Through this week’s readings and discussions, I gained insight into the history of America and the role of the Native Amercians. I noticed that the stories about historical figures such as Columbus and Pocahontas are either ideologized or romanticized to introduce to children and teenagers. Although I did not know about Pocahontas before class, I could imagine that for someone who only knows her via the Disney movie would definitely be let down and shocked by what actually happened. From the discussion in class, I was appalled that people romanticized the relationship between her and John Smith while her first husband was killed and she was “coerced” to marry John Rolfe. This myth has created a delusion that the colonists and the Indigenous people were on good terms and lived peacefully with each other. However, what happened was full of politics, serving the colonization purposes.
From the painting and the information about Pocahontas (Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, n.d.), I can see how the English tried to portray Pocahontas as an elite Western woman by removing some of her indigenous features. This showed the dominance and influence of the colonists over the Native people. It was clear that the colonists did not seek to live in harmony with the Indigenous people but rather take over the Indians’ lands and force the Indians to submit to them.
In class, we discussed how the Powhatan helped the colonists to survive through the winter and how Pocahontas acted as a mediator between her clan and the colonists. This showed that the Indigenous people played an important role in helping the outsiders to settle down and survive in a new place. Despite this, their contributions were not properly mentioned and acknowledged. In the Thanksgiving proclamation by Abraham Lincoln (1863), I could see that they viewed most of their achievements as gifts and mercy from God. Moreover, I find it interesting to put this into the context of the Civil War. I am interested in how the war affected the Indians and their roles in this bloody conflict. The purpose of Thanksgiving itself puzzled me a bit as the intention of it is to celebrate peace and connect to God? I am not sure since I may have missed this detail in class. In general, it is interesting to integrate all information and context into historical events so as to gain various perspectives.
References
Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. (n.d.). Who is Pocahontas?. Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/who-is-pocahontas-national-portrait-gallery/JgVxSdC-wWCx5w?hl=en
Lincoln, A. (1863). Transcript for president Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation from
October 3, 1863. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/transcript_for_abraham_lincoln_thanksgiving_proclamation_1863.pdf