Over four hundred years ago, there was a young girl named Matoaka.
Matoaka was a Native American whose father was the chief of the Powhatan tribe.
She was funny and very curious and clever.
Her nickname was Pocahontas, which means playful.
Pocahontas and the other Powhatans lived in what we now call the state of Virginia.
When Pocahontas was a young girl, many settlers from England came to her country.
As she watched their ships arrive, she told her friend how wonderful she thought they looked.
"Look at those huge sailing ships! They are amazing!" she said.
"I think they are scary looking. I don't like them," said her friend.
Many of the other Powhatans also did not like the settlers from England, and some were afraid of them.
Some Powhatans even thought the English were devils and warned their chief.
"Chief Powhatan, we must kill these English settlers.
If we do not kill them, they will kill us. They are evil.
Even their weapons spit fire," they said.
But Pocahontas was not afraid of the English settlers, and she did not think they were evil.
In fact, she became friends with the English settlers.
One day while walking near the village, she met Captain John Smith.
Captain Smith was one of the leaders of the English settlement.
"What are you doing with that long stick?" she asked, pointing to his gun.
"I am hunting for wild animals," he said.
She offered him some berries and corn. "Why don't you try these?"
"Mmm, they are delicious," he said. "Thank you."
Sadly, one day the English settlers and the Powhatan warriors began to fight.
It was very bad. Some of the settlers and some of the Powhatan warriors died.
The Powhatans captured Captain John Smith and brought him before their chief to kill him.
"You and your people are evil. We do not want you here.
We want your people to go home," said Chief Powhatan.
"No, Father!" cried Pocahontas."Do not kill him! He is my friend.
He is not evil, and his people are not evil. They can be our friends."
Pocahontas convinced her father to let Captain Smith return to his people.
After that, Pocahontas became very good friends with the settlers and helped make peace between them and the Powhatans.
A few years later, Captain Smith returned to England.
After Captain Smith left, the settlers and the Powhatans began to fight again.
Soon Pocahontas had no friends among the settlers.
Then one day Pocahontas was captured by the new captain.
Chief Powhatan sent a messenger to rescue his daughter.
"Tell Powhatan that if he wants to have his daughter back, he must agree to live in peace," the captain told the messenger.
"The Powhatans must never again attack this settlement."
"I will tell him," said the messenger.
As a prisoner, Pocahontas was treated very well.
She was given a nice house to live in, good clothing, and plenty of food.
She was also given many books to read. Pocahontas enjoyed living with the settlers.
One day she had a visitor. "My name is John Rolfe.
I hope that you are comfortable here, Pocahontas," he said.
"Yes, I am very comfortable. I enjoy reading these books," replied Pocahontas.
"I have many other interesting books. May I bring some to you?"
"Yes, please. That would be wonderful," she said.
John Rolfe was a successful businessman. He had a nice house in the settlement.
He was young and handsome, but he was not married.
He and Pocahontas became very good friends.
They met often, and soon they fell in love.
"Would you like to go for a walk, John?" she asked one day.
"Yes, that would be nice. Let's go for a walk by the river," he suggested.
That day by the water's edge, Pocahontas and John Rolfe decided to get married.
A meeting was set up between Chief Powhatan and John Rolfe.
"Powhatan," John began, "I love your daughter, and I would like to marry her.
I promise that she will always be happy. She will have a wonderful life."
"If you marry my daughter, then we will have peace between our peoples. So I agree," said the chief.
A grand wedding was held in the settlement. It was a wonderful celebration.
Many of the settlers came to the wedding, and many of the Powhatans came as well.
The Powhatans and the settlers became friends.
Shortly after the wedding, Pocahontas and John Rolfe sailed to England for a holiday.
Pocahontas was amazed at how large London was.
She and her husband were invited to many parties and receptions.
One day her husband gave her some exciting news: "Pocahontas, tomorrow you will meet the king."
"The king! That is very exciting," she said.
The next day, in a grand celebration, Pocahontas met the king of England.
The king gave her a royal title and a new name. Her new name was Lady Rebecca.
John Rolfe and Pocahontas were planning to return to the settlement to live.
Pocahontas was excited about going home, but sadly, she never made it.
Just before she left England, Pocahontas became very sick, and two months later, she died.
Matoaka, known as Pocahontas in the New World, and as Lady Rebecca in England, was an extraordinary woman.
She was brave and intelligent, and most of all, she didn't hate or fear people from other lands.