Stick or no stick, Powhatan did, indeed, send a man to England with
Pocahontas and John Rolfe in 1616, and he was required to count the
people and trees there and report back when he returned. Hakluyt or
somebody interviewed him in London, and he mentioned that he had been
instructed to count the people and trees, a labor that the Indian, whose
name escapes me (I haven't the sources in my office) speedily abandoned.

Not having seen the movie, I refrain from anything further remarks.

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
[log in to unmask]

Visit the Library of Virginia's web site at http://www.lva.lib.va.us

-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Henry Wiencek
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 11:24 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: NYT praises "The New World," new version

I saw the film Saturday and have had a hard time getting it out of my
head.  It grows richer the more I think about it.  Just one item: when
Pocahontas and John Rolfe sail for England they are accompanied on the
boat by an Indian who displays a short stick and declares with great
confidence that when he gets to the other side of the sea he will count
the English, and will make a notch on his stick for each one he sees.
He also says he is going to see God.  So we laugh at this foolish savage
who thinks he can count the innumerable English on a tiny stick, but the
joke is on us.  Only an artist of genius could conceive this metaphor of
the folly of humans trying to comprehend what is on the other side.  The
mystery of divinity and the question of divinity's presence in the world
are recurring themes in Malick's films.

HW

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the
instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html