Native American Humor Analysis

There are many ways that we can communicate our message to the world. One particular way is through humor. Comedy has an effect on the human experience. It can cause discomfort, joy, shock, confusion and so on. Sometimes it can stir up two emotions at once like anger and regret. Humor can also be used to bring light to issues that are occurring in today’s society. Throughout, this essay I will be examining the use of humor, especially, in the Native American culture. One main issue that Native Americans face in today’s society is that they’re being stereotyped. Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny, is a satirical documentary told from an Inuits perspective, pokes fun of how they were viewed by the “white people.” Qallunaat! is a word used

Alexis in his book states, “The word belongs to us now. We are Indians. That has nothing to do with Indians from India. We are not American Indians. We are Indians, pronounce In-din. It belongs to us. We own it and we’re not going to give it back” (pg.13). At first read, you would think Alexie, is being aggressive and seems annoyed. However, as we continue to read his book “One Stick Song,” we can pick up on his dark humor rather quickly. Alexie, is very blunt in this book and it may offend those that are insecure about their beliefs. He’s writing style can almost be seen as in-your-face. Though, I think that Alexie pushes boundaries because it gets

Charlie Hill, was a stand up comedian who, unfortunately passed away December, 2013. Hill, was an Oneida-Mohawk-Cree and he based his stand-up on his heritage. On The Comedy Network, Hill, ends his set with a message that resonated to the majority of the audience. The joke starts off with an ad he came up with selling “Generakees,” for those who aren’t, but want to be Native American. He sells the idea and ends with a disclaimer. The disclaimer brought up issues that are still occurring amongst the Native American community. “Caution side effects; may include suicide, poverty, disease, religious persecution, and general lose of land” (4:15-5:18). Hill, used the opportunity from his stand-up to spread awareness and inform many throughout, about issues that’s still occurring in modern day