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The "Indian Princess" is a stereotypical and inaccurate representation of Native American or other Indigenous woman of the Americas. The term "Princess" was often mistakenly applied to the daughters of tribal chiefs or other community leaders by early American colonists who mistakenly believed that Indigenous people shared the European system of royalty. This portrayal has continued in popular animation, with characters that conform to European standards of beauty, with most famous misrepresentation being that of Pocahontas. Frequently, the "Indian Princess" stereotype is paired with the "Pocahontas theme" in which the Princess "offers herself to a captive Christian knight, a prisoner of her father, and after rescuing him, she is converted to Christianity and live with him in his native land." The phrase "Indian Princess", when used in this way, is often considered to be a derogatory term and is deemed offensive to Natives.
In Native American Pow wow culture, some competition titles for girls or young women might include the name "Princess", but this is of a wholly different context and meaning than the above usage.
Playing Indian" or dressing up in a stereotypical Native American costume is an American practice that goes back to colonial times. During The Boston Tea Party, colonists dressed up as Indians by wearing feathers, blankets, and drawing on their faces with black soot. They then threw the English's tea off the ship and into the harbor.
An "Indian Princess" is often a form of playing "Indian". Many non-indigenous people believe that dressing up as an Indian princess is innocent, inoffensive and harmless. Although, the cultural appropriation of Native traditional dress as a costume is often viewed as offensive because it ignores the cultural and religious significance of traditional Native regalia, and regularly sexualizes Native American women.
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