Journals of Discovery- Pocahontas

John Smith and Pocahontas

     This is a picture of Pocahontas quite literally saving Captain John Smith's life. There is much dispute about whether or not Pocahontas actually saved Smith's life or if he is exaggerating this portion of his story as many people agree he does many times throughout his journal. In all reality, Smith had very good reason to make himself look like a hero. He needed to convince his superiors that he did indeed save the colony mostly by himself as to not be punished for letting so many die in his settlement. 

     Another way to look at this picture is that Pocahontas is portrayed symbolically. The artist may have been merely symbolizing the fact that Pocahontas saved the colony from sure destruction by the hand of her father, who had been warned that white men would rule over him. John Smith would be used to symbolize the colony as a whole then, as Pocahontas saves him, she saves the colony in the artists eyes.  

     There are a couple of other things that could be not accurate about this picture. One, is that Pocahontas has been proven to have only been around 10 when she "saved" Smith, not the 20 years old as she is portrayed in this picture. The last is that it shows the the Native American's homes as tee-pees while we have learned in class that they had more stable homes in their villages and only used tee-pees while hunting or something of the sorts. 

Native American Culture- The Smoke Dance

     Though we have read many stories in class, I realized after reading what we are to write about this week, that we had yet to talk much about the Native American dances. I was interested to learn more and ended up on a page about the Smoke Dance. 

      While reading it I learned that though you would assume it had something to do with fire or smoke, it in fact most likely had to do with war. It was traditionally done in order to help the warriors prepare for battle when the nations were still warring. Once the warring died down, the Smoke Dance was used more for ceremonies and remembering rather than actually preparation.

     Though Native American culture has changed in many ways, this is still danced today. In fact, they now have a competition for anyone who wants to show their rhythm and foot skills. Traditionally it was only men who were allowed to do this dance, but ever since the 1960s, women have been able to participate as well, despite the conservative tribal members. Dancers use one vocal singer who uses a water drum to create the song. They use the Smoke Dance as a great way to show off their athletic ability and other skills. 

  

A group of men dancing in competition. They generally do 

slower dances, but use the same foot skills.

 

A group of women dancing in competition. They generally use 

faster beats, but the same footwork as the men. 

     I think it is great that the Native Americans still do dances such as the Smoke Dance. It shows that they still remember their culture and their past. I wish that more cultures were as prominent today as the Native American's. It would help to show our diverse culture in America, because that is what we are, a mixing pot of different cultures.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/the-origins-of-the-smoke-dance/#comments