TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

When most Americans think of November, the first thing that pops into their minds is Thanksgiving . This uniquely American holiday is a time for crazy travel misadventures , delicious food, and quality time with friends and family. But November is also Native American Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, and contributions of Native people.  While Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving seem like distinct holidays, they are very intertwined. Thanksgiving is often framed as a joyful celebration of cooperation between Pilgrims and Native Americans, but history tells a more complicated and dark story. While there was a shared feast in 1621, the following years brought hardship, conflict, and colonization for Native peoples.  For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning. It is a time to remember the lives lost and the customs and cultural norms forcibly removed by European settlement. Native American Heritage Month’s goal is...

Join us in celebrating International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on August 9th by watching Pocahontas: Princess of the American Indians on TheArchive , as well as by learning about the true story of Pocahontas.  The story of Pocahontas is a timeless tale that bridges cultures while celebrating the power of unity and promotes a reverence for Mother Earth. The plot of the film goes as follows: Native American princess Pocahontas has been entrusted with a special task that could save her people and the environment. When colonists arrive by ship on their lands, Pocahontas prays to the Great Spirit for a way for her people to befriend the colonists instead of fighting, but she must teach the settlers to preserve the forests, protect animals and the environment. Pocahontas is a real historical figure , whose real name was Matoaka in some accounts or Amonute in others. She was a Pamunkey Native American woman born in the late 1500s in what is now Virginia. Her journey through ...