Summary
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, John Smith. Later captured, she converted to Christianity, married a settler and travelled to England where she was regarded as a curiosity. She died in 1617 at the age of 22 and was buried in Gravesend; her story has fascinated generations on both sides of the Atlantic, and has been reinterpreted and retold by many writers and artists.
With:
Susan Castillo Harriet Beecher Stowe Emeritus Professor of American Studies at King's College London
Tim Lockley Reader in American Studies at the University of Warwick
Jacqueline Fear-Segal Reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia
Producer: Thomas Morris.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
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| 0:45.9 | the program. |
| 0:48.9 | Hello in an unmarked grave in the town of Graves End in Kent lie the remains of a young woman who died there in 1616. |
| 0:57.0 | Her name was Amanutee, but she's better known today by her nickname Pocahontas, meaning the naughty child. Although she died in her early 20s, |
| 1:04.5 | Pocahontas has become one of the most celebrated figures of American history. |
| 1:08.0 | Born into a tribe of Native Americans in Virginia, she's said to have famously intervened to save the life of an English |
| 1:14.6 | colonist. Later, she converted to Christianity and married another settler, a rich tobacco |
| 1:19.8 | planter. Her journey across the Atlantic and appearances in London society caused a sensation and in early 17th century |
| 1:26.6 | England she was a celebrity I suppose. Although comparative little is known about her life |
| 1:31.9 | Pocahontas has become a foundation |
| 1:34.6 | symbol of early America and inspired numerous books and works of art. |
| 1:38.7 | With me to discuss the life insignificance of Pocahontas are Susan Castillo, Harriet Beachesstow, America. significant at the University of Warwick and Jacqueline Fierce Eagle, reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia. |
| 1:57.0 | Tim Locker, let's begin with the European settlement of North America. |
| 2:02.0 | How advance was that at the start of the |
| 2:04.4 | start of the 17th century Pocahontas was born in 1595-ish? North America was very |
... |
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