Pocahontas: The Powhatan Indians’ Own James Carville

Newswise — Pocahontas, the Powhatan princess who befriended English captain John Smith and the colonists of the Jamestown, Va. settlement in the early 1600s, has been called a traitor, the "mother of a nation," and, as in the upcoming The New World film, a lover of Smith. In reality, Pocahontas was more of a savvy political strategist, according to Colgate University history professor Camilla Townsend. Author of Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, Townsend believes that Pocahontas' actions throughout her life reveal a woman with a full grasp of the plight facing her people, as well as a desire to save them from what eventually befell Native Americans in the years to come.

"She was not the hapless Monica Lewinsky of her time," said Townsend. "She was a James Carville."

Although some elements of Pocahontas' life are still debated, certain events in it are undisputed, said Townsend. She was kidnapped and held for ransom by Jamestown settlers in 1613, she was baptized in 1614, and she married Englishman John Rolfe that same year.

"Pocahontas' wedding was definitely a well-thought political move on her part, something she did for peace, because in the Indian world, high-born women married the enemy to prevent further conflict," explained Townsend, adding that there is evidence that Rolfe loved Pocahontas (who took the name Rebecca Rolfe after her nuptials) and that she may have had real feelings for him in return.

"To suggest, however, that Pocahontas worshipped the white man, abandoned her people, or loved John Smith — as The New World movie does — is ridiculous," said Townsend. "She didn't love the English. She used them."

Colgate University is a highly selective, residential, liberal arts college enrolling nearly 2,750 undergraduates. Situated on a rolling 515-acre campus in central New York State, Colgate University attracts motivated students with diverse backgrounds, interests, and talents.