Section 1:
The novel Tidewater by Libbie Hawker tells a familiar tale of Englishmen in the 1600’s seeking to establish the Jamestown Colony. In order to survive, unruly John Smith knows that they must rely on and learn from the local Powhatan tribe. Alternatively, we hear the story of a mischievous but brave young Powhatan girl, Pocahontas. The story goes back and forth between the views of the Englishmen and the Indian tribe. The story is filled with exciting conflict and enticing drama but also intriguing insight into the culture and beliefs of the Indian tribe including the god they follow and the rituals that have been apart of the tribe for years.
Gods:
Throughout the book, the chapters are divided by the point of view of the narrator. Thus, one chapter will be from the view of John Smith and the colonizers where as the next chapter will come from Pocahontas and the Powhatan tribe. As a result, the reader gets to see the differences in cultural practices as well as religions in these two groups. Throughout the chapters of John Smith, Christian references are often made. For example, the colonizers often mention the need to “bring them the Christ” (Hawker 6). Alternately, throughout the chapters from the point of view of the Powhatan tribe there are frequent references to their god called the Okeus. In these references, the god Okeus is regarded in a positive way. He is understood to be all knowing as the Powhatan people often state, “only the Okeus knows” (Hawker 15). He is also described as giving people their characteristics or advantages such as “strength, strategy, ferocity, cunning, and diplomacy” (Hawker 15). As the story progresses, the reader learns that the Powhatan tribe views the Okeus as the “most powerful Spirit” that has the authority to judge mankind (Hawker 155). Towards the middle of the book, there is interesting insight as to what the Powhatan believe about the afterlife. According to Pocahontas, when a Powhatan dies, they “return to the cycle of life.” Werowances (Indian chiefs), however, join with “Okeus in the world of the eternal” (Hawker 281). Pocahontas states that this is her ambition and life dream, to “be herself forever” (Hawker 282). Shortly after this desire is explained, Pocahontas explains a run-in she has with the Okeus. While in the temple, a fire is started and while trying to evacuate, Pocahontas views the “dark figure of Okeus himself” (Hawker 283). It is unclear if this is a figment of her imagination, a statue, or the actual embodiment of Okeus, however he is described as having a body “haggard as a starving man’s” and a face as “hard as an eagle’s talons.” She continues that he has “white shell eyes… knowing and sad” with a “stunned and helpless face” (Hawker 284). The story continues with multiple references to the Okeus. He is often thanked for survival, questioned during times of drought, and prayed to in times of difficulty and famine. There are mentions of spirits, priests, and of course the all-knowing god. Though the Powhatan people rely heavily on their faith and assurance in the Okeus, Pocahontas ultimately adopts the English ways and therefore the English God. Though her name is changed to Rebecca and follows the instructions of the English priest, it is clear she never believes in the God of the Bible, but rather secretly remains faithful in the Okeus of her tribe.
Rituals:
Due to the fact that this book is based around the people in an Indian tribe, the story is loaded with explanations of cultural norms and tribal rituals. In the first chapter narrated by Pocahontas, the reader learns about the cultural norms regarding families and marriage. As described by Pocahontas, the chief would marry multiple women, bear children with each of them, and then the mother would be “sent back to her mother’s village” where the child would be raised for five to six years (Hawker 18). Once the child was “old enough to be useful,” he or she would be sent back to the village to live with the chief and the mother could remarry anyone of her choice (Hawker 18). As a result of this tradition, Pocahontas states that there were few people left in the tribe that were not related. We also get a glimpse into how Pocahontas was raised and the reasoning behind her independence and strong will. Because this book compares and contrasts the cultures of the Indian tribe and the English settlers, the reader also sees the difficulty Pocahontas has in the transformation to become an English woman. When being told the story of “the Christ” Pocahontas soon learns that even words she was familiar with such as “pray” means different things to the English then it does to her and the “Real people.” With the Englishmen “pray did not means wading into the river to feel the spirits” or “chanting, nor dancing at the fireside, nor entering into the sweat lodge to hear the voice of the Okeus” (Hawker 410). Now, praying meant, “thinking nothing, doing nothing, and feeling nothing” (Hawker 410). Ultimately, Pocahontas hesitantly makes the changes from her Indian self to the new English woman Rebecca. Though she doesn’t want to transform herself and conform to this new culture, she does so in order to save her people and create peace between the English and the Powhatan tribe.
Section 2:
As mentioned above, this book is filled with information regarding the mythological systems of the Powhatan tribe. The book often referenced their god, Okeus, and the role he played in the lives of the Powhatan people. Though he is mentioned often, there are still gaps in the story as to where Okeus originated and what belief in him requires from his followers. Another interesting facet of this mythological system is the Powhatan view of the afterlife. Though the Okeus and the afterlife go seemingly hand in hand, the book only briefly describes the belief and it is clear there is more information to be obtained before truly understanding the culture and belief system.
Okeus
The Okeus is described as a powerful god throughout the book Tidewater. The Indian tribe prays to him often and thanks him for the gifts he gives them. What the book doesn’t explain, however, is that Okeus is much more than a kind and helpful god. As described by the book Guide to the Gods, Okeus is “a god of evil” (Leach 724). The book offers three definitions of the God Okeus as believed by the Powhatan tribe and other eastern American Native Americans. The other definitions continue to describe the evil aspects of Okeus. He punishes his followers through storms and floods and even demands child sacrifices. Though he is described as vengeful and demanding, he is also is described as creating mankind as well as “the land, the water, fish, and the "great deare" which became the source of all deer” (Leach 56). In a separate book, Pocahontas, the Okeus is described similarly to the description in Guide to the Gods. Here, he is described as a “devil-god” who was “responsible for all the evil in the world” (Woodward 14). Similar to the definition in the previous book, Okeus is told to wreak havoc and vengeance on the tribes through “sending storms to ravage their land” (Woodward 14). This book, however, adds something new to the description of Okeus. He has a physical description, similar to the description given by Pocahontas in Tidewater. In the book Pocahontas, the Okeus is “represented by a four-foot idol made of wooden cross-pieces padded with moss, the body painted black, the face flesh colored or white [and] decorated with strands of pearls” (Woodward 14). This idol would be placed in the holiest area of the temple where there would be a fire burning in order to appease the god. This book also validated the previous information that children would be sacrificed to Okeus but added that “not even the son of a werowance was spared from death on the sacrificial alter” (Woodward 14). The names of the children that were to be sacrificed were believed to have been given to the priests from Okeus himself. In another source, “Powhatan Priests and English Rectors: World Views and Congregations in Conflict,” the Okeus is again described as a sort of mixture between god and the devil. In this article, Okeus is described similarly to past sources as “a mixture of affection, reverence, and fear” (Rountree 485). This source also describes the penalty of not appeasing the god with punishments such as “poor hunting, a bad crop, marital discord, injuries while traveling, and so on” (Rountree 485). The article continues to highlight the difficulty involved in religious discourse between the Powhatan tribe and the English settlers. As seen throughout the book Tidewater, the colonizers intend on converting the Native Americans to Christianity, however encounter multiple difficulties in doing so. This article offers insight to the reasoning behind this as the Powhatans are considered to be polydox, meaning they held multiple belief systems simultaneously. Because of this, the Powhatans would be open to hearing the opinions of other yet would maintain their previous belief.
In summary, the research available both validates and contradicts the description of the Okeus in the novel Tidewater. In the novel, Okeus is more often seen as a gracious god who rarely punishes his people. In the research, however, Okeus is described more closely to the devil than to a god. He is vengeful, greedy, and demands a yearly sacrifice of young boys. Ultimately, the Okeus is an important and reoccurring facet within the Powhatan mythological system. In order to understand the Powhatan people and their reasoning behind their actions, a clear understanding of their faith belief is vital. Though there are some inconsistencies between the novel and the research, the overall character of the god Okeus is clear when the information is considered in tandem.
Views of the Afterlife
Another interesting idea presented in this novel is the belief of life after death. As told in the novel, the Powhatan people believe that once one dies they “return to the cycle of life” unless you were a werowance in which case your bones would be placed in the temple and your spirit would join with the Okeus (Hawker 281). According to one of the previous sources, “Powhatan Priests and English Rectors: World Views and Congregations in Conflict,” the priests and chiefs were believed by the tribe members to have a better afterlife than those of the common people. In fact, this article states that it was believed that the common people didn’t earn an afterlife at all. As a result, retribution for wrongdoing was given in their lifetimes in the form of tangible sufferings, as the common people had nothing to fear in death. In another book, The Baptism of Early Virginia: How Christianity Created Race by Rebecca Anne Goetz, the afterlife as believed by the Powhatan tribe is described similarly as the previous article. This book confirms the belief that only the priests and werowances were awarded the privilege of an afterlife. This book expands, however, on what happens to the common people of the tribe after death. The books states that it is “suggested that souls in the afterlife eventually aged and died as humans do but were then reborn into future generations of Powhatans” (Goetz 31). This account also aligns with Pocahontas’ description in the novel Tidewater. Goetz continues to describe how the English settlers searched to share Christianity with the natives. In search of the best method to share their faith, the English learned the beliefs of the Powhatan tribe and therefore gained insight into the opinion of the afterlife. In a third book titled Powhatan Lords of Life and Death. Command and Consent in Seventeenth-Century Virginia by Margaret Holmes Williamson, the belief that only the Werowance and priest were able to obtain an afterlife is confirmed once again. Williamson explains that though the werowance lived similarly to each other Powhatan member, “his status had more of the sacerdotal about it” than others and was therefore allowed in the most sacred places of the Powhatan temples (Williamson 171). She continues to explain that the only holier member of the Powhatan tribe would be the priest and that common people were not even considered into a world beyond earth.
Throughout this research it is clear that what the novel Tidewater reveals about the afterlife according to the Powhatan people is historically accurate. Though there are certain expanses and miniscule differences in opinions, the overall belief confirms what the novel describes: only werowances and priests were able to obtain eternity with their god Okeus and the common people were forced back into the cycle of life.
There were many intriguing rituals within the novel Tidewater regarding the beliefs and norms of the Powhatan tribe. The most reoccurring theme, however, seemed to be the faith in the god Okeus. After researching further, it is clear that there are many inconsistencies between the books account of the Powhatan tribe’s god and what the research reveals. Alternatively, what the novel shares about life after death aligns well with the information available among scholarly journals, research articles, and books. Though the book offers helpful insight into the mind of the characters, further research allows for a better understanding not only of the characters, but also of the culture and time period as a whole.
Section 3:
The mythological system discussed in this paper has an interesting twist when considering how to respond through a Christian worldview. It is different than many other mythological systems because Christians have already responded to this mythological system and in doing so oppressed the culture through forcing the Christian religion onto the people. The novel Tidewater places a heavy emphasis on the manner in which the English traveled to the Jamestown colony and pushed their Christian agenda, even going so far as kidnapping a young Powhatan girl, changing her name to an English name, forcing her into a life she didn’t want, and coercing her to marry an English man. Even though the Christians of this time responded to the Powhatan culture and beliefs, it is fair to say that the manner in which they acted does not align with the way Christ commands us to treat those around us, in or out of the church.
The beliefs of the Powhatan tribe is clearly flawed through the lack of written records, the idol worship, and uncertainty of where hope can be found in life or in death. Though the people often pray in petition to the god Okeus and thank him for the favors they believe he gave to them, it is clear from the research that Okeus is more evil than good. The articles describing this Native American idol often refer to him as a “devil-god” and display his desire of sacrifices in the form of human children. In this mythological belief system, there is no hope for salvation unless you are lucky enough to be a priest or chief. The followers have no hope for life after death and are punished on earth with famine, injury, and marital infidelity if something is done that displeases the god.
As described in the novel, conversion for this group of people would be very difficult, however the manner in which a Christian should conduct him or herself is a lesson that can be learned from the Christians in this book. As an article above found, the Powhatan people believe in a variety of gods and rituals and therefore may be willing to agree to accept the Christ of the bible without a full understand/belief. Alternatively, we see in the novel an Indian girl that states her conversion though never truly understand the heart of Christianity. With that said, it would be important to share the Gospel with this people group in a way that is graceful to them yet doesn’t compromise the word of God. Ultimately, the choice must come from the person himself or herself whether or not they chose to accept Christ, as this book shows that forceful conversion is simply ineffective.
Biblically speaking, sharing the Gospel is mandated for all believers through the great commission given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:16-20. Besides this undeniable command, God also states that the reason we share the good news is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. Acts 26:16-18 states, “ But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (English Standard Version Acts 26:16-18). There are many verses that command similar things of believers. Overall, it is clear that the duty of saved Christians is to share the news so that others may share in the glory of salvation. The way this should be completed should also be done in a loving way, which personifies the love of Christ. When attempting to reach non-believers, Christians should act in a way compliant with Gods commands as described in Galatians 5:22-23 which describes the fruit of the spirit as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (English Standard Version Galatians 5:22-23). Had the colonials described in Tidewater followed the commands of the bible more carefully, a different and more favorable outcome may have been achieved with the Powhatan tribe.
Section 4:
Though the main purpose of this story wasn’t to give the reader insight into the mythological belief system of the Powhatan Indian tribe, it often did so through references to the god Okeus and rituals of the people. The novel Tidewater has an interesting twist regarding looking at the culture through a Christian worldview as the book is divided between the view of the Powhatan tribe and the Christian colonizers. It is clear that the differences of opinion between the two are extensive and thus cause tension between the competing people groups. There is an important lesson to be learned about the nature in which Christians interact with those with alternate beliefs. The story makes it clear that forcing a belief on a people group is ineffective and leads only to hostility and aggression. With that said, this novel teaches the importance in understanding other cultures. As John Smith argued in the first chapter, befriending the Indians would’ve helped the settlers as well as allowed for a happier ending on both sides. Even after the English kidnapped a young Indian girl (Pocahontas) and believed they had converted her, it is evident to the reader that she is simple putting on an act in order to save her people.
Even though this story took place in the 1600’s, the knowledge of Native American beliefs is still relevant to this day. Moreover, the knowledge of any different people group and their mythological system is beneficial before planning to cohabitate a plot of land and share the good news of the Gospel. Through the drama, fighting, and insight into Powhatan culture, the reader learns to understand the strong influence culture has on each individual. In the future, this knowledge will help in translating the Gospel in culturally appropriate way and handling rejection with patience and grace.
Overall, the novel Tidewater was an insightful read that shared many rituals and beliefs of the Powhatan tribe. It tells the story of Pocahontas in a way that strives to be historically accurate as well as share the conflict in opposing religious and cultural views. Ultimately, the book was valuable while learning about the mythological system of the Powhatan Indian tribe and how I as a Christian can and should respond.