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POCAHONTAS: A PROMISE OF PEACE

By: Kelly Boyce

Grades 3-4

The beginning of my adventure started one afternoon when two of my Indian friends asked me to go visit an English ship. I thought nothing of it, considering the white man had always been my friend. However, when I stepped on board, I knew that something was dreadfully wrong. The man who was leading us around the great ship never let his eyes leave my face. When he led us below deck, I was shoved into a room and the door was locked. I screamed for my Indian friends to help, but they did not listen. No one did anything to help me. I searched the room for a way out, but there was none. The door was securely locked and so was the window. I tried to look around for something that would help me, but I found nothing. All the room contained was a bed, a table and one chair, all bolted to the floor. I threw myself down on the bed and cried. I cried tears of desperation, fear and sadness.

I must have fallen asleep because the when I opened my eyes again, the whole room was dark. I snuggled under the blankets and thought about my home. My name is Pocahontas and I live in an Indian tribe around the new colony of Jamestown, Virginia. Thinking of my home brought thoughts of my father. My father’s name is Powhatan. He is the chief of all the tribe chiefs in my area. My father is a very stubborn man and sometimes he tries to hurt the white man. He cannot understand their way of life and he thinks they are lazy. Several times in the past I had to warn my English friends because my father was planning to hurt them. Suddenly, I realized that I was probably taken for that reason. The English did not want to be scared of my father anymore and they knew he would not hurt them if they had me as their prisoner. I couldn’t help but feel some peace about my situation. I was glad that my father would not try to hurt the English again.

The captain of the chip, Captain Argall, was very kind to me. He took me to their fort in Jamestown. Women came to the fort and taught me many things. I learned how to sew with a needle and dip candles. Then the minister at the fort started to teach me from his Bible. It took some time, but I developed a belief in the God of the Bible. I was baptized into the Christian faith and was given the new name of Rebecca.

I can honestly say that I like the way of the white man. My father, Powhatan will always be special to me, but I feel this is where I belong and where I will stay. I met a man named John Rolfe and fell deeply in love with him. I planned to wed him and asked my father to come but he refused. However, he did promise to keep peace between the Indians and the white man as long as I lived. Overall, I would say that my capture was a good thing. My father kept his promise and I met my husband and my Lord Jesus Christ.

Pocahontas was an important part of history because she encouraged peace between the white man and the Indians. She once saved the life of John Smith from the hand of her father. Pocahontas kept peace between the Indians and the English up until her death in 1617.

PROPS:

  • Indian Headdress
  • Teach the class your Indian name before you read the story
  • A picture of the Disney Pocahontas (Explain that the character in the story is not he same as in the Disney movie)
  • A map showing Jamestown, Virginia

QUESTIONS:

  1. According to the story, what two names did Pocahontas have?
  2. Why do you think the English took Pocahontas captive?
  3. What was Pocahontas’ native background?
  4. Describe how Pocahontas felt when she was first taken prisoner. How would you have felt?
  5. What sort of things did the women at the fort teach?
  6. Give an example of one of Pocahontas’ character qualities and an example of how she displayed that quality.
  7. There was one major thing that changed Pocahontas religious view on life. What was that thing and what lead her to that belief?

ANSWERS:

  1. Pocahontas and Rebecca.
  2. She was taken captive so that her father, Powhatan, would not hurt the English.
  3. Indian.
  4. She was sad, scared, and very desperate. I would have felt very scared terrified, etc.
  5. The women taught her how to sew with a needle and dip candles.
  6. Compassion. Even though she had been captured, she felt it was worth it that the English would not be harmed.
  7. Pocahontas became a believer in Jesus Christ. The minister at the fort taught her from the Bible and this led her to her belief.

TEACHING OUTLINE:

  1. Pocahontas’ capture
    1. Visiting the English ship
    2. Locked in a room
    3. Looking for an escape
  2. Coming to an understanding of the capture
    1. Thinking of home
    2. Thinking of her father’s treatment of the English
    3. Realizing why she may have been taken
  3. Adjusting to the ways of the English
    1. Being taught by the women
    2. Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ
  4. Staying with the English
    1. Feeling as though she belongs
    2. Marrying John Rolfe
    3. Keeping peace between the Indians and the fort at Jamestown, Virginia

SOURCES:

Moore, Judy Hull. Our American Heritage. Pensacola: A Beka Book Publications, 1992.