. After being wounded, John Smith had to return to his homeland. Perhaps Pocahontas was truly sad after the breakup, but this did not last long.
In 1613, it was stolen by colonists for ransom. According to one version, she was treated with respect, according to another, she was raped in captivity. All this time she acted as a mediator in negotiations with the Indians, and soon married tobacco planter John Rolfe. For the sake of her husband, she even converted to Christianity, and from then on her name was Rebecca Rolfe. This marriage allowed the British to make peace with the Indians for 8 years. And two years later, Pocahontas and her husband went to England. One can only guess who she really was - a heroine or a traitor to her tribe.
In England she was accepted as the “Empress of Virginia”; the girl changed her image and learned social manners. But the happiness did not last long - a year later Pocahontas died. Death occurred either from pneumonia, or from tuberculosis, or from smallpox. According to one version, the British poisoned the girl before she was about to return to her homeland so that she could not warn the Indians about the British intentions to destroy their settlements.
The true story of Pocahontas makes us think about the untold realities of that time, about which an American of Indian descent eloquently said: “What is the true story of Pocahontas? White guys come to a new land, deceive the Indian chief, kill 90% of the men and rape all the women. What are Disney doing? They translate this tragedy, the genocide of my people, into a love story with a raccoon singing. I wonder if you, a white man, would make a love story about Auschwitz, where a skinny prisoner falls in love with a guard, with a singing raccoon and a dancing swastika? I was ashamed that my daughter watched this cartoon.”
So, last week another series of my “costume” posts came to its finale, dedicated to “Downton Abbey” (if you suddenly missed everything, don’t worry - the complete collection of works from 27 posts on), which was completed by my grand-final costume competition.
And while its winner is preparing a “dossier” for my work on a mini-analysis of her style and appearance, I have an excellent opportunity and a reason to return another “favor” left over from the last costume competition. Then, more than a year ago, you and I chose the best “crazy” heroines, one of which was this girl.
However, I was not able to prepare a well-deserved mini-analysis for her then, because... The winner, unfortunately, never contacted me and did not send materials. And preparing a style concept “on the fly”, without sufficient information about the client, even in the shortest format, is not always effective. But still...
Even with a small number of photographs, I still have something useful to say about this type (and its design), especially since just the other day I had the opportunity to solve a couple of sartorial problems for a client with a similar appearance.
So, analyzing the girl’s appearance even from those few angles in the photos I have, it is impossible not to note that her coloring, type of contrast and facial features take her appearance away from Central European latitudes, adding “exotic” notes. And even with minimal imagination, looking at our participant, it’s easy to imagine that she could be from exotic Peru or Bolivia:
And if you stretch your imagination a little more , then you can see in this girl the modern embodiment of Pocahontas:
I admit that discovering that such a portrait is “hidden” in the client’s appearance can greatly facilitate the stylist’s work;) Because creating literal, albeit modern, interpretations of clearly defined images is usually easier. And our geronia with its type is no exception in this case:
With such characteristics of the type, both images in the ethno-style, inspired by the costumes of South American tribes, and outfits of the modern version of the Indian princess Pocahontas can be easily achieved:
The only point: such outfits, which are as close as possible to the original, have an increased intensity, which is why they may turn out to be too catchy / pretentious / not suitable for a certain character, temperament or lifestyle (*this is why I never tire of repeating that true personal style should put your inner content first, which will be reflected in your appearance).
However, if we assume that the general concept of such a style is not alien to our heroine, then it is quite easy to regulate the degree of costume in her images, thanks to the recognition and high associativity of this style, even if the outfit contains a minimum number of characteristic elements or they are combined with neutral/modern things.
Therefore, if a girl is suitable and likes that her image will be associated with such “style anchors,” then everything will help our heroine - from national costumes to the images of her famous “type sisters” like Vanessa Hudgens, especially when every year they dress up in flocks for Coachella festival. And the only thing left ishow much -from full embodiment to characteristic accessories “scattered” along the basic outline.
And here would be the end of another stylish story, but... just the other day I had the opportunity to look for two interesting sartorial solutions for a client of a very similar type, like our today’s heroine. So, inspired by the general idea of the image of Pocahontas, this girl asked me a question whether, within these stylistic frameworks, it was possible to further emphasize her strong character, confidence and ability to fight (for despite her features lacking rigidity and sharpness, she, by the way, practiced martial arts, and Now she is building her own business). And as possible options, I suggested that she move away from the “boho-chic” elements and pay attention to the images of Alicia Vikander from LV, which are precisely a combination of a modern Pocahontas and a female warrior:
**True, if you have already begun to mentally try on these images for yourself, keep in mind one important point: if you are the owner of a very fragile physique, a young/youthful face and (this may be the main thing) not too combative character, which is manifested in your facial expressions and gestures , that is, there is a good chance that the outfit will look like armor on you that you are hiding behind, and not using at all in battle.
and my combat client’s comment was like this:
Sasha, I can’t help but thank you separately for this picture - it’s just all mine - the black top “under the skin” and the white skirt in the right size and absolutely perfect shoes and even my favorite correctly colored fringe)))
Just super)))
Well, on the other hand, there is another interesting question: can ethno-images / images inspired by Pocahontas, which are clearly suburban in their charge, be “switched” to an urban mood? Here, as an answer, I would recommend looking at some images of Miroslava Duma.
All these images are not ethnic par excellence, but they have similarities at the level of technical details (color solutions, textures, prints), and the type of the hostess adds similarity at the level of the overall charge [for comparison, imagine the same outfits on a classic Slavic blonde] .
And yes, comparing the last two images, you can see not only a certain similarity (in the general mood/energy), but also those differences that make the image of Miroslava (on the right) more urban and refined.
I think it might be relevant, so let's go through it in order...
Firstly, the colors: in the traditional ethnic image they are brighter and more vigorous and there are more of them (we remember that the standard of classical European elegance is, in principle, “colorless” images - total white, total black, total beige). Secondly, prints: ethnic or classic “block” geometry. And thirdly, the style of accessories and the “general design” of the image, which includes, for example, hairstyle.
I don't know if last year's winner will see this post. Hope so! And in this case, I hope that I will find useful ideas in it, despite the fact that the information about it at my disposal was minimal;)
For this, I bow out and remind you that this post is another small example of a mini-analysis, a service available today in the arsenal of my remote services. And if you want too, you can order a mini-analysis by writing me a personal message or sending a request to my work email [email protected]