The Evolution of Native People in the Film Industry

I'm sure you've heard of the well-known western film, "Dances With Wolves." You know, the movie where the "Indians" are portrayed as living a simplistic lifestyle, then the white guy befriends them and ends up saving the day and getting the girl. Maybe you haven't heard of this specific film, but you've definitely seen many others like it. Sadly, throughout history, Native Americans have remained one of America’s most marginalized minorities, and it all started with the film industry.

Movie poster from, "Dances With Wolves"
Characters pictured (from left to right): Kicking Bird and Lieutenant Dunbar
(metro.co.uk)

Hollywood has long represented Native Americans unfavorably. From silent films to the western era and even present day, Native Americans in movies display flat characters who don't contribute to the complexity of the storyline. According to Julia Boyd, author of An Examination of Native Americans in Film and Rise of Native Filmmakers, "Native American characters in twentieth century films have ranged from stereotypes including the bloodthirsty, raging beast to the noble savage." I hope for the sake of future generations, that people realize how inappropriate and wrong it is that these are the only two representations of Native American characters in this film era. An example of the bloodthirsty savages and the noble savages are shown in the movie, "The Last of the Mohicans." Premiering in 1992, the film industry was still awfully conditioned to take in these representations. The movie goes something like this: A white man who grew up in the Mohican tribe teams up with his Native friends to rescue the two daughters of an English military general from a battle between the English and another tribe who are portrayed as the bloodthirsty savages. The role of the noble savages in the film are the ones who partner with the white men to take down any opposing forces. Presented in a more negative light are the bloodthirsty savages who are usually fighting against the white men in the most brutal ways possible. For instance, in the film, the bloodthirsty savages are seen burning a white man alive and killing anyone who crosses their path. The main cause of these inaccurate and offensive portrayals of Native Americans were the people directing them. I bet you can guess who these directors were. I mean who else would make themselves the heroes in every one of these films other than white men?

Daniel Day-Lewis, center, in Michael Mann’s The Last of The Mohicans(1992).
(Morgan Creek Productions/Photofest)

A documentary directed by Neil Diamond called, "Reel Injun," conveys an insightful look into the portrayal of Native Americans throughout the history of cinema. In the documentary, actual Native Americans who have witnessed these issues firsthand, speak about the offensive and historically inaccurate portrayals which have occurred in numerous films. They mention a wide range of Native American films that came out in the silent film era, the twentieth century, and thankfully, the improvements that have been made today. The first time that the interviewees said that they witnessed improvements in this genre of film, was when the movie "Smoke Signals" (1998) came out. This was the start of an era where Native Americans finally felt like they were being seen as human by the film industry. No longer did their roles only consist of the typical stereotyping and generalizations of their culture. Instead, they were being seen for who they truly were: HUMAN! Not galloping along vast meadows with a bow and arrow in hand and a feather headband, but having intellectual ideas and meaningful, realistic relationships with other characters.

Neil Diamond; director of The Reel Injun
(Rezolution Pictures)

Smoke Signals movie poster (1998)
(Wikipedia)

Although Smoke signals was a major improvement from previous Native American films, there would be no comparison to the groundbreaking film that followed. "Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner," that came out in 2001, was one of the first Native American films that included a complete historically accurate portrayal of an ancient native culture. It was the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the Inukitut language. And the reason for this profound production was, shocker, the directors were pretty legit, saying that they were all chiefs originating from the Inukitut tribe. They would literally sit around a table writing the script from their memories of ancient oral traditions and legends. This is why the movie was such a hit: Because for the first time ever, all native cultures felt heard. I hope that we continue to see many improvements in the film industry for the sake of the many cultures who have felt oppressed in the past.

Movie poster for Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
(Wikipedia)      

Resources:

Boyd, J. (2015). An Examination of Native Americans in Film and Rise of Native Filmmakers. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, Vol. 6, no. 1. Retrieved from https://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol6no1/10BoydEJSpring15.pdf.

Diamond, N. (., Bainbridge, C., J., Fon, C., & Ludwick, L. (2010). Reel injun (Letterboxed.). New York, N.Y.: Lorber Films.