Proof Fence Controversy

Native Americans have been neglected, abused, and tormented since the 1700’s when their land was abruptly invaded by Europeans. Europeans declared this “unknown” territory to be their property from then forward and did anything and everything to make sure this would happen. This included forced assimilation, where Natives were stripped of their cultural traditions and forced to assimilate to an english speaking, westernized culture (McLeigh, 2010). This included taking children from their families and sending them to boarding school to learn a new language, new cultural traditions, and new religious practices. Starting in 1860 and lasting until 1970, children were taken from their families at a young age and often lost touch with their family

Misrepresentation of Natives on screen throughout the 20th century has had an adverse effect on them. Whether it was positive or negative stereotypes, Natives felt the effect of Hollywood and began to lose their self-identity, their honour, and their pride. Reel Injun takes a look at how movies have defined an entire race and also documents the rebirth of the Native identity after decades of destructive Hollywood movies by interviewing notable Native actors, actresses, and activists. By doing so, director Neil Diamond hopes to silence Hollywood stereotypes and get Hollywood to properly represent the Native people.

The film Pocahontas, produced by Walt Disney films, portrays the tension between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers during the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the "New World." In examining this film using the article "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," it quickly becomes apparent that although there are forms of racism as described in the article (what will be referred to as ‘traditional media racism'), the crux of the film's racism is beyond blatant stereotyping and marginalization. While the white settlers clearly have a conquering ideology laced with ideas of racial superiority, this attitude is offset by Powhatan's steadfast adherence

The Native American children were educated at Carlisle in order to make a “better” transition into society for post-bellum America. Carlisle was located in Pennsylvania and was a reform school for Native American children. “Carlisle fills young Indians with the spirit of loyalty to the stars and stripes, and moves them out into your communities to show by their conduct and ability that the Indian is no different from the white or colored, that he has the inalienable right to liberty and opportunity that the white and the negro have (Paul Prucha 68).” The Native Americans didn’t have the liberty to live on their land as they were before the whites arrived; “By 1979, my people were no longer free, but were confined on reservations under the rule of agents (Standing Bear 69-71).” The Native American children such as Luther Standing Bear were taken from their families, land, and tradition to be reformed into a civilized American. Luther Standing Bear recalls his time at Carlisle; “The task before us was not only that of accepting new ideas and adopting new manners, but physical changes and discomfort had to be borne un complainingly until the body adjusted itself to new tastes and habits (Standing Bear 69-71).” The Native American children’s names, attire, religion, and diet were changed to that of the white Americans. “…the change in clothing, housing, food, and confinement combined with lonesomeness was too much, and in three years nearly one half of the children from the Plains were dead… (Standing Bear

In 1876, the Indian Act was passed. This act enforced a law that required all First Nations, children below the age of 16, to attend residential schools until they were 18. To elaborate, these schools were run by not only the church, but funded by the government. Children were dragged from their homes; their ways of life, family, and friends stripped from them. While attending these schools, the native children were forced to dress, talk, and act like the white people. Any trace of First Nations culture was stripped away, leaving a raw, abused Indian. Native children experienced sexual, and physical abuse. The Christian faith was forced upon them. If the did not speak English, or follow European customs, and ways, they faced cruel consequences.

Throughout the process of colonization, the Native people in Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Silas Hagerty’s documentary Dakotah 38, and Phillip Noyce’s film Rabbit-Proof Fence, all cope with the on going struggles of being colonized against their will. All three of these sources tell their own, different stories about their same struggles. In both Things Fall Apart and Dakotah 38, the colonizing people create a sense of doubt in the Natives’ cultures; whereas in Rabbit-Proof Fence, the people fight to hold their beliefs by continuing to practice their own traditions.

‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ was the story of a 3 young Aboriginal girls who were taken from their homes because they were ‘half castes’ and then their long walk home following the rabbit proof fence. The idea of the government taking children from their homes and placing them into the care of white people in the hope of them losing their cultural beliefs was stronger. This idea of them being changed was evident with quotes such as “This is your new home. We don't use that jabber here. You speak English” providing the idea of whites being dominant through their values.

After reading Kill the Indian, Save the Man: The Genocidal Impact of American Indian Residential Schools by Ward Churchill, I have come to realization of some matters. First of all, while your goal might had been to civilize the Indians by teaching them English, manners, and change their whole appearance, the outcome was totally different. Your goal might have been successful to you, in the end you got what you wanted: to kill the Indian and Save the Man. But also, you stole those kid’s identities by taking them away from their families. You traumatized them, and making them go through so many forms of abuse. “Kill the Indian, save the men” or like U.S. Indian Commissioner William A. Jones said in 1903, the goal was to “exterminate the

When European colonists set foot in the so-called “New World” they brought with them a plethora of non-human colonists whose arrival would have significant impacts on the territories and inhabitants of the newly discovered lands, be they intentional or accidental. Some of these non-human colonists and their effects are well known :

Children were taken away from their homes and told everything they knew was wrong. They were sent to boarding schools to change their culture. These boarding schools were run by the United States government. The government's goal was to civilize Native Americans. They sent children to these schools against their will. Native American children were educated like Americans and they had to change their native ways to be more like whites (Cayton 266). Teachers abused their students and beat their native ways out of them. They were not allowed to see their families so they would try to escape, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The United States government’s Boarding Schools of the mid-late 1800s irreparably changed Native American culture.

Throughout world history, it is evident that Native Americans have struggled in society ever since the landing of Christopher Columbus in North America. Ever since the film industry began in the 1890s, Native Americans have been depicted in many negative ways by film makers. One particular way film makers degrade Native Americans by making their white characters convert into Indians or “go Native” and eventually they always become better than the original Indians in the film. This notion has been repeated in many films, three significant films were it is evident is in The Searchers, Little Big Man, and Dances with Wolves.

In the late nineteenth century, the effort to ‘civilize” native Americans entailed removing children from their families and placing them in boarding schools where they were forced to adopt European culture. They were forbidden to speak their traditional language and were forced to abandon their religious beliefs in favour of Christianity.

Initially, the dvd cover used for the Blu-ray release of Avatar, brings to life a few interesting concepts surrounding colonialism. For a brief recap, the dvd cover offers a portrait shot of a Na’vi person, only showing half her face, standing in front of a plain black background. To begin with, the strategic use of the portrait shot, display the beauty of the Na’vi with their enlarged lips, magnified eyes, star-like freckles and aesthetic facial structure. The cover captures the audience's attention, giving off the idea that the Na’vi are innocent exotic beings, thus creating the Pocahontas perplex. Furthermore, creating sympathy towards the indigenous population before the audience watches the film. Turning the focus onto the black background, it can be deduced that it represents a tragedy with its void-like effects. Having only the innocent Na’vi on the cover, in front of the void symbolizes the inevitable destruction and abuse that will occur during the plot of the film. Therefore, the cover encourages the audience to develop an emotional connection with the Na’vi to strengthen the producers’ argument about colonization and its horrible effects. To conclude, through the use of planned product design, the dvd cover demonstrates how colonization brings with it exploitation and

In Avatar the humans are the “developed country” and seek to exploit the Na’vi by acquiring their “natural resource” being Unobtanium. In District 9 the aliens have the power. The aliens intimidate the humans because they have advanced weaponry and machinery which the humans do not understand. The aliens only have the power to a certain extent because MNU have been successful in containing the aliens into a space where they aren’t a threat to humanity. MNU have also been studying the aliens weaponry indicating that they are becoming more confident and the aliens become less of a threat. The fighting power in Avatar is strong and fairly equally balanced because the humans are the clear oppressors but the Na’vi, along with other inhabitant species, fight back to protect Pandora and save their land. In District 9 the power not evident until the end when the humans had to fight to keep the aliens in District 9 and prevent them from travelling out of their area. Throughout the movie the aliens accept their living area and live without

Education is a beneficial tool because knowledge of different subject areas can create opportunities for children. Schools additionally teach students where they belong in a stratified, limiting society in indirect ways. Throughout my history courses, I learned that explorers and settlers enculturated the savage Indians. Textbooks emphasized how whites built their wonderful communities after ridding the land of Native-American influence. I now know this story is not accurate. In Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, Chicano Studies professor Rodolfo Acuña (2015) notes that Western thinkers “disrespect or slight” Indian history because “it challenges the legitimacy of [Western] conquest” (p. 1). Since most history textbooks