[originaltext] As I am sure you are aware, history is full of people who wer

As I am sure you are aware, history is full of people who were so admired that over the centuries they become almost mythical figures. George Washington is a good example. Everyone knows this story about his chopping down the cherry tree when he was young and bravely confessing to his mischief later. People greatly admired Washington’s integrity. And so, out of that, this story evolved, even though no one knows for sure whether the incident ever occurred. Then there is the American Indian, Poke Hunters, beloved by history for making peace between the English Colonies and the American Indians. The history of her life has also become somewhat mythical. At the historical society exhibit next week, we’ll see many artistic works depicting the major events of her life. And while we are there, keeping in mind that much of what you’ll see in the paintings reflects how much she was admired, but not necessarily the fact of her life. For instance, one painting shows her saving the life of Jon Smith, an English Colonist, who had been captured by her tribe. Smith, so the story goes, was about to be executed when twelve-years-old Poke Hunters lay her head on top of his. Tells you a lot about her courage. But Jon Smith himself related this story only years after Poke Hunters had become famous, which suggests that he may have embellished the truth a little bit, as many of the works that we’ll see in next week may have done. Something else to remember: paintings portrait her physical appearance in many different ways, but always flattening ways. Yet only one picture of her was ever painted while she was living.