What Is Pocahontas Sacred

After watching the Disney film called Pocahontas, I learned about the struggle her people went through. During this time I learned what her people considered sacred, what the true intentions of the characters were, and finally how I could relate myself to this story. My first topic that will be reviewed is what sacred is. During this reading, I will take an in-depth look at what sacred is and how it can be used or seen. Next, I will point out what is sacred in this film from both the Native American and settlers point of view. These points of view mainly focus on Pocahontas and John Smith. After learning what the two main characters find scared, I look at all the supporting characters in the film. My goal for this was to examine the choices
they made and if they made a positive or negative impact on the story. I found there were more positive than negative outcomes and that its always better to the right thing. Lastly, I attempted to find the sacred quest that Pocahontas set out on and was quite surprised at the results. After finding her sacred quest, I noticed that my morals were in line with another character.
Understanding the Sacred
An important topic that can be overlooked at times is what sacred is and how it can be found in the simplest of places.
At its core, sacred is anything that is considered holy by a body of people. This can range from the people we have conversations with to the land we walk on. I will talk about many topics that support the sacred found in Pocahontas. I will also inform the reader about the many characters that helped influence Pocahontas both a positive and negative light. My hope is that by the end of this essay, the reader will understand what Pocahontas considered sacred and how she protected it.
The purpose of this essay is to inform the reader about the sacred I found while watching Pocahontas. This movie illustrated how a young Native American girl and a rugged British man met, despite living a great distance apart. John Smith traveled to the New World with other settlers to start a new life. Pocahontas lives in the New World and wants to find true love. However, she is informed by her father of a prearranged marriage to a warrior in her tribe. After meeting John Smith, Pocahontas falls is in love and must convince her farther to allow it. This is a challenge because some members of John’s crew want to steal gold from the Native Americans, and will stop at nothing to get
it.
Finding the Sacred
At its core, sacred can be described as any person, place or thing that is considered holy to a religion or its people.
According to the textbook The Sacred Quest, “Sacred is a complex word because it is used for a wide range of phenomena: places, time, persons, events, and deities.” (Cunningham & Kelsay, 2013, p. 25). Knowing this and after watching the film, I found many sacred objects and people including, Grandmother Willow, the many animals that surrounded Pocahontas, and the land that her tribe lived on. Next, I will go over what made them sacred and how Pocahontas showed her adoration for them.
The first sacred person that I noticed was the relationship Pocahontas had with her grandmother. In the film, Pocahontas seeks guidance and advice from her grandmother that is in the form of an old willow tree. Not only does Pocahontas hold her grandmother’s opinion in high regard, but she also takes advice from her father. This helped me conclude that Pocahontas considers her elders as sacred. Much like how other religions will turn to their God for guidance, Pocahontas does the same with her
elders.
Another sacred that I found, were the land and animals that Pocahontas came into contact with and lived on. She held both in high regard because of the tremendous value they had for her people; these included food, shelter, resources and even friendship. Pocahontas tells John Smith, “You think you own whatever land you land on, the Earth is just a dead thing you can claim / But I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name…” (Gabriel & Goldberg, 1995). This quote clearly shows the compassion and love Pocahontas has towards nature and the earth.
True Intentions
After finding the sacred in the film, I wanted to analyze the supporting characters to see how they impacted Pocahontas. From what I was able to find, the effects of their decisions had both a positive and negative influence on Pocahontas. First there was the governor who had evil plan from the start. He came with the settlers to govern the new settlement. However, his true intentions were revealed shortly after they landed. He instructed the men to begin digging and setting up fortifications at the camp. His reasoning for this was to find gold and repel Indian attacks. The governor deceived his crew by telling them that the Indians were all savages. The governor’s lust for power and his obsession for gold where his ultimate downfall.
Next came chief Powhatan, who started as evil but turned good after he met with Pocahontas and John Smith. Chief Powhatan was the leader of the Native American tribe and the father of Pocahontas. Just like the governor, Powhatan thought all the settlers were savages. During a scouting mission one of his tribe members was shot and killed without reason. Because the settlers shot first, Powhatan knew they only wanted war. After John Smith is blamed for the death of Kocoum, a great warrior in the tribe; he is ordered to death by chief Powhatan. Right before John’s death, Powhatan has a change in heart and decides not to kill him but instead make peace with the settlers. Chief Powhatan’s strong leadership and his ability to listen helped guide his people to peace.
Lastly and easily the most important influencing person to Pocahontas was Grandmother Willow. Grandmother Willow was a talking willow tree that Pocahontas frequently visited for guidance and advice. When Pocahontas brought John Smith before her, Grandmother Willow was overwhelmingly supportive of their relationship. She encouraged Pocahontas to inform her father; however, before the opportunity arose. John Smith was captured and sentenced to death. Grandmother Willow’s kind loving heart is just one of many characteristics that help Pocahontas during her quest to find love.
Tuff Decisions
While it is always better to do the right thing at all times, it may not always be the easiest. Because the Governor ruled the settlers with an iron fist, it was hard for anyone to have their own opinion on things. One settler named Thomas did not want to take a violent approach to the Native American. However, his way of thinking was quickly silenced by the Governor. After following every order given to him Thomas showed his true colors when the two opposing sides met. After chief Powhatan informs his tribe to stand down, Thomas is the first to agree with the truce. Thomas is also the first to suggest that the settlers arrest the Governor for his hostile actions against the Native Americans. The moral pattern to this fairy tale is that doing the right thing will always outweigh the wrong. The Governor being taken into custody, could be one example of a moral consequence. After reviewing the moral choices some characters had to make, I will now look at how this film fits into the sacred quest.
The love quest
According to author Andrew Court, “When you unveil the inner symbolism of all the world’s great scriptures, you find that they are all reminding us that we are children of the same divine source, and we are all here for the same reason; to experience life to its fullest, to love ourselves and each other unconditionally, to open our hearts and minds to the full splendor of the universe, and to awaken that spark of divinity within each one of us that can lift our soul back to that source in conscious communion” (Cort, 2011, p. 144). After reading this, I realized that Pocahontas had a sacred quest of her own. This not only involved the sacred that surrounded Pocahontas such as her land, but also the people she met. Most sacred quests are about finding total enlightenment and a true understanding of one’s religion. After watching the film, I noticed that Pocahontas did have a quest but it was not for enlightenment. It could be argued that her sacred quest is for love however, I do not think it fits the description for a sacred quest.
Drawing the Curtain
After watching this amazing film, I noticed many similarities between chief Powhatan and myself. Chief Powhatan’s connection to the sacred is very similar to Pocahontas’s connection. He loves and respects the land his tribe calls home so much, that he is willing to go to war for it. I can see the loyalty Chief Powhatan shows in myself, I joined the military to serve my country and protect its people. For Chief Powhatan, his land and people are sacred and I would consider the same to be sacred for me. I understand that without the peoples support and land to live on, I would not have a place to call home. Knowing this, I am willing to fight for the place I call home.
In conclusion, Pocahontas stood her ground when challenged about her sacred beliefs. She informed the settlers of her beliefs and how she respected them, both living and nonliving. She acted as both the ambassador and teacher for her tribe as well as the settlers. I was able to compare Chief Powhatan sacred to my own, being able to relate how important our land and animals are to survival. Overall, I learned that sacred can be found in many different forms and is not just restricted to a singular form. People, places, objects and even animals can take on the role of sacred all of which can be found in this film.

References
Cort, A. (2011). SYMBOLS, MEANING, AND THE SACRED QUEST: Spiritual Awakening in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Stories. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from https://www.amazon.com/SYMBOLS-MEANING-SACRED-QUEST-Spiritual-ebook/dp/B0065R9ZBW
Gabriel, M., & Goldberg, E. (Directors). (1995). Pocahontas [Motion picture]. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.