On A Role
The savage persona, the war paint, the feathers and the beating drums are just some of the stereotypical images and attributes associated with Native American culture. The casting of Native Americans into villainous roles of early film and television has perpetuated a false perception of Native Americans that is still tied to their culture today. For centuries, Native Americans have been defined by stereotypical perceptions of Indian culture. These preconceived notions of Native culture are amplified if not derived from, the racially biased portrayal of Native Americans in the mass media and film throughout history. Though some of the modern depictions of Native Americans today are more positive and historically accurate, Indian culture still carries the stigma of the stereotypes and images established in early film and media.Though historical ignorance was partially at fault for allowing society to subscribe to such immense cultural misconceptions, it was film and television that immortalized these images and made them an acceptable part of the "American way." Preying on the public's limited knowledge of traditional Indian culture, early filmmakers created the "Hollywood Indian," an inaccurate depiction of Native Americans c
One of the conventions Ford uses are extreme close-ups. Michael Hilger supports this claim stating that "tracing images of the Savage and Noble Red Man through historical periods of the cinema, it will reaveal little about Native American people of the past of present but a lot about the evolution of white American attitudes and values" (2). While this film is a sympathetic portrayal of the vanishing Native culture, its setting reaffirms the "Noble Red Man. "Stereotypes of Native Americans in Modern Films. 's Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto (1969) and Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West (Wilson 216). The silent era sustained the image of the "Noble Red Man" and exhibited more sympathetic portrayal of Indians in their interactions with whites (Indians 1). Byrd 4The dominance of the "Indian friendly" films came to an end with the beginning of sound films. Though silent films prompted the use of Native Americans as pillars of early narratives, it wasn't until the end of the silent era that Indians were portrayed as savage menaces (Hilger 17). A master of cinematography conventions was the prominent Western director John Ford. These popular conventions placing Native Americans in confining, stereotyped roles were so accepted and unchallenged that they became society's only idea of Native culture and thus created an endless cycle of misconceptions and racial slander. Often the only "good" Indian depicted in this era was one either aided white settlers or attempted to embrace white civilization.
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Acceptance Essays
