The Capital of the United States of America has a room Dedicated to paintings that depict the great historical achievements that formed the America we know today. One of these paintings shows, who many of you may know her as “Pocahontas”, in this painting she is being baptized. This painting depicts “Pocahontas” willingly converting over to Catholic religious views. When In reality that was far from what actually happened.

“Pocahontas’s” real name was Amonute and her secondary name was Matoaka. Matoaka was 14 years old when kidnapped by white settlers, she was forced into marriage by a man Named John Rolfe who many of you may know as “John Smith” as Disney made a movie retelling a romanticized version of her story and profited off of many lies in efforts to erase the true history of the Indigenous people who once resided on this land we call America today. Matoaka was 17-18 years old when her hand was forced into Marriage, after the birth of her child historians say she boarded a ship to return home from Britain in hopes to return to her Native land and Tribe. Matoaka (20-21 years old at this time) was said to have died on this ship voyage due to unknown reasons, many historians believe she died of small pox as this was a very common cause of death back in the 1600’s although there is reason to believe she was poisoned by John Rolfe in retaliation to Matoaka wanting to go back to the land she once called home. As there is no way to prove this, due to all of Matoaka’s personal Diaries being “lost” or what many historians believe to be destroyed by those who once Owned Matoaka in hopes to cover up their long history of abuse towards her. Matoaka’s body was never returned to her Native land for a proper burial. She was buried at St. George’s Church, in the United Kingdom. The records showing where Matoaka is buried, have since perished in a church fire. As indigenous people of America have desperately requested that Matoaka’s remains be brought back to America so that she can finally receive the burial her ancestors would have wanted for her, our cries have been ignored due to her remain’s location being now “unknown”.

The Indigenous people of America have gone through hundreds of years worth of genocide at the hands of the Catholic Church. Residential Schools that once held captive indigenous children who were ripped away from their tribes still stand in America today. These schools were built for one reason only and that was to erase the existence of all indigenous people, indigenous children were kidnapped, forcibly converted to catholic/Christian religion, forced to learn English (as many indigenous tribes spoke their own native languages), young indigenous boys were forced to cut their hair as a way of separating them from their spiritual practices, and given biblical names to replace their once given birth names. These indigenous children were then bought “adopted” by white skinned catholic families who used them as house slaves or farm slaves. These children then were forced into arranged marriages with one of the families biological children in hopes to “breed out” their dark skin complexion and spiritual practices. It wasn’t until November 8th of 1978 that the United States passed ICWA (indigenous child welfare act) this Bill forced all residential boarding schools owned by the Government and the church to be shut down. 400+ schools in the United States were abandoned along with 139 schools in Canada. The Canadian Government called for action to be taken in demolishing these schools that still stood, over 7,000+ unmarked graves were found surrounding these 139 Canadian Residential schools.

On April 1st of 2022 Pope Fransis himself came to issues a verbal apology to all indigenous Canadians for the mass Genocide caused by the Catholic church that left thousands of indigenous children dead. The United States of America has done nothing to show concern towards how many unmarked Graves have yet to still be found on the surrounding  grounds of the 400+ residential Schools still standing on American land today. This just goes to show how little sympathy the American Government has to show for the mass genocide of 130 Million Indigenous Americans.

The painting of “Pocahontas being baptized” that hangs on the walls of the Capital building depicts that our country’s prides itself in its history of mass genocide along with forced conversion to Catholic/Christian religion. To know that the American Government prides itself of murder, rape, slavery, forced religious conversion, and kidnapping children along with forcing them into underaged/arranged marriage in hopes to “breed out” any trace of differing skin color is absolutely atrocious! The Supreme Court has already made a effort in trying to over turning ICWA as of November 9th of 2022, this is proof that the American Government still has its eyes on continuing its long history of mass genocide towards the remaining indigenous Blood line in America today!

We call for the removal of this painting from the capital building as mass genocide, slavery, and religious conversion is not what Americans pride themselves for. Our countries history is based off of hundreds of years worth of suffering towards those who once called this land their own. History has been and is continuously erased and rewritten by the same people who caused centuries worth of pain and suffering! Us indigenous Americans will no longer tolerate our history being forgotten and romanticized! We demand that our voices finally be heard after hundreds of years of being silenced! REMOVE THE PAINTING OF “Pocahontas being baptized”!