Biography american indian

The history of this continent's original inhabitants encompasses a broad range of cultures and experiences. American Indians varied greatly from region to region, as did their reactions to European settlement. The Smithsonian is currently building the National Museum of the American Indian on the Mall in Washington, D.C., that will house one of the world's largest collections of American Indian artifacts.

Unidentified artist
Oil on canvas, after the 1616 engraving by Simon van de Passe, NPG.65.61
National Portrait Gallery,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Andrew W. Mellon, 1942

Pocahontas (Matoaka) illustrates the romantic notions that Europeans often built around the people they encountered in the New World. Even today, the legend of Pocahontas remains so powerful that it is difficult to separate the facts of her life from the myth. Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan (Wahunsonacock), the powerful l