Virginia tribes want to share Pocahontas story

Thursday, March 1, 2007  

Amid the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, Virginia tribes want to share their story about Pocahontas, the Powhatan woman whose tribe helped the English settlers survive.

Dr. Linwood Little Bear Custalow, a member of the Mattaponi Tribe, is the co-author of a new book on Pocahontas. It's called "The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History."

"People have not looked through our cultural lens at history. It's time to look at the other side of history, the sacred history of the Mattaponi," Mattaponi Chief Carl "Lone Eagle" Custalow, Dr. Custalow's brother, tells the Associated Press.

The Mattaponi were part of the historic Powhatan confederacy. Pocahontas was the daughter of a powerful chief who often accompanied her father during his visits to Jamestown. She married an English settler, bore a child with him and died in England, while trying to return back to her people.

Get the Story:
As Jamestown is celebrated, critics dismiss Pocahontas' story as 'feel-good history' (AP 3/1)
Pocahontas's Trail (The Washington Post 3/1)

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