Evening star., 1936-03-01
POCAHONTAS WAS STAR OF WORLDS FIRST BUR
.Pattern of Ancient Show
Followed Exactly Today
Performance Was Prelude to Growing of
Powhatan as First and Only King Created
on Continent North of Mexico.

had considerable contact with Pow
hatan and his retainers-including
the affecting occasion when the saw
age monarch's precocious daughter,
Pocahontas, had saved him from hav-
ing his brains beaten out for the em-
peror's entertainment. He had no
illusions about the royalty Of Pow
hatan. The idea of the crafty old
scoundrel sleeping in the royal bed
struck him as ridiculous.
But Christopher Newport had his
orders and didn't dare 60 home with
out carrying them out. He was from
the home ofice-the direct represent
ative Of the company and Smiths boss.
He demanded that Powhatan be sum-
moned to appear in jamestown to be
crowned.
There was nothing to do but obey
orders. So Smith set forth into the
wilderness with four companions to
find the surly old gangster. The dele
cation made its way to the nearest
large Indian village. IL miles away.
Powhatan was away, visiting another
of his villages. Smith persuaded some
Indians to go after him. Then the
five Englishmen settled themselves
fearsomely to await his coming-if
he should deign to come.
Presumably Powhatan, whose scouts
were everywhere, knew already that
Smith was looking for him. An en-
tertainment had been arranged for
the white men such as had been ac-
corded no other notification commit
tee in the history of the world. At
least it was inetnded for entertain
ment although. for time, they had
their suspicious. A fire was built in
the middle of clearing. Mats were
spread before it, upon which the Wis
itors were invited to sit.
THEN came the second act of our
burlesque show-the staged bur-
lesque show within the extempora- =
neous burlesque show As described
in Smiths own account:
"Suddainly amongst the woods was
heart such an hydeous noyse and
shreeking that the English betooke
themselves to their arms, and seized
upon two or three old men by them,
supposing PoWhatan with all his power
was come to suprize them. But pres
emily Pocahontas came, willing him to
kill her if any hurt were intended.
And the beholders. which were men,
women and children, satisfied the cap
taine there was no such matter.
Then presently they were presented
with this antike; 80 young women
neare came naked out of the woods,
onely covered before and behind with
a few green leaves. their bodies all
painted some of one colour, some of
another, but all differing. Their
leader. Pocahontas, had a fayre payre
of bucks hornes on her head, and an
otter's skin at her girdle. and another
at her arm, quiver of arroweS at
her back, a bow and arrowes in her
hand. The next had in her hand
a sword, another club, another a
pot-sticke; all horned alike; the rest
every one with their several devices.
These fiendes with most hellisll
shoutes and cryes, rushing from
amongst the trees, cast themselves
in ring about the fire, singing and
dauncing with most excellent i'll
varietie, oft falling into their internal
passions, and solemnly againe to sing
and daunce: having spent neare an
hour In this mascarade, as they entered
in like manner they departed"
Thus these five white men, it would
appear, had front row seats at kind
of entertainment, here witnessed for
the first time by Caucasians, which
was to become an American institution
in the still distant days of the tired
business man. Pocahontas was then
13 years old, but a precocious lass.
In the kingdom Of her father-the
white men insisted on its being a
kingdom-there were no laws pro-
hibiting children on the stage. She
may well be accorded the honor of
having been the first American bur-
lesque queen. Why not? Who wants
to dispute her claim?
After the dance. Smith noted in
his journal, the girls retired to the
woods and ''reoccomodated them
is, put On their clothes.
It was late October and the atmos-
phere was not well suited to the
coStumelessneSs of burlesque. But the
entertainment was not over. When
Dou,ho ton u,ac II, 0o,,oSo,,e ,,,ood 1,o
spared nothing to make his guests
feel at home.
EOR when the girls were dressed,
Smith recounts, they "solemnly
invited him to their lodgings, where
he was no sooner within the house but
all these nymphes more tormented him
than ever with crowding, pressing and
hanging about him, most tediously
crying: Love you not me. love you not
me. This salutation ended, the feast
was set, consisting of all the salvage
dainties they could devise; some at
tending, others singing and dancing
about them; which mirth being ended,
with firebrands instead of torches they
conducted him to his lodgingsF
Old Powhatan had hit upon all
twentieth century methods of enter
tanning tired business men. It was
no fault of his that Capt. John Smith
was not in a mood for wine, women
and song.
Powhatan himself arrived the next
day. He supposed the white men had
come to bargain with him, for what
he knew not He had tried to put them
in proper frame of mind for his ad-
vantage:
John Smith made known his mis-
sion. The old warrior was to come
to Jamestown to be crowned king Of
Virginia. Rich presents awaited him.
From him the English wanted only
two favors-that guides be provided
them to the Pacific Ocean and the
Indies, which presumably lay just be-
yond the Blue Ridge Mountains and
that he inflict suitable punishment on
a native village where a white man
had been slain.
powI1afan swoe ar<osr,,HoA Yro