Chief Powhatan

Hello! My name is Wahunsenacawh, but you can call me Powhatan. That was the name of my village, and it is what the English visitors called me. A long, long time ago, I was born around the year 1547. I was a Mamanatowick, which means a great chief. I was the leader of many, many villages that were all joined together like a big family. We called our beautiful home Tsenacommacah. It was a land full of green forests and wide rivers.

I had a very special daughter. Her name was Matoaka, but we often called her Pocahontas, which means 'playful one.' She was full of life and loved to explore the world around her. She was brave and smart, and she was very important to our people. We all lived together in our villages, where we grew food, fished in the rivers, and told stories.

One day, around the year 1607, big ships arrived, bringing visitors from a faraway land called England. They looked very different from us. We tried to understand each other and share our world. I lived a long and full life as the leader of my people until the year 1618. Today, people remember me as a strong chief who cared deeply for his family and his land.