How many of us remember playing cops and robbers when we were kids? How about power rangers? What about playing cowboys and Indians? Did you ever pretend to be a brave Indian warrior or an Indian princess like Pocahontas? If you’re familiar with the concept of “playing Indian” as a child and even remember whooping … Continue reading
Photos from the display!
Representations of Pocahontas
Representations of Pocahontas “Pocahontas is a babe.” – Mel Gibson, voice of Captain John Smith in Disney’s Pocahontas (Edwards 147) Van de Passe, Simon. “Matoaka als Rebecca.” 1616 This engraving is known as the only portrait of Pocahontas done from life. Rayna Green describes this engraving, “The most famous portrait of Pocahontas, the only … Continue reading
Pocahontas’ Politics: The Allure of “Our National Mother” in Propaganda
Pocahontas’ Politics: The Allure of “Our National Mother” in Propaganda David Smith Though the story of Pocahontas’ self-sacrifice is reported solely in the later writings of John Smith, the few “facts” about her legendary actions have spawned nearly four centuries of reworking and reinterpretation in American culture. Without much of an “original” to which … Continue reading
The Mattaponi Oral Tradition
The story of Pocahontas has been told from a myriad of angles, from John Smith, to historians throughout the centuries, to the Disney interpretation, but what happened to the Native American voice? Linwood Custalow and Angela Daniels’ published The True Story of Pocahontas in 2007 and the novel is the first Native American version of … Continue reading
Pocahontas After the Movie Ends
The end of Disney’s Pocahontas leaves us with John Smith sailing off into the sunset with Pocahontas looking after him, but then what happens? You could watch Pocahontas II, but that’s about as historically accurate as the first movie, and the songs aren’t nearly as memorable. Unfortunately, there is even less directly sourced information on … Continue reading
The Powhatans
What do you know about Pocahontas’s tribal background? In the Disney movie, Pocahontas’s father is referred to as Chief Powhatan, the leader of Pocahontas’s tribe. He was an actual historical figure named Wahunsenecawh who formed a confederation of over 30 tribes in the area we know today as Virginia. The term Powhatan refers to this … Continue reading
What do Northwestern Students know about Pocahontas?
Will Crandall and Hallye Webb set out to interview Northwestern students to see what they knew about the true story of Pocahontas. Will & Hallye approached random students across campus and asked them a series of questions to determine what they knew about Pocahontas and where that knowledge came from. Most of the questions dealt … Continue reading
The True Role of John Smith?
The True Role of John Smith? John Smith (1580-1631) was an English soldier, explorer, and author who was instrumental in the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607. Much of his involvement in the Pocahontas story actually comes from his own personal letters and travel writings, which have been intensely scrutinized and now thought to … Continue reading
Modern Misrepresentation
Other posts on this blog have worked to show the vastly numerous and varied representations and misrepresentations of Pocahontas and how many of these different accounts have contributed to the inaccurate portrayals of Native Americans throughout history. Many people who grew up watching Disney’s Pocahontas can remember how strange it was to learn how historically … Continue reading
The Pocahontas Project 