The Significance of Pocahontas in History
During a tour of the "Americans" exhibit in the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, curator Cecile Ganteaume discussed the life of Pocahontas and how she was representative of Native Americans in Europe and how her image was used as a symbol of America. She explained how likenesses of Pocahontas are used in monuments and art to represent American ideals.
Description
During a tour of the “Americans” exhibit in the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, curator Cecile Ganteaume discussed the life of Pocahontas and how she was representative of Native Americans in Europe and how her image was used as a symbol of America. She explained how likenesses of Pocahontas are used in monuments and art to represent American ideals.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- What is known about the life of Pocahontas?
- Why was Pocahontas's trip to London significant to European views of Native Americans?
- Explain the symbolism of Pocahontas in the image of important Virginian founding fathers.
- How is Pocahontas portrayed in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol? How is that symbolic of how she is viewed in the United States?
Additional Resources
Participants
Vocabulary
- Abducted
- Cash Crop
- Indigenous
- Jamestown
- John Rolfe
- John Smith
- Lineage
- Native American
- Pocahontas
- Powhatan
- Rotunda
- Symbolism
- Virginia Colony