VOA慢速英語：關(guān)于“印第安公主”波卡洪塔斯的真實歷史

The True Story of Pocahontas

關(guān)于“印第安公主”波卡洪塔斯的真實歷史

Pocahontas is one of the most famous figures in American history. Many books and films portray her as a beautiful American Indian "princess" who made sacrifices to serve British colonial interests. These stories also suggest that she saved England's first Virginia settlers from death and starvation.

波卡洪塔斯(Pocahontas)是美國歷史上最著名的人物之一。很多書籍和電影都將她描繪為一位美麗的印第安公主，為英國殖民利益作出了犧牲。這些故事還暗示她拯救了英格蘭第一批弗吉尼亞殖民者，讓他們避免了死亡和饑餓。

Most likely none of that is true.

這些很有可能都不是真實的。

Pocahontas was the daughter of Pamunkey Chief Wahunsenaca. He was leader of an alliance of about thirty Algonquian tribes and bands in Virginia when the British arrived in 1607.

波卡洪塔斯是帕芒基部落酋長Wahunsenaca的女兒。值1607年英國抵達之際，Wahunsenaca是弗吉尼亞30多個阿爾岡基人部族聯(lián)盟的首領(lǐng)。

This did not make her a "princess" however. Royalty was a European idea. Her family called her Matoaka, "flower between two streams." This likely referred to their home between Virginia's Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers.

然而，這并不能使波卡洪塔斯成為公主，因為皇室是一種歐洲概念。她的家人稱她為Matoaka，意思是兩條溪流之間的花兒。這可能代表著他們家住在馬特波尼河和帕芒基河之間。

Tradition has said that her father also called her "Pocahontas." This has several possible meanings, including "wanton" to "mischievous." The name suggests she had a lively personality.

傳說她的父親也稱她為Pocahontas，這個詞有多種意思，包括“愛嬉戲的”和“調(diào)皮的。”這個名字表明她性格活潑。

Little is known of Pocahontas' childhood. Linwood "Little Bear" Custalow was a member of the Mattaponi tribe, an ally of Wahunsenaca's. Dr. Linwood's book, The True Story of Pocahontas, the Other Side of History reports about Mattaponi oral history. It says Matoakoa married a young Potowomac fighter named Kocoum when she was about 14. They had a child called Little Kocoum, who was raised among the Mattaponi. The book also says that the English murdered the older Kocoum.

人們對波卡洪塔斯的兒時知之甚少。林伍德·卡斯塔洛(Linwood "Little Bear" Custalow)是馬特波尼部落的成員，該部落是Wahunsenaca的盟友。林伍德博士在《歷史另一面:真實的波卡洪塔斯》一書中報道了馬特波尼部落的口述歷史，書中稱波卡洪塔斯14歲時跟Potowomac部族一位年輕戰(zhàn)士Kocoum結(jié)了婚。他們生了一個小孩，取名叫Little Kocoum，這個小孩在馬特波尼部落長大。這本書還稱英國人謀殺了老Kocoum。

Pocahontas's imprisonment

波卡洪塔斯被囚

In 1613, the English took Pocahontas and imprisoned her because they thought it would help influence negotiations with her father. They kept her for a year at the settlement of Jamestown.

1613年，英國人把波卡洪塔斯囚禁了起來，因為他們認為這樣能影響到跟她父親的談判。他們把她在詹姆斯頓殖民地關(guān)押了一年。

At some point during her imprisonment, Pocahontas was declared a Christian and her British captors gave her a new name: Rebecca. The Mattaponi say at one point the English settlers permitted her sister to visit her. During that visit Pocahontas told her sister that she had been raped.

波卡洪塔斯在被囚的某個時期宣布皈依基督教，綁架她的英國人給她取了一個新的名字：麗貝卡。馬特波尼族人稱，英國殖民者有一次允許她的妹妹去探訪她。在那次探訪期間，波卡洪塔斯告訴她妹妹，她被強奸了。

During her time at Jamestown, a British farmer named John Rolfe took an interest in her. The details of their relationship are not clear. In his writings, Rolfe said that he loved Pocahontas but also recognized that a marriage alliance between Britain and Virginia tribes would be helpful.

波卡洪塔斯在詹姆斯頓期間，一位名為約翰·羅爾夫(John Rolfe)的英國農(nóng)民對她產(chǎn)生了興趣。他們關(guān)系的細節(jié)并不清楚。羅爾夫在文字表述中寫道，他愛著波卡洪塔斯，但是也坦誠英國和弗吉尼亞部落之間的婚姻聯(lián)盟會有幫助。

Rolfe married Pocahontas in 1614, and she gave birth to a son, Thomas. The Mattaponi say her father did not attend the wedding. However he gave her a necklace made of pearls harvested from Virginia's coastal waters as a gift.

羅爾夫于1614年跟波卡洪塔斯結(jié)了婚，她還生下了一個孩子，取名為托馬斯。馬特波尼族人說，她的父親沒有參加婚禮。然而他送給了波卡洪塔斯一串產(chǎn)自弗吉尼亞沿海水域的珍珠做成的項鏈作為禮物。

Pocahontas later traveled to England with Rolfe and Thomas to help bring attention to the new Virginia colony. She was presented to the Queen as Virginia's first Christian. Historical records say she was well-received.

波卡洪塔斯隨后跟羅爾夫和托馬斯前往英格蘭，幫助引發(fā)人們對新弗吉尼亞殖民地的關(guān)注。她被作為弗吉尼亞第一位基督徒介紹給女王。歷史紀錄稱她受到了歡迎。

However, Pocahontas became sick, and later died before she and Rolfe could return to Virginia. She was buried at St. George's Church in the Kent town of Gravesend on March 21, 1617. A memorial statue for Pocahontas stands there today.

然而波卡洪塔斯病了，并且在她和羅爾夫能夠返回弗吉尼亞之前去世。1617年3月21日，她被葬在肯特郡格萊烏贊得鎮(zhèn)的圣喬治教堂。今天那里立起了一座波卡洪塔斯的紀念雕像。

Famous for an unclear story

以一段不明故事而聞名

Pocahontas is most famous for an event that likely never happened: Saving British explorer Captain John Smith from death by Chief Wahunsenaca in 1607.

波卡洪塔斯最著名的是一段可能從未發(fā)生過的事件：1607年拯救英國探險家約翰·史密斯上尉免遭Wahunsenaca酋長的毒手。

Smith claimed that he had been taken prisoner by a group of fighters, who brought him before Chief Wahunsenaca. Smith said they were ready to kill him with a club. But, he wrote, Pocahontas threw herself down on top of the prisoner, which saved his life.

史密斯聲稱他曾被一群士兵俘虜，這些人將他帶到Wahunsenaca酋長面前。史密斯說，他們準備將他亂棍打死。但是他寫道，波卡洪塔斯趴到了她身上，救了他的命。

Today, the Mattaponi say it could not have happened. They say such behavior would not have been consistent with Virginia Native culture or custom. Non-Native researchers also suspect the truth of this story, taking note that even in his own time, people saw Smith as a liar who had an inflated sense of his own importance.

今天，馬特波尼族人表示這不可能發(fā)生。他們表示，這樣的行為跟弗吉尼亞本土文化或習(xí)俗不一致。非本土的研究人員也懷疑這個故事的真相，提出即使是在他的時代，人們也將史密斯視為一個夸大自身重要性的騙子。

I'm Phil Dierking.

菲爾·德爾金報道。