Pocahontas lived.
Pocahontas ( born Matoaka , known as Amonute , 1596 -- 1617 ) was a Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown , Virginia . In a well-known historical anecdote , she is said to have saved the life of a captive of the Native Americans , the Englishman John Smith , in 1607 by placing her head upon his own when her father raised his war club to execute him . In 1617 , the Rolfes set sail for Virginia , but Pocahontas died at Gravesend of unknown causes . Many famous people have claimed to be among her descendants through her son Thomas , including members of the First Families of Virginia , First Lady Edith Wilson , American Western actor Glenn Strange , and astronomer Percival Lowell . Pocahontas is a 1995 American animated epic musical romantic-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures .