Popular Media & Culture

N at i v e I n d i a n s
Legacies of the past,
Misrepresentations of the now

Melanie Moncrieffe
 Table of contents

3-4. Introduction : Misrepresentation of the Native Indian

6-8. Teach the children, Let the children teach

10. Is the Fantasy at it’s end, or will the epic live on?

12. What’s to come?

13. Works Cited

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 Mis(s)representation
of the
Native Indian

The dialogue of cultural representation within the media is one

wherein scholars and those who advocate against cultural
assimilation attempt to bring awareness to the issue. If one
scrutinizes the Westernized view of minority cultures what is seen? A
“melting pot” of homogeneity. Portrayals of
visual minorities are often seen as negative, or as the “other”.
Other representations of minority culture mock their values in through
the process of cultural appropriation. Cultural
appropriation is deeply rooted in the veins of popular culture. So, it is
problem that is reoccurring over the centuries, and is being
naturalized through Western homogenization.

Many people who take part in cultural appropriation have been

taught to do so. Blackface was extremely popular and
accepted during the early 19th century; yet as we transgress
Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2008.

culturally these racist practices begin to disappear. Blackface is now seen for what is
does: perpetuate racist ideologies about blacks. There is a thorough education about
the negative effects of practices like
Blackface, however “darky” iconography is still seen in traditions like that of Zwarte
Piet, wherein the character, in English “Black Pete”, plays a blackface servant to Santa
Klaus. This tradition is popular in the Netherlands and Flanders, which are mainly ho-
mogenized nations.

Why is this practice accepted still accepted in a nation like the Netherlands and
yet is shunned in North America? For the same reasons that Americans still accept the
cultural appropriation of the Native American culture. Issues concerning Native
American portrayals date back to early colonization. This is proof that Eurocentric
diffusion remains to spread through the media like a colonial contagion. It is taught that
dressing up like a Native for Halloween is okay through the portrayal of Indians on
television. People continue to support sports teams such as the Washington Redskins,
or the Cleveland Indians. Would there be the same support for a team entitled the
Washington Mexicans or the Cleveland Niggers?
 What of Hollywood? Is it not wrong that “redface” is still practiced in main-
stream media? Hollywood continues to cast non-Natives in Native roles.

In the movie version of Stephanie Meyer’s popular “Twilight”books, Taylor

Lautner (“The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D”) plays Jacob Black,
a Quileute Indian werewolf. Except for his tan skin, he looks like a typical teen
heartthrob. After being cast, Lautner conveniently discovered he has a
smidgen of Potawatomi and Ottawa ancestry. That doesn’t change the fact
that the producers thought he was non-Native and hired him on that basis.
(Schmidt, 2009)

Now imagine a non-Asian actor playing an Asian character. A non-Caucasian

playing a Caucasian? Cultural
appropriation in terms of the Native
American culture becomes extremely
problematic because it continually denies the
real indigenous
context surrounding the Native people. The
stereotype is not perpetuated in just the
name of a sporting team, as the name is
simply made up of arbitrary signs, but in the
context in which the name is used. By
perpetuating these images mainstream
Film Still: “, Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2008.

media, as journalist Keith Wood’s says, they freeze“…Native Americans in an

all-encompassing, one-dimensional pose: the raging, spear-wielding, bareback-riding,
cowboy-killing, woo-woo-wooing warriors this country has caricatured, demonized,
and tried mightily to exterminate.” (Woods, 2005) This “freeze-frame” of Native
culture is true to most minority cultures.

The misrepresented in popular media remembers Natives only at their most

popular moment, a lost time where the “Noble Savage” is seen making amends with
the foreign colonizers. For the Arabs it is the terrorists the terrorists the media
remembers, Blacks are remembered as outspoken and silly, Asians as not proficient
in the English language and stuttering for words, Mexicans are shown cleaning
houses and tending to children, Jewish as wealthy and stingy shop keepers, and
Whites as all of the above. These depictions, when broken down, are nothing but
racial propaganda in that they perpetuate negative stereotypes of what the West
sees as the “other”.

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“Prince of the Prairies”--Gabriel Dumont, Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2004.
Teach the children,
Let the children teach

Although we live in what appears to be a culturally advanced society, we lag

behind when it comes to certain cultures and ethnicity. Yes, there are thousands who
advocate against the misrepresentation of cultures and
yet, it is still a predominant
issue. A deeper education needs to be implemented in
the banishment of these images. I believe that negative
stereotypes are perpetuated through generations and
naturalized through visual media. People do not
understand the damage they do when they dress up
as an Indian for Halloween. Why? Because the general
public allows for sporting teams to called the Redskins.
These images are destroying the Native
community. If we want to progress collectively it is im-
perative that stereotypes cease to perpetuate in popu-
lar media.

I have witnessed a person patting their mouth and

waving their hands while chanting at a Halloween party.
I had to leave the room I was so ashamed.

Un-named Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2002

I have also attended an authentic Tsuu’ T’ina Pow Wow where

I saw a proud community practicing traditions that are deeply
rooted in their hearts and soul. This awareness is important for
the survival and
livelihood of Native Americans, whose cultural
has become a tool to sell and is mindlessly disrespected.

“How to Feel”, Tannis Nielson, MDS,200

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 Elizabeth Delacruz who has recently received two national awards for her
contributions within art education writes about the mascot issue. Delacruz explains
the fallowing:

“Authenticity and history are forsaken in favor of commercial and

entertainment interests. But in reality, most Anglo-Americans actually know
little if anything about the beliefs, values, cosmology, or cultural practices of
Native Americans, past or present.” (Delacruz, 18)

This statement is made true when an American city names their team the Indians
and no public outcry is made. Or, when one is made, immediate action is not taken.
The only Indian that is viewed as important is from a lost era.

Delacruz also sheds light on the Western adoption of seeing Indianness in the
media as normal. She says it begins in childhood and is learned through Western
practice such as trading Indian artifacts as a Brownie or Boy Scout. Another
example would be the popular use of Indian dioramas in the classroom. In the past,
few Westerners had a relevant and true perception of what it is to be Native Indian,
so the dioramas often portrayed stereotypes. Action in the classroom needs to be
taken. If we cannot rely on the parents of our country to teach our young ones to
be culturally tolerable, than it should be brought up at school where these children
are bound to have interactions with other ethnicities. Not only should children be
taught about prejudice at a younger age, they should be exposed to the
multicultural range of art and media that exists.

Native art is excluded in most art history classe as they focus on Eurocentric
ideals. When an art student learns about indigenous art, they are exposed to the
cave paintings of Lascaux. Why is indigenous art not studied as an important art
movement? Why when scholars
and officials know and
understand that the Native
American race is
misrepresented do they
continue to ignore the
emergence to act on it? The
issue is being neglected
because the Native
American voice has taken time
to evaluate their rights and
re-group themselves after five
centuries of colonial oppression.

Film Still from: “Not Forgotten!”Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2006.

 Delacruz also quotes Pewewardy, a
Native American scholar, who assigns the
term “dysconnscious racism” (Delacruz,
19) to the privileged whites that ignore
the perpetuations of these stereotypes.
Delacruz says that by allowing this cultural
and symbolic violence to continue, those
who do not involve themselves in the fight
against it are committing the act of
“dysconscious racism” and in turn adding
to the low-esteem of the Native Youth who
harbour feelings of inferiority.
Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2002.

The Native community will continue to break down the stereotypical walls that
hold their culture at a standstill, but they need the help. Native Indian teachers will
tell the real stories of their people in hopes that their stories are not tainted by the
negative images of the Native in the media. This “dysconncious racism” must be
dealt with. Yes, there are teachings about Native Indians within in the classroom, and
in history and art history classes, but they are narrow and do not represent of the
Natives living today. Eurocentric teachings follow this paradigm according to Bat-
tiste:

“As such they do not think of Aboriginal peoples as having anything more than
anthropological “culture” in its limited sense of concrete objects like beads,
buffalo, and bannock. The negative innuendoes in the identification of the
peculiarities of Indigenous knowledge are the result of European ethnocentrism
based on the theory of diffusionism (Blaut, 1993) in which knowledge is
thought to be diffused from a European center to its periphery. “ (Battiste)

If we continue to use Eurocentric and solely Western teachings, are we not perpetu-
ating the diffusion of colonial ideals? Our North America is visibly multicultural, and
should not follow the same European ethnocentrism that has been taught for thou-
sands of years. It is time that we step up as a nation enriched with talent from all
races, and acknowledge the contributions made. Native studies should be taught in
our schools. Native art should be recognized. The artwork displayed throughout this
edition belongs to Tannis Nielson. She is a Metis artist, and all of the subjects in her
work depict Native Indians within the last centaury.

Tannis paints old family photographs. She also makes short films, and is a
talented photographer. If an outsider were to look at Tannis’ work, they would not
notice anything particularly Indian about it. What can be seen is a collection of art.
Her art is recognized for it’s artist, Tannis, and not solely because an Indigenous
person made it.

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Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2001.
Is the fantasy at it’s end?
Or will the “epic” live on?
There is an obsession with exoticism within Western and Eurocentric cultures.
There is a long history of having what is considered exotic displayed for all to
observe. What is being observed? Is it not the difference between the exotic and
themselves? This intrigue is still prominent and active in our society. Westerners
have a fantasy constructed around the indigenous people of North America. This
fantasy comes to life through the film industry.

We are beginning to see a transgression to what is considered reality in terms

of Indianness. Native Indians are simply being portrayed as normal people instead of
exotic or different. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1977) we are introduced to
a character who all in the ward call Chief. According to O’Connor and Rollins when
the mute character doesn’t howl, and utters the word “juicyfruit” “a new generation
of hope is heralded among Native American moviegoers.” (O’Connor & Rollins, 12)
Chief “fools” them all and proves himself not to be deaf and dumb, he is in fact quite
bright. Chief represents a movement for Native Indians. It demonstrates the ability to
cast a Native person in a role that is not stereotypically Indian.

Because of the social constraints within the Native community, there was a
lack of Native actors in Hollywood. “So, in spite of Hollywood’s attempts to
“correct the record” the movies of this period basically all had one thing in
common—“Indians” in the leading role were played by non-Indians.” (Rollins,
O’Connoor, 14) There was also the pres-
sure of the American filmmaker to cast the
“stars” of those times as a pose to casting
a Native that holds little to no name
recognition in Hollywood.

The need for Native entertainment

procured by Native Indians has never been
more important than now. In today’s world,
communication and messages are held more
valuable than even money. The stereotypical
image which is being communicated through
popular culture continues to eat away at
what is realistically representative of Native
culture. There is a wealth of Native artists in
film, acting, and art who are ready to show
the world who they really are. So, in tern it
should be the obligation of Hollywood to accept these ideologies with open arms to
aid the fight against stereotypes. In this world popular culture is an extremely
powerful tool. It has been used for years to propagate systemic racism.

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“Pain of Being”Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2004.
What’s to come?

If we can combine the rich education Native Americans have, and utilize it
within the popular media we can destroy these stereotypical views. I find that there
is a real lack of determination when it comes to matters of racism. Many people
have opted to adapt to the prejudices they experience. We can change the world
and strive for humane causes. The Civil Rights Movement was epic. It rid America of
segregation and pushed leaders to strive against racist ideologies. We need to act as
a community and help the Native community fight prejudice.

“Film Still from film I have Recovered-Nimim O Ayan” Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2006.

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 Works Cited

Davies, Wade, and Peter Iverson. “American-Indian Identities in the Twentieth

Century.” Magazine of History 9.4, Native Americans (1995): 15-21.

Delacruz, Elizabeth M. “Racism American Style and Resistance to Change: Art

Education’s Role in the Indian Mascot Issue.” Art Education 56.3 (2003): 13-20.

Fleming, Walter C. “Myths and Stereotypes about Native Americans.” The Phi
Delta Kappan 88.3 (2006): 213-7.

Green, Michael K. “Images of Native Americans in Advertising: Some Moral

Issues.” Journal of Business Ethics 12.4 (1993): 323-30.

Rollins, Peter C., and John E. O’Connor. Hollywood’s Indian the portrayal of the
Native American in film. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2003. Print.

Schmidt, Rob. “The ‘redface’ era returns | Indian Country Today | Entertainment.”
Indian Country Today. 18 Feb. 2009. Web. 111 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/artsandentertainment/39793537.html>.

Shanley, Kathryn W. “The Indians America Loves to Love and Read: American Indian
Identity and Cultural Appropriation.” American Indian Quarterly 21.4 (1997): 675-702.

“Toward a Decolonized Approach to Aboriginal Knowledge, Language, and

Education.” Mi’kmaq Resource Centre - Repository of Documents Related to Mi’kmaq
History, Culture, Language. Web. 24 Nov. 2009.
<http://mikmawey.uccb.ns.ca/battiste.html>.

All the images used in this issue are peices belong to Tannis Nielson.
Harvest--Moissoner,Tannis Nielson, MDS, 2000.

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