Beyond Disney: A 1616 portrait of Pocahontas shows how English colonizers saw Indigenous Americans

The English assumed people they colonized would convert to their way of life, including Protestant Christianity – an assumption reflected in Pocahontas’ portrait.

By: Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 25, 2026

Words: 1,278

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Peter C. Mancall, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Thanks to the Walt Disney Company, Pocahontas may be the most famous Native American who lived in the 17th century. The animated film version of her early life included her speaking with a willow tree, befriending animals, singing about “the colors of the wind,” and being caught up in an ill-fated romance with Captain John Smith.

The 1995 film created an enduring …

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