Pocahontas (c.1595-1617), the most famous Native American woman 
in early American history, is probably best known for saving the life 
of John Smith (pictured here in this nineteenth-century engraving).  
Though an important item in American legend, it is not certain this 
story is true.  In 1613, Pocahontas was kidnapped and held hostage 
by the colonists to bargain with here father, Chief Powhatan, for the 
release of other prisoners.,  Her subsequent marriage to one of 
Jamestown's leading colonists, John Rolfe, assured peace between the 
colonists and the Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy.  She took the 
name Rebecca after converting to Christianity.  Here real name was 
Matoaka, but her father called her Pocahontas, which meant "my 
favorite daughter."  Returning from a trip to England, Pocahontas 
contracted smallpox and died at the age of twenty-two.