Disclaimer: Nakoma, Pocahontas, and all related characters are © Disney.
The Mousekewitz Family, and all related characters are © Don Bluth/Universal Studios/Amblin Entertainment
The Brisby Family are © Don Bluth/MGM Studios
Matt Mousekewitz and other non-cannon characters © Alpheus C. Robinson II
Most people think they know my story. Most people think they know everything there is about me. To those people, I say, you don't know until you've heard it from me. This is my story.
I was born in what was to become Richmond, Virginia. My tribe, the Powhatan tribe as we were called, were settled onto that land for years. But when me and my best friend, Pocahontas were born, things began to worsen for the tribe. The waters were drying up and we were being left with very little food. PC and myself were only on that part of Virginia for about five years before our tribe migrated to the future Jamestown site (which is a part of Williamsburg, where the tribe still resides today). Things were better there. We were near the Atlantic Ocean and we had better resources because of that. The rivers were more vibrant and flowing with life. It was beautiful. PC and I couldn't ask for a better piece of land to live on. My grandfather, Kekata, who is also our tribe's shaman, called it a great blessing from the spirits. I looked up to him a lot. He was a great inspiration to me. I don't know what I'd do without him. As for my best friend, PC, oh, the times we had back when we were six years old. Funny, they're still fresh in my head. I remember the time we first came across Meeko and Flit. Oh, they were so cute when they were little. So interesting how they've turned out so mischievous when they got older. I remember everyday at sunrise, PC and I would go out for rides down the rivers in our canoe. Those were some fun times.
During our tribe's war with the Massowamicks, I was grateful that PC was around to keep me calm, and vice versa. From what I was told about war, it was very bloody and brutal. Many of our people had died...even close friends that I had known since the migration. At one point, I didn't think we had a chance of survival, but one thing that I know about my people, we are fighters and survivors, and we are a tribe that never say die. And I was right. We were victorious thanks to the help of our brothers. When PC's father, Powhatan, returned, it brought a great sense of relief that we were safe. I knew PC would be happy to see her father again. It was at this time that the white men were about to invade our land, and PC was just about the first to know about it. She was having this dream that told her something was going to happen. Little did we both know it would be the adventure of both of our lives. When we arrived at the village, Powhatan was telling the tribe how one of our own, Kocoum, had fought very fiercely and was a critical factor on the war. Powhatan also told PC that Kocoum wanted to seek her hand in marriage. At the time I thought it was a really great idea (to tell you the truth, I wanted him for myself at one point), but looking at it now, I don't think PC would be as happy as she is now with John Rolfe. Kocoum was way too serious for her...and for me now-a-days. I don't know what was going through PC's mind at that point, but I know she wasn't feeling too thrilled about the idea. That much I could sense. Right after that, she went to see help from Grandmother Willow, a spirit that lives in a willow tree who's kept an eye on her since arriving on Old Jamestown. That's when her dream visions started to come to pass. The white man had come to our land. But the white man wasn't the only thing that came to the land at that time. So did my husband!
Word spread through the tribe fast that invaders came to our land. My grandfather gave us all what he thought of them, which scared everyone...except Kocoum and his warriors. Powhatan ordered him to take his warriors to where they were to observe them. I don't know what happened while they were watching the visitors, but one of our warriors came back wounded. I watched my grandfather inspect a bullet wound on Namonteck. Luckily it was to his leg, so he survived, but not without a price. Powhatan told all of us that the white men were dangerous and that we were not to go near then. Little did I know at that time PC was already interacting with one of them. An hour passed since Namonteck was in my grandfather's tent, and since then, I decided to go for a walk in the woods, staying close to the village. During my walk, I came across a small one-man camp. For some reason, I was curious about who might be staying there, but at the same time I was scared out of my wits. So I cautiously approached the camp. As I got closer, I noticed a shadow inside the tent. It was strange looking...almost in the shape of a giant mouse. I crept closer to see if I was right, and that when I saw Matt for the first time. I'll be the first to tell you, it freaked me out. I'm guessing he didn't notice me around his campsite, but I took off running and screaming for my life as if he was going to come after me and eat me alive. More or less, I'm betting he picked up on my screaming and was wanting to know what it was. Maybe I was just too fast for him to catch, but he did notice then I was around (or so he says).
The next day, the entire village was on lockdown. The women weren't allowed to go too far from the village. PC and me were picking corn from the fields for when the warriors arive.. Powhatan was worried about his daughter being out in the field alone, even though I was there with her, so he sent for Kocoum. This was when I noticed something strange with her...that she was hiding something. And who should pop from out from right behind her but John Smith. I was ready to fire off to get help from the village until PC stopped me. I don't think we need to speak of that conversation. We all know what was said (and what I did). PC and Smitty (what I like to call him now-a-days) vanished right before Kocoum showed up. Fearing for my life, I finished picking corn and headed back for the village. By the time PC came back, the warriors arrived, and PC tried to convince her father to not fight, which didn't work. I guess it wasn't the best time to question why she was with Smitty because I myself was going through the same thing with Matt. Earlier that day, I went back to the Matt's camp to see him again. This time, he was outside is tent, cooking up a herring he caught from the river. As I looked on watching him, in my mind, he seemed...well...normal. I mean, like he was almost human. Something came over me at that moment. He was so different, yet somehow, I thought we had some things in common. I wanted to go up to talk to him, but I was too afraid to. Then I noticed him sniffing the air and I guess he caught wind of me close by. He looked over and caught me standing behind the trees. That's when our eyes met for the first time. But I was still very fearful of him, so once again, I ran, and this time, he came running after me. But as I was running, my foot got caught in a freshly dug hole. I was stuck, and still scared, screaming as loud as I could hoping someone would come to rescue me, but Matt got to me first. Up close, he seemed like more of a giant due to his height. At that moment I just froze, just anticipating the worst. But, instead of him attacking me like I thought he was going to do, he freed me from that hole. When that happened, I got up, looked at him one more time, and ran back to the village. My ankle was hurt, but not too bad at the time, but it got worse that night. The rest of the day, I couldn't help but think about how he saved me. I couldn't get his face out of my head. I mean, for a mouse, he was cute...really cute. Before I had another moment to think about it, I noticed PC leaving the village on her way to see Smitty again. Bad ankle and all, I went out and stopped her, but I failed. Fearing for her life, I went to Kocoum and told him PC went off. He went after her, and that was the last time I ever saw him alive. One of Smitty's friends, Thomas I think his name was, shot and killed him during a confrontation. I don't think Thomas meant to kill him. More so, he was trying to protect Smitty. Am I mad at him for that? Back then I was, but now that I look at it now, my bitterness is almost non-existent. I felt bad of PC and gained a bit of an understanding of the people of "the outside world"...two people, completely different from each other, being friends and lovers (PC and Smitty were in love with each other at the time). It made me kind of think, "hey, what if I were able to get with this stranger, this mouse, that I just met?"
That night I could not sleep. With Kocoum's death and Pocahontas still on edge about Smitty's ordered death by her father, I couldn't find the courage to take myself to sleep. What was I to do? For some reason, my mindset was still on Matt, so I went out to Matt's camp again, this time, without fear. I remember I walked up to him as he was about to settle in for the night. We both made eye contact again, and he just let out a little "hello?" And I responded back with a "hello" of my own. "Wingapo," I said to him, using our traditional greeting. He then asked me if my ankle was feeling better from me slipping into that hole. I in turn responded to him telling that my pain was near gone but it was still swollen and hard to walk on. He then invited me inside his tent so he could treat it. His tent was very neat looking. He was very well organized with all his belongings. He knew where his medical kit was right away and reached for it when we poked inside. I groaned as I put pressure on my ankle, and he told me to keep off it as he set a pillow up under my foot. He then took a wrap and dipped it into some icy cold water then wrapped it around the swollen part of my ankle. He then put some healing herbs on it that helped stopped the pain gradually. "Thank you," I said. He closed his eyes and smiled back. It made me blush. Then we introduced ourselves. "My name is Matt Mousekewitz. What's your's," he said to me. "I am called Nakoma," I answered back. "Nakoma...that name is very pretty," he said back to me. I never thought much of my name, and apparently, neither did many of my tribemates, but it was good to know that someone else did, even if he was way different from me. "It is nice to meet you, Nakoma," he said to me. "Tell me, what brings you out so far into the woods this late at night," he then asked me. From there, I explained to him everything that was going on in our village...about the white men invading, my people about to go to war with them, about PC's affair with Smitty...every little detail I knew. For whatever reason, it was very easy to tell him. He sat there and listened to ever word I said. Matt was (and still is) always very easy to talk to. I just spilled my heart to him, and he listened. Not too many men in my tribe would do that for me. He told me that what I was going through was terrible and he wished that there were something he could do for me and my people. I told him there was nothing that he could do, but I did appreciate that he, and outsider, cared so much about us. Matt's always been an open-minded, unprejudiced type of person. It's what I admire about him the most. Maybe that's why I took it upon myself to curl up onto him. I had sought comfort in the arms of a mouse, and he openly accepted me into his arms. I think at that point, it was the first sign of love. He made me comfortable enough that I was able to carry myself to sleep.
Sunrise came and the drums were sounding very loud. So loud in fact that it woke the both of us up so all of a sudden. That's when I knew the war was about to happen. I had to leave Matt in a hurry to join the rest of the tribe to the site where Smitty was about to be executed. I felt bad about leaving him so fast because I left without saying goodbye. Being the kind and caring person that he is, I'm glad he understood. By the time I caught up with the warriors, we were halfway to the execution site. I had to rip off the wrapping that Matt put on me earlier to keep the warriors from getting suspicious of my activities. When we arrived at the execution site, the Englishmen were right there with weapons drawn. Powhatan raised his club, ready to deliver the first blow, then out of nowhere, PC shows up and stops him, then convincing him not to start the war...and this time succeeded. When I saw PC and Smitty hugging each other, it became clear to me that two people so different from each other are capable of understanding one another. I have Matt to thank for that, too. Maybe that's why I was smiling so happily. The joyous time was short lived, though. The leader of the Englishmen, Governor Radcliffe took aim with of the English soldier's rifles and tried to kill Powhatan. But Smitty instead took the bullet, pushing our chief out of the way just in time for that shot to strike him. You can probably bet I could tell what was going through Radcliffe's mind, but I never expected his own men would turn on him like they did. I guess Smitty meant that much to them. Still, he was hurt pretty bad, and had to return to England in order to be treated properly. I remember Thomas telling PC that going back was his only chance, and that he would die if he stayed her. Because of Smitty's bravery, Powhatan made him an honorary member of our tribe. Smitty asked if PC wanted to come with him, and PC told him, "I'm needed here." It was clear to me that PC was in fact loyal to our tribe, and I never really had a reason to question her loyalty. She was just in love with another man, completely different from her. It even broke my heart to see them part ways after one final kiss. It made me weep because I was beginning to understand differences and other people. Most of the Englishmen set off from the land while others stayed and made homes for themselves. For the next few weeks, PC seemed rather distant from the rest of the tribe. Perhaps she couldn't get over not being able to see Smitty anymore. And it wasn't like she was going to come and talk to me about the ordeal. So up until he left the area, I found solace in Matt. He was the only one I could talk to...the only one would would listen in turn. And I cherished every moment I spent with him. We ended up teaching each other about our ways. I taught him the ways of the Powhatan, our customs, our way of life, and spirituality, just about anything I could think of. In turn, he taught me his way of life, his customs, and his spirituality. He also told me of his family...of how he was taken from them and brought to this land when he was just a young child. And he told me of how by his little brother he was able to reunite with them. It was clear to me that he loved his family and he had a lot of family values. Matt was also a well-seasoned traveler, and he loves to learn about other people's way of life. So not only did I learn about his Russian-Jewish self, but I learned other various forms of life as well. I was beginning to see that Matt was a blessing sent to me by the Great Spirit. He stayed a few more days before he had to take back to San Francisco. He promised me that he'd return every month just so he could see me again. Then I was feeling the same way as PC was feeling. I remembered the first time he kissed me before he left. It was just a peck on the cheek, but, it was still...my first kiss.