Reel Injun Stereotypes

6-7). Sacheen Littlefeather’s rhetorical argument speech touched upon the exigence of inequality for Native Americans Indians as the film industry inaccurately portrays their culture and importance in society. Within the content of the speech, Sacheen Littlefeather explains Brando’s declination because of the “[mis]treatment of American Indians today by the film industry...and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee” (Littlefeather). By deliberately stating a misrepresentation of a subculture, Sacheen Littlefeather informed and intended to educate the audience on an issue that requires attention and careful consideration. In such a public setting and occasion, the content of her speech was marked with urgency because with so many people watching and with the rare incident of an award being declined, it was evident that there is a prevalence of neglect and degradation of the Native American

The portrayal of Native Americans in media often criticized for being solely based on stereotypes. These stereotypes include an inevitable drinking problem affecting people of all ages on the reservation and a strong dependency on basketball. Alongside these there is the overarching theme of there only being two types of Native Americans: the ignoble and noble savage. The noble savage is exactly what it sounds like, the archetypal hero which is often influenced by European civilization. The ignoble savage, however, is seen as an uncivilized and violent person. The combination of these stereotypes, thus, leads to a misrepresentation of Native Americans.

A stereotype can be defined as a “representational practice” that categorizes and segregates an individual or group of individuals based on their differences, often associating him/her with a positive or negative label, such as, by outcasting an individual based on their racial and ethnic backgrounds (Hall 225). The image of Africans as savages is a common stereotype seen in American and European films that show Africans as barbaric and primitive creatures. Specifically in these films, a savage is an African who is constantly portrayed and characterized as a worthless, lazy, blood-thirsty, cannibalistic beast “who probably deserves to die” (158). This is because Africans don’t fit the stereotypical cookie-cutter mold of what the directors consider “normal” (i.e. being a great white hunter), and therefore, they are immediately seen as insignificant and worthless individuals (158). Over time, as African produced films start forming an appearance in Hollywood, the perception of Africans slowly changes. In part because African directors represent their race as lead characters who are independent and smart. Africans are no longer seen as savage creatures, but instead, as actual human beings who crave to have their voice heard in the

Hollywood and the film industry represent Native Americans in classic movies as savages. In the documentary, "Reel Injun", Neil Diamond goes into how Native Americans are only portrayed as barbarians. This is vastly different from how Native Americans are portrayed in the documentary, "The Shackles of Tradition". This essay will compare and contrast Reel Injun, The Shackles of Tradition, and other movies that portray Native Americans. The basic characteristics that are portrayed, strengths and weaknesses of ethnographic portraits, and the positive & negative impacts this has on Native American culture.

Throughout its existence, Hollywood has sought to draw audiences’ eyes with drama, beauty, and above all, exaggeration. Because of this, major films have frequently been subject to accusations of exoticism, and of perpetuating racial and regional stereotypes. Steve Rose of The Guardian writes, “…movies are teaching children the finer points of racial prejudice before they 've even learned to read” (Rose 2014). But is the situation truly so dire? A closer examination of Hollywood’s big hits is necessary. A comparison of two films in similar settings, one from 1958 and the other from 1995, provides a unique perspective: the

This predominantly accepted stereotype appears in a variety of films and is supported when the Natives in Hollywood are dressed as warriors, preserving the “savage” image (Boyd 106). In The Last of the Mohicans, a 1936 film based on the historical novel The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 by James Fenimore Cooper, the intense bloody battles between Natives, English, and French were the highlight of the film (Cotton 11). In addition to being characterized as violent, Natives are often two-dimensional and lack character development, which furthers the stereotypes that were put in place centuries prior. Natives repeatedly portray the sidekick role to white men as well, and this is especially prevalent in the 2013 action film The Lone Ranger, where a Native boy, Tonto, plays the companion of John Reid (“The Lone Ranger (2013)”). These inaccurate clichés remain incessant when closely observed, as Native American tribes are almost always spotted on reservations or in the wilderness—yet another misconception.

Following in the footsteps of Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans helped renew audience’s interest in Native American culture. The film gave a much better understanding of Native customs, something in which Dances with Wolves failed to do. The film also sympathizes the native people over the whites, portraying them in a more accurate light. For example, “the Europeans are shown as liars and as unfaithful to their promise, as in the case of the attack on the British retreat from fort William Henry. Native Americans, by contrast, are depicted as true to their word” (Bird, 1996:219). Once again, this film is another example of breaking the Native American stereotype. Well known native actors, including

Much has been written on the representation of Native Americans in film. Even the most cursory of perusals will yield a veritable bonanza of essays, articles, books, and the like bemoaning and/or celebrating the various depictions of the Native American experience down through the ages. Film representations especially run the gamut between base stereotypes to naïve idealizations and (eventually) every permutation in between.

The documentary Reel Injun goes into some of the ways in which Hollywood has helped form impressions, usually without input from Indigenous peoples. Typically there is a political reason underlying those stories, Mainstream news sources typically detract the focus away from Native issues, eliminate the story, or manipulate the information. The documentary Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance by Alanis Obomsawin, which follows the 1990 conflict between the Mohawks of Oka, Quebec and the Sûreté du Québec and Canadian army, is an excellent example of how different versions of the same story can have a profound effect on the course of history. The film gives an alternative account of what happened in Oka of the seventy-eight day standoff. News outlets did not report

The author of American Indians And The Mass Media refers to photographic images of Native Americans as imaginary because of the stereotypes that were given to the indigenous people when contact was made with them. When an average individual thinks of an indian the first image that comes to mind is that of a red skinned man wearing a war bonnet or having a mohawk smoking a peace pipe. This is because children of Americana have been fed false images of the indigenous people through sources like television, movies, and books.

The year was also 15th consecutive frame that both the domestic and international divisions crossed the billion-dollar mark—a milestone no other studio has achieved” (Warnerbros.com, 2016). Therefore, we are trying to convince the reader that the portrayal of Native Americans by Warner Bros massively influences spectators all around the globe, particularly the average European-American viewers, and would notably affect their future views and attitude opinion on Native Americans. Henceforth, the following examination is based on the hypothesis that certain Warner Bros’ movies depiction of these Native Americans comprises cultural violence. This notion is well defined by Johan Galtung (1990:292) and will be debated in the theory section of this

Throughout time racist depictions in movies has been prominent in Hollywood, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries towards Indigenous peoples. With settlers beginning to realize the racist past of their ancestors, one would think that racism in film would come to a stop. Unfortunately this is false. Hollywood continues to produce racist films and profit off of their discriminatory pieces. This is particularly true about Adam Sandler’s newest movie “The Ridiculous 6” which premiered on Netflix in 2015. The film is made to be a depiction of “The Magnificent Seven” made in 1960. Although Sandler’s work is made to be a satire and not offend anyone, it does the complete opposite in regards in particular to Indigenous women. Sandler’s movie is a disgusting stereotypical representation that should never have been produced or released. It is clear more work needs to be done in recognizing our First People instead of mocking the way they lived.

Mohicans made in 1956 and Pocahontas in 1995, we see an established stereotype that precedes their character, this being the representation of a Native Americans in a historical context through the lens of “vicious

Although Hollywood provided exposure to Indigenous culture, the goal was not to raise cultural awareness but rather to reinforce dominant group status. Hollywood’s portrayal of Indigenous peoples as inhumane savages resulted in widened inequalities and laissez-faire racism which remains present in North America to this day (Diamond et al., 2010).

Movies in the United States are growing gradually more diverse,and thousands of movies are released each year covering stories about different ethnicities and cultures.Being diverse is a wonderful thing but portraying a certain group in a stereotypical or biased way is not a good thing,which can influencing people to view a certain group in a flawed way.A good example of a western movie portraying a certain group in an awry way is The Last of the Mohicans.The movie is based off the historical set during the French and Indian War.It depicts Native Americans in many ways such as their appearance,the way they talk,their role in the movie,the way they act,etc.