POCAHONTAS

                                   POCAHONTAS

POCAHONTAS WAS THE DAUGHTER OF INDIAN CHIEF POWHATAN WHO RULED OVER THE TSENACOMMACAH TRIBE IN VIRGINIA. 

                                              JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA

WHEN ENGLISH SETTLERS ESTABLISHED JAMESTOWN IN 1607 UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH, POCAHONTAS WAS A LITTLE GIRL ABOUT 12 YEARS OF AGE. 

 

BRITISH SETTLERS BUILDING JAMESTOWN, NAMED AFTER KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND

                        KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND

FOR SEVERAL YEARS,  SHE ENJOYED COMING TO PLAY WITH THE ENGLISH CHILDREN OF JAMESTOWN.

 

AS DAUGHTER OF CHIEF POWHATAN, SHE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BROUGHT FOODS FOR THE FAMISHED AND STARVING ENGLISH SETTLERS ATTEMPTING  TO SURVIVE IN THE NEW WORLD.

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH AND BRITISH SETTLERS EXCHANGING GARDENING TOOLS FOR CORNS WITH AMERICAN INDIANS

IT WAS REPORTED THAT WHEN THE BRITISH SETTLERS WERE WITHOUT FOODS AND STARVING, POCAHONTAS BROUGHT FOODS TO CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.

" EVERY ONCE IN FOUR OR FIVE DAYS, POCAHONTAS WITH HER ATTENDANTS BROUGHT HIM SO MUCH PROVISION THAT SAVED MANY OF THEIR LIVES THAT ELSE FOR ALL OF THIS HAD STARVED OF HUNGER."

                       CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

SHE ALSO DEVELOPED A CORDIAL AND FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WHO WAS AT THAT TIME NEARING 30 YEARS OF AGE.

SINCE CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS MUCH OLDER THAN POCAHONTAS AND WAS THE ENGLISH EQUIVALENT OF HER FATHER CHIEF POWHATAN, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POCAHONTAS AND CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS A PLATONIC AND INNOCENT ADULT-CHILD FRIENDSHIP AND NOT A ROMANTIC ONE.

           POCAHONTAS AS A YOUNG GIRL

IMAGE ENGRAVED BY CRISPIJN VAN DE PASSE IN 1616

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS HIMSELF A VERY BRAVE ADVENTURER WHO POSSESSED A RATHER TEMPESTUOUS CHARACTER.

HE WAS BORN IN THE YEAR 1580 IN WILLOUGHBY, ENGLAND AND AT THE AGE OF 16 YEARS SAILED ACROSS THE CHANNEL TO FRANCE, WHERE HE SERVED AS MERCENARY IN THE ARMY OF THE FRENCH KING HENRY IV.

AFTER HAVING FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE FOR DUTCH INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN, HE BECAME ENGAGED IN BOTH SEA TRADE AND PIRACY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND LATER FOUGHT WITH THE ARMIES OF THE RULERS OF HUNGARY AND ROMANIA AGAINST THE INVADING TURKS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

HE IS REPUTED TO HAVE DECAPITATED 3 TURKS IN COMBAT DUELS AND WAS CONSEQUENTLY KNIGHTED BY THE PRINCE OF TRANSYLVANIA WITH COAT OF ARMS BEARING 3 TURKISH HEADS.

HE WAS INJURED IN ONE BATTLE AGAINST THE OTTOMAN TURKS, WAS CAPTURED AND SOLD AS SLAVE TO A TURKISH NOBLEMAN WHO GAVE HIM TO HIS GREEK MISTRESS IN CONSTANTINOBLE.

THE GREEK MISTRESS FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM AND TOOK HIM TO CRIMEA WHERE HE ESCAPED FROM SLAVERY.

HE TRAVELED THROUGH LITHUANIA AND POLAND BACK TO ENGLAND AND JOINED A BRITISH SEAFARING EXPEDITION TO THE NEW WORLD.

THE EXPEDITION WAS ARRANGED BY THE VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON IN THE YEAR 1607.

                                   THE VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON

IT CONSISTED OF 3 SHIPS, THE DISCOVERY, THE GODSPEED AND THE SUSAN CONSTANT, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT.

DURING THE 4 MONTHS VOYAGE TO THE NEW WORLD, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS ACCUSED OF MUTINY AND PLACED IN IRONS, TO BE EXECUTED UPON ARRIVAL TO VIRGINIA.

WHEN THE SHIPS REACHED THE COAST OF AMERICA, CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNSEALED THE DIRECTIONS OF THE VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON AND WAS SURPRISED TO READ AN ORDER INDICATING THAT CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS TO BE APPOINTED A PRINCIPAL LEADER OF THE JAMESTOWN COLONY.

WITH HIS EXECUTION CANCELLED, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH EVENTUALLY ASSUMED LEADERSHIP OF JAMESTOWN AND ENTERED INTO PRECARIOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHIEF POWHATAN AND THE TSENACOMMACAH INDIANS.

                     THE BUSTLING ENGLISH SETTLEMENT OF JAMESTOWN

CHIEF POWHATAN AND HIS INDIAN WARRIORS INITIALLY TREATED THE BRITISH SETTLERS WITH KINDNESS AND TOLERANCE, GIVING THEM FOODS AND TEACHING THEM HOW TO HUNT AND GROW PLANTS ON VIRGINIAN SOIL.

BUT AS MORE ENGLISHMEN AND WOMEN ARRIVED, TENSIONS AND CONFLICTS BECAME INEVITABLES. ATTACKS AND BELLICOSE ACTIVITIES BY BOTH SIDES AROSE.

AS LEADER OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH HIMSELF CONSTANTLY ENGAGED IN FIGHTING THE NEIGHBORING POWHATAN INDIANS. 

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH CONFRONTING CHIEF POWHATAN

ONE DAY WHILE HUNTING ALONG A RIVER, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WAS CAPTURED BY THE NATIVE WARRIORS AND BROUGHT TO CHIEF POWHATAN.

CHIEF POWHATAN DECIDED TO KILL HIM BY PLACING HIM ON A LARGE STONE AND CEREMONIALLY CLUBBING HIS HEAD. HIS LIFE WAS SAVED BY THE INTERVENTION OF POCAHONTAS.

                     POCAHONTAS SAVING THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

IN THE YEAR 1616, CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH WROTE A LETTER TO QUEEN ANNE, WIFE OF KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND, STATING THAT POCAHONTAS HAD SAVED HIM FROM CEREMONIAL EXECUTION BY PLACING HERSELF OVER HIM AND CONVINCING HER FATHER CHIEF POWHATAN TO SPARE HIS LIFE.

                  QUEEN ANNE

" AT THE MINUTE OF MY EXECUTION, SHE HARZARDED THE BEATING OUT OF HER OWN BRAINS TO SAVE MINE AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT SO PREVAILED WITH HER FATHER THAT I WAS SAFELY CONDUCTED TO JAMESTOWN."

SOME MODERN HISTORIANS HAVE QUESTIONED THE VERACITY OF THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH DID NOT MENTION IT IN HIS FIRST 2 BOOKS ABOUT HIS VOYAGES TO THE NEW WORLD.

TWO BOOKS WRITTEN BY CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

MOST HISTORIANS BELIEVE THIS ACCOUNT TO BE TRUE AND THAT THE OMISSION OF THIS EVENT IN HIS TWO BOOKS IN NO WAY DIMINISHES ITS VERACITY.

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH CONTINUED HIS LEADERSHIP OF JAMESTOWN FOR 3 YEARS. 

IN 1609 HE WAS INJURED IN A GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION AND RETURNED TO ENGLAND IN ORDER TO RECUPERATE.

HE RETURNED TO AMERICA AGAIN IN 1614 TO EXPLORE THE NORTHERN REGIONS OF MAINE AND MASSACHUSETTS BAY TO WHICH HE GAVE THE NAME    NEW ENGLAND.

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH MADE TWO ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS TO SAIL TO AMERICA IN THE YEARS 1614 AND 1616. 

IN THE FIRST SEAFARING ATTEMPT, HIS SHIP WAS DEMASTED IN A STORM AND HE HAD TO RETURN TO ENGLAND.

IN THE SECOND ATTEMPT, HE WAS CAPTURED BY FRENCH PIRATES IN THE AZORES. 

HE SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER AND RETURNED TO BRITAIN WHERE, ABANDONING FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO SAIL TO AMERICA, HE PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT HIS TWO VOYAGES TO THE NEW WORLD.

HE DIED IN LONDON IN 1631 AT THE AGE OF 51 YEARS.

                      CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH

CONFLICTS BETWEEN CHIEF POWHATAN AND THE ENGLISH OF JAMESTOWN CONTINUED AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH.

POCAHONTAS HERSELF WAS HERSELF CAPTURED BY THE BRITISH FOR RANSOM IN THE YEAR 1613. 

WITH THE HELP OF LOPASSUS, CHIEF OF THE PATAWOMECKS, CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARGALL LURED POCAHONTAS ONTO HIS SHIP, THEN INFORMED CHIEF POWHATAN THAT HIS DAUGHTER WOULD BE EXCHANGED FOR ALL THE CAPTURED ENGLISHMEN AS WELL AS ALL OF THEIR ARMAMENTARIUM.

WHEN CHIEF POWHATAN RELEASED THE CAPTURED ENGLISHMEN BUT RETURNED JUST A FEW PIECES OF THEIR ARMAMENT, THE BRITISH RENEGED ON RETURNING POCAHONTAS TO HER FATHER.

POCAHONTAS WAS HELD IN THE TOWN OF HENRICUS IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY. SHE WAS WELL TREATED BY THE ENGLISH SETTLERS AND INTRODUCED TO CHRISTIANITY BY THE TOWN MINISTER ALEXANDER WHITTAKER.  SHE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY BAPTISED AND TOOK THE CHRISTIAN NAME OF REBECCA.

  POCAHONTAS AND MINISTER ALEXANDER WHITTAKER

                                          THE BAPTISM OF POCAHONTAS

IN THE YEAR 1614, AFTER HAVING TOLD SENIOR INDIAN NATIVES THAT SHE DID NOT WISH TO RETURN TO HER TRIBE BECAUSE HER FATHER HAD VALUED HER LIFE LESS THAN A FEW PIECES OF OLD SWORDS AND AXES, POCAHONTAS MARRIED ENGLISHMAN JOHN ROLFE.

                             MARRIAGE OF POCAHONTAS TO JOHN ROLFE

JOHN ROLFE WAS A WEALTHY TOBACCO GROWER IN VIRGINIA. HE WAS THE FIRST TO SUCCEED IN GROWING TOBACCO FOR EXPORT BACK TO ENGLAND.

 

     JOHN ROLFE WORKING ON HIS PLANTATION

HE FELL GENUINELY IN LOVE WITH POCAHONTAS AND WAS DEEPLY TROUBLED BY HIS PASSIONATE AFFECTION FOR A NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN, EVEN AFTER SHE HAD BEEN BAPTISED AND HAD CHANGED HER NAME TO REBECCA,

JOHN ROLFE PREVIOUSLY HAD AN ENGLISH WIFE AND CHILD WHO BOTH DIED DURING HIS JOURNEY TO AMERICA. HE WROTE A LETTER TO THE GOVENOR OF VIRGINIA REQUESTING PERMISSION TO MARRY POCAHONTAS, HE STATED THAT HE WAS

" MOTIVATED NOT BY THE UNBRIDLED DESIRE OF CARNAL AFFECTION, BUT FOR THE GOOD OF THIS PLANTATION, FOR THE HONOR OF OUR COUNTRY, FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, FOR MY OWN SALVATION....NAMELY POCAHONTAS TO WHOM MY HEARTY AND BEST THOUGHTS ARE AND HAVE BEEN A LONG TIME SO TANGLED AND ENTHRALLED IN SO INTRICATE A LABYRINTH THAT I WAS EVEN AWEARIED TO UNWIND MYSELF THEREOUT."

                    JOHN ROLPH PRAYING

JOHN ROLFE AND POCAHONTAS WERE MARRIED IN1614 WITH REVEREND RICHARD BUCK, MINISTER OF THE VIRGINIA COLONY AT JAMESTOWN PRESIDING. 

        JOHN ROLFE AND HIS WIFE POCAHONTAS

THEY LIVED HAPPILY TOGETHER AT THEIR LARGE PLANTATION CALLED VERONA FARMS WHERE POCAHONTAS GAVE BIRTH TO A SON, THOMAS ROLFE, THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

               POCAHONTAS AND SON

IT IS HOWEVER REPORTED BY SOME HISTORIANS THAT JOHN ROLFE WAS NOT THE FIRST HUSBAND OF POCAHONTAS. HISTORIANS WHO ALSO RELY ON  THE ORAL ACCOUNTS OF THE NATIVE TSENACOMMACAHS RELATE THAT WHEN POCAHONTAS WAS CAPTURED BY CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARGALL, SHE WAS MARRIED TO AN INDIAN WARRIOR NAMED KOCOUM AND HAD A DAUGHTER BY HIM.

CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARGALL ORDERED THAT KACOUM BE KILLED. THEIR DAUGHTER KA OKEE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RAISED BY THE NATIVES AFTER THE DEATH OF HER FATHER AND THE CAPTURE OF HER MOTHER.

IT WAS ALSO REPORTED THAT WHILE IN CAPTIVITY, POCAHONTAS WAS RAPED AND BECAME PREGNANT AND WAS FOR THAT REASON MOVED FROM JAMESTOWN TO THE TOWN OF HENRICUS IN ORDER TO KEEP HER PREGNANCY A SECRET.  WHETHER A CHILD WAS BORN 

FROM THIS RAPE IS UNKNOWN.

IN THE YEAR 1616, AFTER TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE TO JOHN WOLFE, THE VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD PUBLICITY FOR THE COMPANY TO BRING POCAHONTAS AND SOME MEMBERS OF HER TRIBE TO ENGLAND AND INTRODUCE THIS PRINCESS DAUGHTER OF POWERFUL CHIEF  POWHATAN TO THE BRITISH ROYALTY AND THE HIGH SOCIETY OF LONDON.

THE VIRGINIA COMPANY OF LONDON FELT THAT KING JAMES I AND THE BRITISH NOBILITY WOULD BE MOST INTERESTED IN HER CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY AND IN THE FACT THAT HER MARRIAGE TO JOHN ROLFE HAD BROUGHT AN END TO THE ANGLO-POWHATAN WAR AND CESSATION OF ALL HOSTILITIES BETWEEN THE BRITISH SETTLERS AND THE POWHATAN INDIANS.

    PREPARATION OF SHIP TO BRING JOHN ROLFE AND POCAHONTAS TO ENGLAND

THAT YEAR, JOHN ROLFE, POCAHONTAS AND THEIR SON THOMAS SAILED TO ENGLAND ACCOMPANIED BY HOLYMAN TOMOCOMO, POCAHONTAS' SISTER AND 9 OTHER POWHATANS.

THEY WERE PRESENTED AT COURT TO KING JAMES I AND WERE WELL RECEIVED AND ENTERTAINED BY THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY. CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH HAD WRITTEN TO THE QUEEN ABOUT HOW PRINCESS POCAHONTAS HAD SAVED HIS LIFE.

                          PRINCESS POCAHONTAS BOWING TO KING JAMES I

   PRESENTATION OF AMERICAN INDIAN PRINCESS POCAHONTAS TO KING JAMES I

CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH ALSO PERSONALLY MET POCAHONTAS BUT BECAME EMBARASSED WHEN SHE CALLED HIM FATHER. POCAHONTAS THEN SAID TO HIM:

" WERE YOU NOT AFRAID TO COME INTO MY FATHER'S COUNTRY AND CAUSED FEAR IN HIM AND ALL HIS PEOPLE BUT ME AND FEAR YOU HERE THAT I SHOULD CALL YOU FATHER ?

I TELL YOU THEN I WILL AND YOU SHALL CALL ME CHILD AND SO I WILL BE FOREVER AND EVER YOUR COUNTRYMAN."

IN THE YEAR 1617   POCAHONTAS AND HER HUSBAND JOHN ROLFE EMBARKED ON A SHIP ALONG WITH HER TRIBAL ENTOURAGE AND SAILED BACK TO AMERICA.

WHEN THE SHIP REACHED THE TOWN OF GRAVESEND ON THE RIVER THAMES, POCAHONTAS BECAME GRAVELY ILL. SHE DIED IN HER HUSBAND'S ARMS AT THE AGE OF 23 YEARS. HER LAST WORDS WERE 

" ALL MUST DIE BUT TIS ENOUGH THAT HER CHILD LIVETH."

                                             DEATH OF POCAHONTAS

HISTORIANS SPECULATE THAT SHE MAY HAVE DIED FROM SMALLPOX, PNEUMONIA OR TUBERCULOSIS BUT IT IS REPORTED IN AMERICAN INDIAN ORAL HISTORY THAT SHE MAY HAVE BEEN POISONED.

HER SISTER SUSPECTED POISONING BECAUSE POCAHONTAS WAS PERFECTLY WELL AND STRONG ON THE DAY OF HER DEATH.

SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAD DINNER WITH CAPTAIN SAMUEL ARGALL, RETURNED FROM THE DINNER VIOLENTLY ILL AND DIED WITHIN A FEW HOURS.

CHIEF POWHATAN DIED IN THE SAME YEAR, SADDENED BY THE LOSS OF HIS FAVORITE DAUGHTER. FOLLOWING HIS DEATH, THE PEACE CREATED BY THE MARRIAGE OF POCAHONTAS TO JOHN ROLFE DETELIORATED AND HOSTILITY BETWEEN THE BRITISH SETTLERS OF JAMESTOWN AND THE POWHATAN INDIANS RESUMED.

POCAHONTAS WAS BURIED IN ST.GEORGE CHURCH, GRAVESEND WHERE A STATUE OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN PRINCESS STILL STANDS. ANOTHER STATUE OF POCAHONTAS WAS ERECTED IN JAMESTOWN IN THE YEAR 1922.

STATUE OF POCAHONTAS AT ST.GEORGE CHURCH, GRAVESEND

STATUE OF POCAHONTAS IN JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA

FIRST LADY EDITH BOLLING GALT WILSON, WIFE OF 28TH PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON, WAS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF POCAHONTAS.

INDIAN PRINCESS POCAHONTAS

BRITISH LADY POCAHONTAS

REAL SELF DEFENSE FOR WOMEN

                       

Most women in danger defend themselves in a random and ineffective fashion.

Pushing the attacker away with the hands, slapping his face or hitting him on the chest with clenched fists represent very weak defensive maneuvers.

Crying out "don't", "let me go" or "you are hurting me" only stimulates the attacker to inflict more pain and injury.

For a woman to become capable of defending herself effectively against a man intent upon inflicting traumatic injury or death to his victim, she must possess detailed knowledge of the vulnerable parts of his anatomy and learn of the various weapons and techniques which will enable her to maximize her defensive response.

A woman's physique is equiped with much less muscular strength than that of a man and her defensive physical weapons are sadly limited to the sharpness of her teeth and fingernails.

Acquiring knowledge and proficiency in the martial arts such as kickboxing, karate, taekuondo, judo and jujitsu may be helpful but in truth a woman with first degree black belt in karate or jujitsu has little chance against a man of equal or larger size.

It is therefore a misconception for a woman to think that mastery of a certain form of martial art will enable her to cope with physical danger successfully and avoid injury or death in case of a sudden unexpected attack.

Consider the head of the attacker.

The vulnerable parts are his eyes, his nose and to a lesser extent his ears. 

In some instances, using your fingers with sharp fingernails can be effective in getting you out of danger but it is always better to be in possession of a sharp penetrating instrument such as a knife or dagger when confronted with imminent danger. 

For this reason, it is strongly recommended that every woman carries within her purse a weapon such as a long thin knife,which can be pulled out and used for her own defense in case of emergency.

                                     THE EYES

The human eyeball is connected to the brain by the optic nerve, which is why when the eyeball is pulled out of its socket, it still dangles by a thick whitish thread representing the optic nerve or the second cranial nerve.

The globe of the eyeball itself is composed of the the retina in the back , the posterior chamber filled with thick vitreous fluid and the anterior chamber filled with clear aquaous fluid. The lens located between these two chambers.

The front part of the eye consists of the iris which controls the amount of light reaching the retina, the cornea which determines the clarity of vision and the outer coverings of sclera and bulbar conjunctiva, which are commonly known as the white part of the eye.

If the sclera or conjunctiva is scratched, mild and limited bleeding is induced, known as subconjunctival hemorrhage and there is no associated pain.

A scratch on the cornea, on the other hand, can cause intense pain and tearing. 

                                       POKING THE EYES WITH FINGERS

So if you want to scratch the attacker's eyeball with your fingernails, aim for the cornea or the round part of the eye in the middle and avoid the white part on each side.

A better technique for causing eye injury is to directly poke the eyeball with the index or middle finger as deeply as you can, or to gouge out the entire eyeball with your thumb.

Penetrating the eye socket of the attacker with your index or middle finger will cause crushing injury to the cornea, sclera and conjunctiva, as well as to the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye.

The cornea will be displaced and the lens will be dislodged by this maneuver.

Hemorrhage will occur within both the anterior and posterior chambers.

Blood filling the two eye chambers prevents light from reaching the retina and results in sudden blindness of the injured eye.

Intense and incapacitating pain will cause the attacker to scream and release his grips from your body. 

He will intuitively cover his injured and bleeding eye with his hands and allow you to disengage and run for safety.

It is also important to know that the posterior part of the bony eye socket behind the retina is very thin and it is actually possible for your penetrating fingernail to break it , allowing the tip of your finger to reach the brain itself.

If your feel the tip of your index or middle finger break through the orbital bone and come in contact with the brain tissue, be sure to wiggle your finger as much as you can.

This will induce disruption, maceration and hemorrhage within the frontal lobe of the brain, which can potentially be fatal.

The defensive maneuver described above can be even more effectively performed using a sharp penetrating weapon such as a knife.

                                                GOUGING EYES WITH THUMBS

Eyeball gouging is best performed by placing your thumbs on each side of the bridge of the nose and the four remaining fingers on each temple of the attacker.

The eight fingers on the temples serve as stabilizers, preventing the attacker's head from moving from side to side and allowing your thumbs to dig into the sockets and sweep laterally to dislodge each eyeball, a maneuver similar to dislodging oyster from its shell.

When the eyeballs are out of their sockets, grab them and pull downward until you disconnect the optic nerves from the brain.

This defensive maneuver ensures total incapacitation of the attacker, who will experience excruciating pain and sudden complete bilateral blindness.

He will release his grasps from your body in order to cover his own eye sockets and you will have effectively liberated yourself.

The criminal will abandon his attack and be preoccupied with his intense pain, physical misery and sudden loss of vision, giving you the opportunity to flee.

 EYE GOUGING WITH THUMB USING FOUR FINGERS AS STABILIZERS

                                                                  THE NOSE

Attacking the nose, in particular the nostrils, can yield significant dividend in the defense of yourself. 

Just before the opening of each nostril near the tip of the nose is an area called Little's area, where there is a copious collection of blood vessels.

When Little's area is scratched and injured, there results a profuse nosebleed medically known as epistaxis.

Deeper disturbance of the nasal passages causes both greater hemorrhage and pain.

Your index and middle fingers can serve as effective penetrating instruments in your attempt to damage the nose of the assaillant. 

Simply push your straight index and middle fingers as deeply as you can inside the nostrils of the attacker and lift upward or move your fingers vigorously from side to side.

This maneuver will cause bleeding from both Little's areas and detach the nose from its foundation.

The nasal bridge, containing a thin and weak bone called Vomer, will bend or become dislodged.

The nasal septum, which is a thin membrane separating the right from the left nostril, will become deviated and torn.

Profuse bleeding and traumatic disruption of the nasal anatomy lead to severe interference of respiration and the attacker will be moderately incapacitated.

If you penetrate deeply into the nostril of your attacker with a sharp long instrument, the latter will bore through a porous portion of the skull called the cribriform plate, beyond which is the brain tissue itself.

Again, after breaking through the cribriform plate, you should wiggle your instrument in order to cause disruption and hemorrhage within the attacker's brain and fatally incapacitate him.

It should be emphasized that attacking the nostrils with your fingers is not as effective as attacking the eyeballs because a simple nosebleed is painless and disruption of the Vomer or nasal septum is not as incapacitating to the attacker as injury to his eyeballs.

However, penetrating the nostril with a sharp instrument and perforating the cribriform plate to cause brain injury can cause fatality to your attacker.

                                                                   THE EARS

Unless you possess a sharp penetrating instrument, attacking the ears of the assaillant is an exercise in futility.

Biting off a piece of the earlobe causes some bleeding and minimal pain and will not incapacitate the attacker.

The earlobe is made up of pliable soft bone called cartilage covered with skin.

It is connected to a long tubular canal called the external auditory meatus, at the end of which is the ear drum or tympanic membrane.

The function of the earlobe is to trap sound and conduct it through the ear canal to the ear drum.

Vibrations in the tympanic membrane are transmitted to three tiny bones called ossicles.

These three ossicles, named Stapes, Ancus and Talipes, in turn transmit the sound waves to the cochlear apparatus for processing of the auditory information to the brain.

Penetrating the ear canal with a long sharp object will rupture the ear drum or tympanic membrane and disrupt the three ossicles behind it.

Besides causing hemorrhage into the middle ear chamber, called hemotympanum, as well as deafness of the injured ear, insufficient pain is produced to cause significant incapacitation.

People with ice pick or screwdriver stab wound of the ear remain fully alert and communicative and do not exhibit much pain beyond complaints of earache and headache.

Therefore if you stab the ear canal of your assaillant with a long pointed instrument such as the long pointed handle of your comb, he will be able to continue attacking you inspite of this weak defensive maneuver on your part.

In summary, with respect to the head of the assaillant, primary attention should be directed at attacking the eyeballs, either by penetrating the eye socket with your finger or a sharp instrument, or by gouging and dislodging the eyeballs using your thumbs and stabilizing fingers.

Penetrating the nostrils with your fingers or with a sharp object represents secondary consideration in case the opportunity to injure the eyes does not present itself.

Least effective is penetrating injury to the external auditory meatus or ear canal because it is rarely incapacitating.

The neck of the assaillant is actually an excellent target but you definitely need a sharp instrument such as a knife or at least a penetrating instrument such as a sharpened screwdriver or a long and sharpened comb handle.

Your fingers alone are not strong enough to effectively compress and strangle a man's neck.

                                                                  THE NECK

The neck ia actually a very vulnerable part of a man's body but in order to effectively and successfully attack this target, you

must possess detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the neck.

In the middle of the neck is the air tube or trachea, which conducts air from the nose and throat to the lungs.

The voice box or Adam's apple is part of the trachea on which are located the thyroid and parathyroid glands.

Behind the trachea is the food tube or esophagus, which connects the mouth to the stomach.

The cervical spine or vertebral bones of the neck are in turn located behind the esophagus.

Thus the midline structures of the neck are the trachea, esophagus and cervical vertebrae, as well as the Adam's apple with the attached thyroid and parathyroid glands.

On each side of these midline structures are two major blood vessels, the carotid artery which conducts blood from the heart to the brain and the jugular vein which returns blood from the head back to the heart.

Thus there are in the neck two carotid arteries, the right carotid artery and the left carotid artery, as well as two large veins, the right jugular vein and the left jugular vein.

The front part of the neck is fortified by two large muscles called the sternocleidomastoid muscles.

Each sternocleidomastoid muscle runs from the sternum or breast bone up toward the mastoid bone located behind the earlobe.

People with strong neck tend to have strong and massive right and left sternocleidomastoid muscles.

Before we speak about attacking the neck of the assailant, it is important to say a few words about the way to protect your own neck when you are attacked.

When your neck is targeted in a choke hold or by strangling hands, there are maneuvers that you can make for your own protection which can be helpful in the fight for your life.

When an assailant tries to strangle you with his hands and fingers around your neck, the natural reaction is to tilt your head backward and use your hands to push his arms away from your neck.

Both maneuvers are wrong. Tilting your head backward exposes your trachea more to the constricting pressure of your assailant's fingers and you will experience even more difficulty breathing.

Tilting your head forward and putting your chin close to your chest tucks the trachea away from the constricting fingers and gives you more room to breath. This forward head tilting maneuver is well known in martial sports such as judo and jujitsu.

Trying to remove the assailant's arms with your hands if futile because the assailant's arms are stronger than your hands.

There are two maneuvers recommended for dislodging the assailant's arms from your neck.

One maneuver is to grab the little fingers of the hands encircling your neck and forcefully pull downward and outward. Your hands are stronger than his little fingers and his grip will be dislodged.

IT IS FUTILE TO TRY TO DISLODGE HIS ARMS WITH YOUR HANDS. BETTER TO USE YOUR HANDS TO PRY OPEN HIS FINGERS AND TRY TO BREAK THEM.

The other maneuver is for you to elevate both arms then plunge both arms downward inside the circle of his arms while at the same time lowering your head and body forcefully downward. This maneuver will dislodge his grip from your neck.

A choke hold is usually applied by an assailant behind you. Again tilt your head forward, putting your chin on your chest to facilitate breathing, bend your body forward and slip one arm upward inside the circle formed by the choke hold. Your arm is now between his arm and your neck and will provide you space for breathing and fighting back.

Attacking the assaillant's neck can take many forms depending upon which structure or organ inside the neck you wish to target. The attack is best performed with a sharp instrument or a garroting string.  The maneuvers will be discussed in the next chapter.