Grace Steele Woodward

This is a decent introduction to the life of Pocahontas (indeed, it was the first scholarly examination of her role in the early colonization of America) but I cannot in good conscience give it a higher rating due to the author's appalling cultural superiority that pervades the text. Here are just a few of the disturbing passages in question:

"(Pocahontas) rose...above the ignorance and savagery of her people, whom the Jametown colonists termed 'naked slaves of the devill.'"

"...in her willingness to learn English ways, English words, and English rituals, (Pocahontas) revealed an extraordinary ability to move from a culture grounded in sacrifice and superstition into a culture that was by contrast enlightened and sophisticated."

These passages are rather shocking coming from an historical text written in the 1960's. No objective viewpoint is given about the differences and similarities between the white and native cultures of the period. It's obvious the author did no research into the Powhatan culture other than examining texts written by white English settlers who had many reasons for describing the Indigenous Peoples as lesser than themselves.

The author includes many citations of works referenced throughout the book except for the section in which she describes the Powhatans as being "devil-worshipers" and practitioners of human sacrifice (most likely because such documents don't exist outside of white settler accounts that shouldn't be read as ultimate truth.)

The majority of the text is a good jumping-off point for researchers interested in the subject, but these specific anecdotes about traditional Powhatan culture must be read for what they are - a WASP viewpoint of an unknown culture that bears more than just a trace of racism.… (meer)