The Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian, located in Washington, DC, is a museum that explores the history and cultures of the Indigenous people of North America. Americans exhibition is one of my favorite exhibits as it explores how “American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. “One of the exhibit’s most notable sections explains the true story of Pocahontas’s life.
This article will explore how NMAI tells the true story of Pocahontas alongside how American history has exploited her image when it comes to discussing the founding of the New World. In doing so, visitors can learn the actual history of Pocahontas and her connection to the founding of the New World. Pocahontas was not a woman who helped to provide peace between the European explorers like John Smith and the American Indians, but rather an 11-year-old girl forced to be baptized Christian and married to John Rolfe.
The section is in a small room that is off of the main room of the Americans exhibit. The section begins with a panel that asks. “Pocahontas didn’t save John Smith. She saved America.” The section separates Pocahontas’s life into two timelines. The first explains Pocahontas’ life, and the second explores her legacy as the most significant American Indian in history. Many large portraits of her showcase her appearance when she was alive. These portraits are from after she married John Rolfe and have Pocahontas in a European outfit. The portraits starkly contrast to the Disney portrayal that most know to be what Pocahontas looked like when she was alive.
The timeline then highlights the main dates from Pocahontas’s life and the founding of the New World. The timeline also has a ton of lengthy text. However, the text highlighting the main dates is shorter and bolder than the lengthy text. The shorter text on the main dates stands out to visitors. Visitors can go through the section quickly and still gain necessary information on Pocahontas’s life without reading all the labels. Unlike many other exhibits in the museum, you do not have to read all of the labels to understand what the exhibit section explains to visitors.
There are no interactives for children in the exhibit. As the labels are written for visitors 13 years and older, adult visitors have to read and explain the information on the labels to younger girls. Even though this is not the best way for children to learn and engage with new information, Pocahontas’ real story is still significant for young girls. If the young girl(s) in your life would like to learn more about Pocahontas, there are books on her in the children’s room at the museum named imagiNATIONS Activity Center. One of the later articles in this series will go into more depth about what is offered in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center.
-Lindsay Guarnieri
Junior Girl, Curatorial
Girl Museum