wytelyte
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![]() Posted: Post subject: Suggestions on research paper |
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I have to turn in my tern paper. I would really appriciate any suggestions or comments. I do not take things persoally so do not be afraid of hurting my feelings. I do not know any Native Americans where I live so it is hard to get a staright opinon. REMEMBER this is a rough draft!
Hollywoods Indian
Axia College of University of Phoenix
 
In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed to America to find it was inhabited by Native Indians. "I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased." – Christopher Columbus. The Native Americans struggled with massacres, enslavement and disease brought on by the white men for centuries. The battle for the New World ensured that the Native Americans would be robbed of their freedom, land and dignity. The Native Americans fought back to preserve their culture, land and freedom. Battles such as: Wounded Knee, the French and Indian War (1754–1763), and The U.S. Governments betrayal over land that is still an issue today, promting a misunderstanding of the Native American culture. Ultimately leading to a gruesome prortrayl and representation of “Indians “ in Hollywood.
Every Western Needs a Villain
Just as other cultures such as the African American and Hispanics, have overcome obstacles, the Native American have found that they too, have many barriers to face when dealing with Hollywood and the portrayal of Native American Indian movies. Hollywoods portrayal of the American Indian has always represented societys attitude of tolerance and curiosity. By misrepresenting the Native American, America is dooming itself. A nation that does not know its history has no future.
In the beginning the Native American Indian movies would be old westerns 1910 - 1970. The old western movies stereotypically portrayed the Native American as a savage and without mercy, seeking the “white man to kill and destroy. The old western movies depicted the Indian as wild and uneducated. Every western needed a villain. During the last hundred years more than four thousand movies have cast Native Americans in that role depicting them as blood thirsty savages. Scenes of peaceful wagon trains being attacked by savage Indians were common plot devises in westerns. Not only was the portrayal of the Native Americans unrealistically negative, the portrayal of the white man was unrealistically positive. Thanks to Hollywood as well as other media sources, this country still refuses to face what happened to the Native
American people.
Tomahawk Trail (1957) is a classic western formula. The film speaks of Indian savagery, it speaks of Apache atrocities, the film shows the American Army and settlers outnumbered and threatened by an overwhelming force of Native Americans. Historically it was the opposite. The Native Americans were overwhelmed by the white population, but for the sake of the motion picture and to perpetuate the image of the savage Native Americans history is turned around and modified to suit the formula. During the 1930s, Native American actors formed the Indian Actors' Association, mainly because of the actions among some studios of using pseudo-Indians for leading roles, using sun-tan oil and black braided wigs. Native American workers in Hollywood were also aggravated by the way the western movies altered Indian culture and history.
Taking a Stand
Slowly the portrayal of the American Indian began to change over the last 30 years. Iron Eyes Cody was one of the few that started this transition. Iron Eyes Cody portrayed an emotional Native American who would shed a tear for the destruction of American land due to littering. This commercial was truly a breakthrough in humanizing the Native Americans. In the mid-80s Will Sampson, is best known for his portrayal of “Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and other Indians that where already established in the entertainment industry opened the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts (AIRPA). The organization for Indian actors, AIRPA, provided the Native American people for Indian roles; The AIRPA also collaborated with film and television studios to promote historical and graphical accuracy, along with serving as a group support for the Native Americans. The registry was forced to close due to financial problems in 1992. After the closure of the registry, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) fashioned a Native American Sub-Committee through its Affirmative Action Department that was made up of Native American SAG members. Since 2003, this sub-committee has been working on efforts to repair the misrepresentation of Native Americans in movies and television. The Sub-committee is also functioning to help change racial stereotypes of the Native Americans.
Stated in the article Indian Movies (2006) “Many Native Americans have made their impact on Hollywood fans. Some of the most famous Native Americans featured in movies include Johnny Depp, Cher (who is part Cherokee and sings about it in a song called Half Breed 1973), James Garner (Cherokee), Benjamin Bratt, Kevin Costner ( who starred and directed Dances with Wolves), Lou Diamond Philips (who also played a variety of American Native roles), Wayne Newton, Will Sampson ( who has played a variety of Native American roles) and Demi Moore.
Listed in Indian Movies (2006) “Some of the more famous Native American Indian movies include: Dances with Wolves (which was directed and starred Kevin Costner); A Man Called Horse (which is the story of a wealthy man who is ped then lives with the Native Americans, after a spiritual awakening he changes his ways and becomes their leader); Last of the Mohicans (which takes place during the French and Indian War. Staring Daniel Day Lewis); The Black Robe (the story of a Jesuit priest and the Algonquin Indians). Other Hollywood films, which focus on Native Americans that were significant, include: Broken Arrow, Crazy Horse, Geronimo (Staring Jason Patrick), How the West was Won, and Grey Eagle. Modern day portrayal of the American Indian has changed for the better due to these films.
Being Recognized
Hollywood has begun to romanticize the Native Americans in films, giving the Native Americans a different perception. The old parody of cowboy and Indians have passed. Films such as The Last of the Mohicans under-toned a beautiful tragic love story between a Native American (Eric Schweig) and Caucasian women (Johdi May). The portrayal of this back in the old western movies would have been taboo. The film, about the French and Indian war depicted a tribe of Native Americans who worked alongside the white man. The film also showed the truth about the savage whites and Indians. Other films that followed suit in portraying romanticized relations between the Native Americans and Caucasians have been; The New World (Pocahontas and John Smith) When 17th century explorer John Smith and a few men go up the river to trade with the Indians, he befriends the princess Pocahontas. John and Pocahontas fall in love. Pocahontas later marries John Rolfe and is renamed Rebecca. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Charles Eastman and Elaine Gooddale). Native Americans are also starting to write, direct and produce their own movies. Winning awards and being recognized as some of Hollywoods most sought-after actors and actresses. Films such as: Smoke Signals (1998) According to Wikipedia (2008) “this film has the distinction of being the first motion picture with an exclusively Native American creative team. It was the first movie written, directed, acted and produced by Native Americans, and distributed by a major motion picture distributor, Miramax. It won several awards and accolades, and was well-received at numerous film festivals. and The Doe Boy (2001) which won numerous awards such as American Indian Film Festival Winner - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (James Duval), Best Actress (Jeri Arredondo), and the Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker's Award
Truly times and images have changed with tolerance and education about the Native American people. The transition from savage animals and murders to human beings that feel and love has been a struggle and fight for the Native Americans and other misrepresented cultures. Truly, Hollywoods portrayal of the American Indian has always represented societys attitude of tolerance and curiosity. In future years the truth and recognition, through Hollywood, about the Native Americans past and struggle will help the Native Americans overcome their stereotyped and tarnished self image. To this day the Government has never apologized for their actions. The United States Government has always blamed the Native Americans for the atrocities that have happened to Native Americans. "That women and children were casualties were unfortunate but unavoidable, and most must have been killed from Indian bullets...The Indians at Wounded Knee brought their own destruction as surely as any people ever did. Their attack on the troops was as treacherous as any in the history of Indian warfare, and that they were under a strange religious hallucination is only an explanation not an excuse." General E. D. Scott (1892). In the battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 there were 220 Native American men 530 Native American women and children against 1500 white men. 178 Native Americans were killed, 89 wounded, 150 missing compared to 25 white men killed and 39 wounded.
References:
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee (2008) Retrieved September 5th 2008 from website (removed)
Christopher Columbus (2008) retrieved September 9th 2008 from website (removed)
Indian Movies (2007) Retrieved September 10th 2008 from website (removed)
(removed)
Scott, E.D. (1890) Excerpts from an official investigation of Wounded Knee initiated at the behest of Congress Retrieved September 5th 2008 from website
Smoke Signals (1998) Retrieved September 10th 2008 from webite (removed)
Wounded Knee Massacre Retrieved September 10th 2008 from website (removed)
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