Talk: The Many Faces of Pocahontas

A gathering of about 100 came to the church to hear the talk entitled ‘The Many Faces of Pocahontas’ and a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting talk it was.

Jamie Bosket spoke first; he is the very youthful President and CEO of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Jamie spoke eloquently and fluently about the different paintings and pictures over the years featuring Pocahontas, accompanying his talk with slides showing the paintings. 

There were not a huge number but interestingly they depict the six stages of Pocahontas’ life, including her abduction, her baptism, her marriage and her death, among others. Indeed, we learnt that her real name was not Pocahontas but Matoaka and that there is just one drawing of her created during her lifetime that depicts her real likeness. Jamie also mentioned the two statues of Pocahontas (Gravesend and Jamestown, Virginia) and the Disney cartoon images.

Accompanying Jamie was Chief Anne Richardson of the Rappahannock Tribe. Anne has visited St George’s before and again wore her full ceremonial robes which were highly impressive. Anne spoke about Pocahontas as a peacemaker and reconciler, bringing two nations together in peace; skin colour and race were not issues for her. Importantly she found Jesus Christ and loved the Lord, acting out her short life as a true Christian should. She said that Pocahontas has been compared to Ruth in the Old Testament since she displayed her qualities of compassion, unfailing devotion, respect, grace, honesty, integrity, generosity, wholesomeness, and kindness. Indeed one of our two matching Nave windows dedicated to Pocahontas features Ruth and is known as the ‘Ruth window’.

In conclusion, Anne commented that if George Washington was the ‘father’ of America, then Pocahontas could rightfully be considered to be the ‘mother’ of America.