logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
56m 6s

Pocahontas

NOISER
About this episode

Pocahontas is probably the best known Native American in history. But the true story of her life has been eclipsed by a fictionalised version, played out as a romance between an intrepid English captain and a wild native princess. So what is known about the real Pocahontas, and her life before the arrival of the white colonisers? How did she spearhead a period of truce between her tribe and the Europeans? And did she truly have a say in her own fate, and the fate of her people? 

This is a Short History of Pocahontas.

Written by Lindsay Galvin. With thanks to Camilla Townsend, professor of history at Rutgers University, and author of Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma

For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial.

Sponsor: Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/shorthistory It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Jul 6
The Shroud of Turin
The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen, believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth. Its most famous feature is the blurry imprint of a man’s face, which resembles the pictures of Jesus that have passed down to us over the centuries. Revered by millions, the Sh ... Show More
58m 7s
Jun 29
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle, a doctor, war volunteer, campaigner for justice, politician, and believer in the spirit world, created one of literature’s most famous characters. In his lifetime, he wrote ghost stories, political pamphlets, historical novels, and fantastical adventures. But ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 25
Introducing: Fidel Castro - Real Dictators
This is a taster episode of the Fidel Castro story. To hear episodes 2-10, head over to Real Dictators and hit follow. Fidel Castro - a revolutionary turned strongman dictator, beloved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies. The bête noire of the United States who pushed th ... Show More
1h 6m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
149. Pocahontas: Kidnapped in Virginia
One of the most famous names in American history, Pocahontas had an extraordinary life. She was the daughter of Powhatan, a great Native American chief, and was born in Werowocomoco, in what we’d now call Virginia. From a young age, she mixed with the initial English settlers and ... Show More
48m 34s
Nov 2013
Pocahontas
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life of Pocahontas, the Native American woman who to English eyes became a symbol of the New World. During the colonisation of Virginia in the first years of the seventeenth century, Pocahontas famously saved the life of an English prisoner ... Show More
41m 50s
May 2020
Pocahontas
Join Greg Jenner for a homeschool history lesson on Pocahontas, a Native American woman and daughter of prominent leader Wahunsenacawh, who was captured by British colonists in the 17th century and brought to England. You’ve seen Disney’s Pocahontas, but how much of it is true? T ... Show More
15m 24s
Nov 2019
Pocahontas, Revisited
It's National Native American Heritage Month, a perfect time to recast our episode on the real story of Pocahontas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
1h 13m
Jun 2016
36A-Pocahontas: The Empire Business
The story of Pocahontas and John Smith has turned from compelling historical story of a brave woman who united two warring nations, to a melodramatic, oversimplified love story. In reality, Pocahontas likely never view Smith as more than a friend, since she was 11 when they first ... Show More
50m 10s
Nov 2020
Pocahontas, Revisited
Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught. We revisit this 2017 episode to learn the real, not Disneyfied, story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
1h 13m
May 2023
Native Americans: a new history
For too long, argues Professor Ned Blackhawk, Indigenous people have been marginalised or viewed merely as passive participants in the history of the United States. Speaking to Matt Elton, Ned discusses the central role that Indigenous people have played across centuries of the n ... Show More
49m 22s
Aug 2023
The Girl Called Pocahontas
How do you uncover the true life of a woman whose existence is wrapped in myth, propaganda and a famous animated children’s movie?This is the true story of Matoaka - a young Powhatan girl who you probably know as Pocahontas. This is the mystery of a child, a hidden history and a ... Show More
33m 47s
Dec 2017
Pocahontas
Pocahontas did save lives... just not the way (or the one) that you've been taught. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
1h 12m