Tomocomo

Uttamatomakkin, known as Tomocomo for short, was a Powhatan native shaman who accompanied Pocahontas on her visit to London in 1616.

Little is known about Tomocomo's life before his visit to London. He is known to have been a shaman. He appears to have met Captain John Smith during Smith's time in Virginia, since Smith says that in London they "renewed their acquaintance". [Smith, "The General History of Virginia" (1624), in Philip Barbour, ed. "The Complete Works of Captain John Smith", volume 2. p. 261.] His wife, Matachanna, was Pocahontas's half-sister. [David Price, "Love and Hate in Jamestown" (New York: Vintage, 2003), p. 164.]

Tomocomo must have been trusted by Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas's father, as Powhatan requested him to accompany Pocahontas in order to count the number of people in England. Arriving at Plymouth, Tomocomo picked up a stick on which to mark notches to keep a tally, but soon grew "weary of that task". [Smith, "General History". p. 261.] Powhatan also asked him to discover whether Smith was still alive (the Powhatan natives had been told that Smith was dead, but, as Pocahontas told Smith "your countrymen will lie much"). [Smith, "General History". p. 261.]

Samuel Purchas, a compiler of travel narratives, met Tomocomo at the home of "my good friend Doctor Goldstone, where he was a frequent guest, and where I have both seen him sing and dance his diabolical measures, and heard him discourse of his country and religion." Purchas believed that the Powhatan people were devil-worshippers and tried to persuade Tomocomo to take up Christianity, but Tomocomo said he was too old to learn new ways. [Samuel Purchas, "A Relation of Tomocomo" (1617), repr. in "Jamestown Narratives", ed. Edward Wright Hale (1998), 880-2.]

Pocahontas and Tomocomo were never given a formal audience before King James. However, on January 5, 1617 they were brought before the King at the Banqueting House in Whitehall Palace, at a performance of Ben Jonson's masque "The Vision of Delight". However, according to Smith, neither Native realized who they had met until it was explained to them afterward. Tomocomo was disappointed that the King did not offer a present, saying to Smith "You gave Powhatan a white dog, which Powhatan fed as himself, but your King gave me nothing, and I am better than your white dog." [Smith, "General History". p. 261.]

When Tomocomo returned to Virginia in 1617, he reportedly uttered diatribes "against England, English people" and against Thomas Dale, governor of Jamestown. The colonists rebutted his claims in front of the Powhatan leaders, and Tomocomo apparently was disgraced. [David Price, "Love and Hate in Jamestown" (New York: Vintage, 2003), p. 184.] However, Chief Powhatan died the next year, and his successor, Opechancanough, began planning a massive attack on the settlers.

Nothing more is known of Tomocomo's life.

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