Opechancanough

Opechancanough (/oʊpəˈtʃænkənoʊ/; 1554–1646)^[2] was paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in present-day Virginia from 1618 until his death. He had been a leader in the confederacy formed by his older brother Powhatan, from whom he inherited the paramountcy.

Opechancanough led the Powhatan in the second and third Anglo-Powhatan Wars, including the Indian massacre of 1622.

In 1646, the aged Opechancanough was captured by English colonists and taken to Jamestown, where he was killed by a settler assigned to guard him.

Name

The name Opechancanough meant "He whose Soul is White" in the Algonquian Powhatan language.^[3]

It was likely derived from a Powhatan original phonemically spelled as /a·pečehčakeno·w/ < a·pe "white" + čehčak "soul" + -en "inanimate verb ending" + -o·w "3rd person transitive inanimate subject".^[4] This would have the reconstructed pronunciation [ɔpət͡ʃəht͡ʃakənoːw] or perhaps [ɔpət͡ʃãkə̃noːw] with nasal spreading and haplology.

Powhatan warrior

The Powhatan Confederacy was established in the late 16th and early 17th centuries under the leadership of Chief Wahunsonacock (who was more commonly known as Chief Powhatan, named for the tribe he originally led, which was based near present-day

At the time of the English settlement at Jamestown, which was established in May 1607, Opechancanough was a much-feared warrior and a charismatic leader of the Powhatans. As Chief Powhatan's younger brother (or possibly half-brother), he headed a tribe situated along the Pamunkey River near the present-day town of West Point.^{[citation needed]}

Known to be strongly opposed to the European settlers, he captured Captain John Smith along the Chickahominy River and brought him before Chief Powhatan at Werowocomoco, one of the two capital villages of the Powhatans. Located along the northern shore of the present-day York River, Werowocomoco was the site where the famous incident with Powhatan's young daughter Matoaka (known as Pocahontas to historians) intervening on Smith's behalf during a ceremony is thought to have occurred, based upon Smith's account.^{[citation needed]}

Written accounts by other colonists confirm that Pocahontas subsequently did serve as an intermediary between the natives and the colonists, and helped deliver crucial food during the winter of 1607–08, when the colonists' fort at Jamestown Island burned in an accidental fire in January 1608.^{[citation needed]}

The marriage of Pocahontas and colonist John Rolfe in April 1614 brought a period of peace; this ended not long after her death while on a trip to England and the death of her father, Wahunsonacock, in 1618. A short time later, after a brief succession of the chiefdom by his older brother Opitchapam (during which Opechancanough was war chief), Opechancanough became paramount chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.^{[citation needed]}

Powhatan chief

The natives and the colonists came into increasingly irreconcilable conflicts as the land-hungry export of crops,

Beginning with the

Chief Opechancanough launched a last major effort to expel the colonists on April 18, 1644, the third Anglo-Powhatan War.^[6] In 1646, forces under Royal Governor William Berkeley captured Opechancanough, at the time believed to be between 90 and 100 years old.^[2] They paraded him as a prisoner through Jamestown before a jeering crowd; the chief was subsequently killed by a settler, who shot him in the back while assigned to guard him.^[7] Before dying, the chief reportedly said, "If it had been my fortune to take Sir William Berkeley prisoner, I would not have meanly exposed him as a show to my people."^[8]

He was succeeded as

Historians, including Carl Bridenbaugh,^[9] have speculated that Opechancanough was the same Native American youth who was a chief's son and is known to have been transported voluntarily from the village of Kiskiack, Virginia, to Spain in the 16th century at the age of 17 and educated. He became known as Don Luis.^[10] Murrin, however, suggests that Opechancanough was more likely the nephew or cousin of Don Luis.^[10]

Rechristened as "Don Luis", the young man returned to his homeland in what is now the

Other historians speculate that Don Luis may have become the father of Powhatan chiefs Wahunsunacock and Opechancanough.[2] Their remains are buried on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in King William, Virginia.

Illness

From various contemporary reports, it is speculated that Opechancanough suffered from myasthenia gravis. These reports include symptoms of weakness which improved with resting, and visible drooping of the eyelids.^[11]

Representations

• Opechancanough was portrayed by Stuart Randall in the 1953 low-budget film Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. This film shortened his name to Opechanco.
• He appeared as a figure in the
  Animated Hero Classics 1994 episode "Pocahontas," and was voiced by Lorenzo Gonzalez, but is entirely absent in Disney's 1995 animated film Pocahontas as well as its 1998 direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
  .
• Opechancanough is portrayed in New Line Cinema's 2005 film The New World, in which he is portrayed by Wes Studi. In this live action film, he is conflated with Tomocomo, a priest who accompanied Pocahontas/Rebecca to London.
• He appears in the Sky TV show Jamestown where he is played by Raoul Max Trujillo.

See also

• History of Virginia
• Nemattanew

References