The Reel Injun A Cree filmmaker named Neil Diamond directed Reel Injun. At a young age, he always cheered for the cowboys but never realizing that he was the Indian. He explores the portrayals of North American Natives through a century of cinema. These images of Natives have shaped people's opinions and views about Aboriginals. Through these depictions, it has led to stereotypes that caused discrimination among the First Nations. Reel Injun emphasizes not to generalize indigenous people through media and films. Plot Synopsis Neil Diamond traveled to America and explored how Hollywood cinema, dating back from the silent film era to this day had shaped the concept of North American Natives. Through the silent film era, Natives were portrayed …show more content…
as noble and dignified people. In 1949, "They Died With Their Boots On" film depicted First Nations as treacherous human beings, which created negative stereotypes. Hollywood films began to feature white people as protagonist where they fend off attacks from the Natives. “They Died With Their Boots On” film became the basis stereotypes of Natives throughout Hollywood films. Themes First Nations are still reclaiming their cultural identity in Canada. The negative representations through Hollywood films had stripped the true identity of the Natives. They have been stripped of their humanity and these stereotypes created segregation and discrimination towards First Nations. A social structure of “us versus them” has been established due to these false depictions. Analysis Neil Diamond grew up cheering for the cowboys, never realizing that he was the Indian through the movies he watched.
This led him to create Reel Injun to persuade viewers that Aboriginals are humans too. The film has done a great job of addressing the impacts of western films among Aboriginals. These pictures should be used to influence the audience’s view and debunk the misconception of the identity of indigenous people. The message of this film is to question personal beliefs and opinions about the Aboriginal’s portrayals in the media and films. In today’s society, aboriginals are still over-represented and have disproportionate representation in the criminal justice (Personal communication, A. Eyjolfson, Oct. 19, 2016). The majority still believe that Natives are alcoholic and that they are more likely to have run-ins with the law. These depictions of Aboriginals promote racism and discrimination that creates a social structure of “us versus them”. This social structure promotes inequality in our society. According to Wilkinson and Pickett (2010), when we reduce inequality we increase our well-being and our quality of life. To reduce inequality it is important to address the issues and how individuals contribute to these issues. Reel Injun questions personal opinion and beliefs in order to address the issue and break false stereotypes of
Aboriginals. Conclusion Reel Injun was created to question beliefs and opinions of first nations. These false conceptions of the indigenous people had created stereotypes that led to racism and discrimination. Negative portrayals deprive them to fully express their identity. As a result, it promoted racism and discrimination that leads away from social justice.
The movie depicts what it was like to be Australian in the decades of the 50’s and 60’s and the decisions of the Australian government over this period, through the journey of four Aboriginal women and one Irish man. The movie explores the treatment of indigenous people living in this era in comparison to white Australians. The unique ways in which the characters made their living provided for scrutiny, judgement and vulnerability. In the movie you see just how differently the Aboriginal community was treated compared to the white Australians during these era’s.
The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
In Australia the Aboriginals face discrimination daily. The film opened with four young Aboriginal girls singing on a makeshift stage facing their community. When the camera panned to show the smiling faces in the crowd it gave a feel of unity and love. Later it showed two sisters who were trying to hitch a ride into the city from the main road. Yet every vehicle passed them by; once they saw who they were, frustrated the older sister. Gale stated it was because they ‘were black’. When in the town playing their song on the stage in a bar, the youngest sister turned up and took
Good morning Mrs Dover and 8D. I have chosen to analyse the film clip “black fella, white fella” by the Warumpi band, and have determined that the song and associated images is partially successful in communicating aboriginal values, such as culture, land and family. The lyrics include the language features repetition, alliteration and rhetorical questions to deliver a message of reconciliation and equality. These features are also supported by visual imagery that is intended to support the ideas within the song.
Though the film mentioned the impact that residential schools had and still has on the aboriginal people, I felt that this issue needed to be stressed further because the legacy of the schools is still extremely prominent in aboriginal communities today. The film refers to the fact that residential schools harmed the aboriginal people because they were not able to learn their culture, which has resulted in the formation of internalized oppression within in the group. “The...
Rolf de Herr’s 2002 film The Tracker represented some human beings in the past who have been extremely naïve, barbarous, and bigoted when it came to dealing with Indigenous Australians. This film portrayed white racism in the characters of the Fanatic, the Veteran, and at first the Recruit until he becomes stronger and eventually changes his demeanor towards the Aboriginal people. Even though the Tracker experiences immense hardship throughout the movie he was always two steps ahead of his bosses since he was very familiar with the land and was also able to outsmart his superior officers. The Tracker is a gloomy film which presents the dark past of Australia that must never be forgotten.
The poem “We’re not trucking around” by Samuel Wagan Watson presents an Aboriginal perspective on Australian National identity, showing the audience that Australians still mistreat Indigenous people, expressing his perspective through the ideas that white men still mistreat Aboriginals and the marginalization of Aboriginal culture. Watson reinforces his idea through poetic and language
The idea that indigenous Australian communities are underprivileged and do not receive the same justice that the white community accrues is represented through Jay Swan and his interactions with the corrupt white police officers and the indigenous locals of the town. My empathetic response to the text as a whole was influenced directly by way the text constructs these ideas as well as my knowledge of the way indigenous Australians are represented in the mainstream media and the behaviour of the police force as an institution. These contextual factors and the way Sen has constructed ideas influenced me to empathise with the indigenous
The contributions and achievements of Indigenous role models continue to make substantial impacts upon our history in areas such as the arts, sport, education, science and more increasingly; the world of Politics. Modern Australia is recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people more than ever before, where the social landscape is changing (albeit slowly) as a result. The gradual change of peoples ingrained preconceptions, unfounded ideas and prejudiced notions are being challenged and ultimately transformed.
Neil Diamond reveals the truth behind the Native stereotypes and the effects it left on the Natives. He begins by showing how Hollywood generalizes the Natives from the clothing they wore, like feathers
The Indigenous youth of Australia still face many challenges growing up in a world dominated by white Europeans. This essay will discuss the stereotypes and marginalisation that young Indigenous teenagers must face. After viewing Yolngu Boy and Black Chicks Talking, there will be examples from the two movies on the stereotypes, marginalisation, interdependent and the connection the characters of the movies have with the Aboriginal culture and the dominant white culture.
During the late sixteen century, when the first fleet arrived to Australia and discovered the free settlers or known as Australian Indigenous inheritors (The Aborigines), the community of aboriginal inhabitants since then have experienced vast levels of discrimination and racism against their gender, race, colour and ethnicity. The term over representations refers to the presents of minority or disproportionate ethnic aboriginal groups represented in the criminal justice system (CJS). This essay will further explain the relationship between aboriginal communities and policing discussed in Blagg (2008) and Cunneen (2007, the three major sources of concern in association to aboriginal over representation in CJS which include; systematic bias,
The film, “Reel Injun” reveals a distortion of the way Hollywood sees Native American life through comedy and the real way Native Americans live which changes according to the current times. Dozens of films recreate the way Americans believe Natives live as savages and wear costumes decorated with feathers, but Hollywood does not show the true spiritual side and the meaning of why they live the way they do. US history negatively affect Native American live which lead to the image of Natives to be clouded by imagination through film, changed the way Natives viewed themselves and expect to live, and misshaped the view we have about Natives.
As a result, both films represent Natives Americans under the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films add in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfold partly unlike. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar say, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
Specific elements of the storyline that display the theme racism include: the display of animalistic treatment, enforced religious practices, and historical comparisons. The film reveals the overarching government belief that the white race is smarter and purer, to the inferior, uncivilized and misguided, darker-skinned, Aboriginals. This belief is demonstrated throughout the film and signifies the government’s attitudes toward the half-caste race as: uncivilized animals that need a trainer to discipline them. For example, the film shows the girls being transported like livestock to th...