Werowocomoco is the name of the new restaurant at Francis Ford Coppola's one-year-old Geyserville winery Virginia Dare, and as foreshadowed a month ago, the fictionalized origin-story of the winery, as well as the restaurant, attempts to link it to the earliest days of the American colonies, and the myth of the "White Doe," a young European girl who ended up being raised among a Native American tribe. The name Werowocomoco, the early political and spiritual capital of the Virginia Algonquian tribes, and it was revealed last week via Eater and elsewhere that the theme of the menu would be "American native" cuisine, which of course raised a few Bay Area eyebrows.

Now the Chronicle has given Coppola a platform from which to defend this choice, in the form of an editorial in which the director and wine entrepreneur says he became fascinated with Native American food and culture as he did research for the concept of the new winery, including from rare books like History of the Indian Tribes of North America, "assembled by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall between 1836 and 1844."

I'll let him explain:

I was filled with awe and respect for these people and fascinated with their story and wanted to learn what I could. I also wanted the opportunity to taste and experience what Native American food is like today, and so over several years I traveled in search of it. I shared meals on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico, in private homes and eateries for local people.

I had a wonderful opportunity to have a dinner prepared by Loretta Oden, an acclaimed Native American chef, and subsequently began to arrive at the concept of a menu inspired by my experiences as well as my own ideas of appealing dishes for our visitors, including items such as fry bread with bison meat and bison ribs...

Eventually I formed a council of advisers consisting mainly of Native Americans of different tribes from around the country, to bring authenticity and respect for these traditions as well as support for what I feel are important issues of health, youth and education, employment, preservation of language and culture, food and ingredient acquisition, and art. I confess that I used my own imagination and creative powers to bring this project to life much in the way that I would have in making a film.

Werowocomoco is moving forward, for better or worse, opening Saturday, November 5, and Coppola plans to donate percent of its pretax profits to America’s Native People.

Apparently Coppola himself phoned the Chronicle this week saying "This is a very sensitive situation," and asking to present the background of the restaurant in his own words.

Per John Diaz, editorial page director:

Cultural appropriation is good, it fosters inter-communication between people and cultures through what they love most: food, art, etc., Coppola said. “However, cultural misappropriation is not good, as it misuses culture without giving back, and is hurtful. Especially to peoples who need to benefit by it.”

Previously: Francis Ford Coppola Hints Of New Restaurant At His Virginia Dare Winery