Native Americans have faced countless stereotypes in Hollywood movies since the birth of film. Although, natives have made major advancements in the film industry to control how they are seen as well as, show various stories to represent their people but they continue to progress. Native Americans have gone through various changes throughout time regarding how they are portrayed in the media. The movie discusses four different eras that show distinctly different natives at each era. Each era we progress in any way until we reach the Renaissance era, this shows how the natives get their voice back. During the silent era Native Americans were portrayed as noble, stoic warriors. One of the greatest legends during this time was Crazy Horse; …show more content…
he defeated and killed Kuster a leader in the US military at the time. Crazy Horse was not only a legend in movies, but he was also someone natives looked up to. In fact, an enormous statue was built in his honor. When the film was initially getting started Indians first became a subject of interest because of their unique culture. Thomas Edison was one of the first people to film Indians; he captured the Laguna Pueblo ceremony and dance (“Reel Injun”). In this era natives held important roles in the media this includes acting as well as, directing many films. This gave the natives the opportunity to have their stories be told from their perspective and not from outsiders who do not truly understand who they are. One of the most famous actors of the silent era was not completely honest about his ethnicity this led to his demise. Chief Buffalo child, although, he was portrayed as Native American he was also, mixed with white and black. Nevertheless, he showed natives in a different context than what people were used to, “he dressed chic with a suit and his hair slicked back” (Reel Injun). When he showed up to film people would wonder when the Indian would show up without knowing it was Chief Buffalo. The savage era started in the 30’s and lasted until about the 50’s. during this time the natives were shown as savage creatures that were blood thirsty and only motivated to kill. This was also during the great depression, America needed a new hero, which is why they decided to create the cowboy. The cowboy became America’s moral standard, a white man that drove away all the savage Indians. Additionally, during this time ‘tonto’ speak was born. Typically, the actor would just speak in English, but backwards this created the image that Indians were not only savages with anger issues, but they were also incompetent. Natives were no longer hired to play the role of the Native American instead they would hire white men and paint them so they would resemble Indians. The groovy era began an uprising in the native community this caused a shift to how natives were portrayed.
Hippies emulated the way they believed native people dressed, the media created a fictional representation of who natives were and people who copy this and their belief would be reinforced by what they would see in the movies (“Reel Injun”). Natives began to be portrayed in movies as aggressive for a cause. One of the most famous Indian actors during this time was like an action figure that used violence to fight off the white man’s injustice using kung fu (“Reel Injun”). Another important person in media Marlin Brando won an award for the godfather however, was unable to accept the award so he asked Littlefeather a model and activist during this time to go in his place. When she delivered her speech, she expressed how Brando would not accept the award due to how poorly natives were being treated in the media in addition to, in real life (“Reel Injun”). After Littlefeather delivered her speech she was discredited in the media with the intention that her speech would not be taken seriously. However, this speech rekindled the spark in the native people that were currently facing off with the FBI in wounded …show more content…
knee. The Renaissance era began to give Native Americans their voice again, although how they were portrayed was not perfect, there were efforts made to minimize the image of the stereotypical stoic Indian.
They were not just portrayed as warriors or peaceful beings, but just normal humans with various characters and personalities. Smoke signals was a huge step for natives a movie that was made by them for them to show natives in the current time and not in the context of 100 years ago wearing feather headpieces and a small piece of cloth (“Reel Injun”). Perception was finally becoming their own, a movie with Adam Beach was another huge achievement the film portrayed an Indian man that suffered from an alcohol problem (“Reel Injun”). This story is important to tell because it puts a human face to a common stereotype that Indians have faced over the
years. In the final analysis of the film, Natives portrayal in the movie industry has shifted based on what was popular at the time. Natives have been shown as the hero, the villain and finals in recent years as simply human beings. I think it is fascinating how, despite setbacks and stereotypes placed on Natives they continue to fight to get their voice and perspective out in the media for the world to see. One of the men interviewed in Reel Injun said that natives have an important perspective as do all minorities and they deserve to have the spotlight to give their perspective on issues good or bad. Representation is so important for people to have the opportunity to see ourselves and connect with the story because we went through the same scenario. In addition to, show people that a group of people are more than one single story; in the Indians case they are not just warriors or dumb savages but, they are humans with diverse personalities and cultural traditions. I enjoyed watching the film Reel Injun it gave me a lot of perspective as an African American I tend to focus on the lack or misrepresentation of my own culture that I never considered that Native people feel the same way many minority people feel.
Reel Injun is a compelling, thought-provoking documentary that shows how movies have stereotyped Native Americans, and has shaped how society in general viewed Natives. The film seeks to show how Natives really are, and ultimately seeks to correct the Native stereotypes created through the Hollywood Native films. Neil Diamond discusses why films about Natives were originally created and how Natives were portrayed in the early years of film. Through the documentary he continues to show how Natives and their culture changed in the eyes of society.
The depiction of Native Americans to the current day youth in the United States is a colorful fantasy used to cover up an unwarranted past. Native people are dressed from head to toe in feathers and paint while dancing around fires. They attempt to make good relations with European settlers but were then taken advantage of their “hippie” ways. However, this dramatized view is particularly portrayed through media and mainstream culture. It is also the one perspective every person remembers because they grew up being taught these views. Yet, Colin Calloway the author of First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History, wishes to bring forth contradicting ideas. He doesn’t wish to disprove history; he only wishes to rewrite it.
By implementing pictures, ideas, and interviews in the film made it seem authentic and presented by individuals who took part. The illustrations of tanks, helicopters, and guns formed an emotional stance with mournful music following while the Americans were forcing the Indians off of American ground where they did not belong. Trudell explains how Indian children are getting to know the relationship between the government and themselves. The Indians want to be treated as human beings, treated equally, and to be treated with respect. Why could they not obtain the same level of respect as others
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.
The film industries over the years involving Native Americans tend to display various myths and negative portrayals of indigenous people. However, some films like Smoke Signals and Rabbit Proof Fence show real experiences and lifestyles of indigenous people.
People mistake the Indian culture for living in T-Ps and going to powwows and always being drunk. But Smoke Signals really shows how the Indian culture really is. It includes how their culture is different from the white man but the stereo types that people put out for Indians are really inaccurate. Victor and Thomas not only take us on this interesting adventure to see his dad but they show us all of the Indian stereo types.
iv-v) Works Cited Berkhoffer, Robert F. 'The White Man's Indian. Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, New York: 1978. Dowd, Frances Smardo. "Evaluating Children's Portraying Native American and Asian Cultures". Childhood Education; (68 Summer 92), pp.
These stories have a continued overlapping influence in American Fiction and have remained a part of the American imagination; causing Americans to not trust Native Americans and treat them as they were not human just like African Americans. In conclusion to all these articles, Mary Rowlandson and John Smith set the perception for Native Americans due to their Captivity Narratives.
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.
[1] The silent film, With Daniel Boone Thru the Wilderness, was produced in 1926: a time of prosperity, an era without the skepticism of the modern American mind. People were not yet questioning the stories and histories they had been taught as children. The entertaining story told in this Robert North Bradbury film is loosely based on the life of an American hero. However, the presence of several insidiously inaccurate historical representations demonstrates how an entertaining film might not be as innocent as it initially seems. This film fails to question certain key issues concerning the Daniel Boone legend. In fact, it does quite the opposite. The creators of this film wholeheartedly bought into the many warped myths and distorted “facts” surrounding the story of Daniel Boone. Amazingly, the ethnocentric (read racist and colonial) ideals found in 19th century whites apparently still existed in 1926, and, to a certain extent, still do today. This essay will explore the factors that contributed to the twisted representations found in With Daniel Boone Thru the Wilderness. Hopefully, the work of this essay and many others like it will help the next generation of Americans (and filmmakers) to avoid the same injustices and societal pitfalls that have plagued mankind for ages.
The limited presence of Native Americans translates to the limited possibility of Native Americans to voice their perspectives. In order to achieve a fuller picture of Native Americans, the media must stay away from misrepresenting the race when they are present. Presenting Native Americans as a race of savages only makes more people believe that misinterpretation. The media needs to become more informed about the culture of Native Americans, feature more Native Americans in their productions, and represent a clearer picture of a people that has suffered from portrayals as a primitive people. The media should never be responsible for interpreting the image of a particular race; it should serve to more accurately inform people.
Asian Americans only make up a small percent of the American population. Even more significant is that this percentage live mostly on the west and east coasts of mainland United States and Hawaii; leaving the rest of the American population to most likely get their exposures to Asians through television and movies. However the exposure they have receive throughout the history of cinematography has been hardly flattering. Throughout the course of history Asians in film have been portrayed as evil or the "yellow peril" as described by others. If Asians are not being classified as evil in this picture then they are most likely the comic relief, with their lack of coordination or grasp of the English language. With these common stereotypes in place, it gives a white American viewer a sense or need to destroy this Asian villain or superiority over the comedic character portrayed in the film.
Many races are unjustly victimized, but Native American cultures are more misunderstood and degraded than any other race. College and high school mascots sometimes depict images of Native Americans and have names loosely based on Native American descent, but these are often not based on actual Native American history, so instead of honoring Native Americans, they are being ridiculed. According to the article Warriors Survive Attack, by Cathy Murillo (2009) some “members of the Carpentaria community defended Native American mascot icons as honoring Chumash tradition and the spirit of American Indian Warriors in U.S. history and others claimed that the images were racist stereotypes” (Murillo, 2009). If people do not attempt to understand and respect Native American culture, then Native American stereotypes will become irreparable, discrimination will remain unresolved, and ethnocentrism will not be reprimanded.
Native Americans, sometimes referred to as American Indians, have continually faced hardships. Native Americans history is Often overlooked and misunderstood which can lead to stereotyping or discrimination They have fought for many years to be accepted and given their rights to continuities practicing the beliefs that were practiced long before the Europeans came upon the Americas long ago. Throughout history, Native Americans have been presented with many obstacles and even now they continue to fight to over these hardships. hey still are continuing to fight to overcome their hardships.
While watching movies, have you ever noticed that the villains in almost every single Hollywood film are of Middle Eastern or European descent? In a reoccurring theme of Hollywood, the villains in these films are almost always foreigners or people of color. This is a stereotype. On the other side of the spectrum, we often see that the heroes of these films are most often than not white males. This is another stereotype. Within the last few years, we’ve seen actors such as Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, and Zoe Saldana take the lead roles, so it can’t be said that there are no non-white heroes, but there certainly isn’t many. Hollywood action movies, moreover than other genres, are typically loaded with an abundance of stereotypes. The way these movies are composed and structured can tell us a great deal about the views held within the American psyche and who holds the social power. The harsh reality is that the media ultimately sets the tone for societal standards, moralities, and images of our culture. Many consumers of media have never encountered some of the minorities or people of color shown on screen, so they subsequently depend on the media and wholeheartedly believe that the degrading stereotypes represented on the big screen are based on fact and not fiction. Mary Beltran said it best when she stated in her “Fast and Bilingual: Fast & Furious and the Latinization of Racelessness” article, “ultimately, Fast & Furious mobilizes notions of race in contradictory ways. It reinforces Hollywood traditions of white centrism, reinforcing notions of white male master while also dramatizing the figurative borders crossed daily by culturally competent global youth – both Latino and non-Latino” (77). This paper will specifically look...