Zazil Ha, Matoaka, Sacagawea, and Toby “Winema” Riddle are all portrayed much differently than Malinalli, but why is she viewed negatively for doing similar things? Each of these women helped foreigners by mediating between their own native peoples and the foreigners that would later bring destruction to them. Why then, would Malinalli Tenepal be the only one portrayed in a negative limelight? Zazil Ha (1519) was a Mayan who chose a Spaniard as her husband. Although her husband completely assimilated into Mayan society by tattooing his face like a Mayan warrior, and giving up his fancy Spanish dress for that of a loincloth that was more common among the native people. Gonzalo Guerrero and Zazil Ha are seen as the parents of Mexico. Since Gonzalo
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Similarly, Matoaka, or Pocahontas could also be considered a traitor, but this perceived notion is not popular. She was a Powhatan woman who assimilated into the English lifestyle by changing her dress, converting to Christianity, marrying an English plantation owner, and spending the rest of her life in England. Because Matoaka accepted Christianity, married a foreigner, and birthed a bastard, she became a traitor to her native people; however she is not seen as a traitor because her appearance in movies like Disney’s Pocahontas changed her public perception as more of a role model. Another native woman that helped foreigners, and indirectly leading to the downfall of her fellow natives was Sacagawea. By guiding Lewis and Clarke west …show more content…
When you compare her to Matoaka, Toby “Winema” Riddle, Zazil Ha, and Sacagawea, she stands out as selfish and only looking out for her own self interest. The Americans used Sacagawea as a guide for their own use. Since the natives dealing with the Americans did not write the history that is taught in American schools, their perspective of her as someone who indirectly led to their eviction is left out. On another note, Sacagawea and Matoaka are seen as women who strived for peace while Malinalli had no intention to stop fighting between the Mejica and the Spanish. Because this selfish decision cost lives, she is seen as a traitor. Resentment for Malinalli is stronger when death is involved. Apart from the comparison of Malinalli to other native women, Malinalli faced certain prejudice when it came to how she was portrayed by those who told her story. The Criollos were people of mixed native and Spanish descent. When they beat the Spanish in 1821, they became the ones at the top of the hierarchy. Their rise to power called for the need to create a scapegoat to shift the blame for the genocide of the Mejica people from the Spanish, of which they had connection to, to defenseless scapegoats. Who better to blame than native women? Malinalli fit this role perfectly, not only was she a native woman, but she also played a role in the holocaust
Similarly, Matoaka, or Pocahontas could also be considered a traitor, but this perceived notion is not popular. She was a Powhatan woman who assimilated into the English lifestyle by changing her dress, converting to Christianity, marrying an English plantation owner, and spending the rest of her life in England. Because Matoaka accepted Christianity, married a foreigner, and birthed a bastard, she became a traitor to her native people; however she is not seen as a traitor because her appearance in movies like Disney’s Pocahontas changed her public perception as more of a role model. Another native woman that helped foreigners, and indirectly leading to the downfall of her fellow natives was Sacagawea. By guiding Lewis and Clarke west …show more content…
When you compare her to Matoaka, Toby “Winema” Riddle, Zazil Ha, and Sacagawea, she stands out as selfish and only looking out for her own self interest. The Americans used Sacagawea as a guide for their own use. Since the natives dealing with the Americans did not write the history that is taught in American schools, their perspective of her as someone who indirectly led to their eviction is left out. On another note, Sacagawea and Matoaka are seen as women who strived for peace while Malinalli had no intention to stop fighting between the Mejica and the Spanish. Because this selfish decision cost lives, she is seen as a traitor. Resentment for Malinalli is stronger when death is involved. Apart from the comparison of Malinalli to other native women, Malinalli faced certain prejudice when it came to how she was portrayed by those who told her story. The Criollos were people of mixed native and Spanish descent. When they beat the Spanish in 1821, they became the ones at the top of the hierarchy. Their rise to power called for the need to create a scapegoat to shift the blame for the genocide of the Mejica people from the Spanish, of which they had connection to, to defenseless scapegoats. Who better to blame than native women? Malinalli fit this role perfectly, not only was she a native woman, but she also played a role in the holocaust