The above link will redirect you to an article entitled "Native Americans: Negative impacts of media portrayals, stereotypes." This article speaks about the misinterpretation and the lack of correct representation of Native American tribes in mass media. The article also speaks about the psychological impacts misinterpretation and "relative invisibility" can have on Native American youth growing up today.
This article reminded me of the movie "Reel Injun" we have been watching in class. "Reel Injun" and the article often speak about similar issues on how mass media has misinterpreted Native American tribes. One of the key points in the article that stuck out to me stated, "When Native Americans are included in media depictions, they are usually shown as a particular type of Native American- for example, as Sioux, Navajo, or Apache. This narrow representation does not reflect the wide diversity among the hundreds of tribal cultures that exist within the borders of the United States." This reminded me of what was said in "Reel Injun." In the movie, they stated that in many films, the Native America actors wore the same, generic "Native American" outfit and there was no representation of different tribes. When Native Americans are depicted in films, the men often are shirtless with paint on their bodies and have headdresses on while riding a horse. The women are depicted as having feathers in their hair and a tan dress with moccasins on. Having a standard "Native American outfit" severely diminished individuality and differentiation of tribes. Also, simply calling the Native Americans in the films as just "Native Americans" or "Indians" does not show that there are many different tribes, all of which have different dresses and cultures. In my opinion, the lack of representation of specific tribes diminishes the knowledge and understanding non-Native Americans have of them.
Another key point the article makes that connects to "Reel Injun" states, "Native Americans experience 'relative invisibility' in the media. When they are included, they are generally portrayed as historical figures- individuals from the 18th and 19th centuries who wear buckskin, ride horses or live in teepees. When they are shown as modern people, they are often associated with addiction, poverty and lack of formal education." This statement connects to "Reel Injun." One key point the film speaks about was how Native Americans in old cowboy films were represented as being silent, amazing horse riders, and spirtually connected to nature. This stereotype has also stuck around for years after the films were released. Showing these stereotypes in mass media to non-Native Americans is damaging and harmful to the culture and the indigenous people who are part of different Native American tribes. It make Native Americans seem to be almost mythical creatures rather than another human being. As for modern times, there are Native American tribes that do live in poverty, however that should not be the only image non-Native Americans think of. Indigenous people should never be clumped into several demeaning stereotypes, however that's often how mass media portrays them which negatively impacts people's knowledge about them.
The article "Native Americans: Negative impacts of media portrayals, stereotypes" and the film "Reel Injun" both provide valid points of the damage misinterpretation and lack of representation of Native American tribes can have on non-Native American people as well as Native Americans today.
A point that stuck out to me in your post was how Native American youth are affected today. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how much of an impact hollywood has on our pre-judgments of people. Granted judging people is wrong in the first place, but I am looking at it more from a stereotype point of view as you are. How do Native American children feel when they see that their ancestors owned and lived freely on this soil when they are living on small reservations that are not taken care of? It is chilling to see that Native Americans are treated poorly and that their history and stories are thrown under the bus. I am now an advocate for instilling some change in people because of this class.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. It's so ignorant to have a generic Native American, so many people aren't aware that people from each tribe have different customs, languages, physical features, art, entire cultures. It's so unfortunate that people can be so uneducated on the people whose land their ancestors stole. They don't notice that indigenous people are everywhere, they think they all live on reservations, they keep in mind the stereotypes, rather than considering that Native American people go to school with them and live lives just like they do. The portrayal of Natives on screen perpetuates terribly inaccurate stereotypes that need to be let go.
ReplyDeleteBoth here and when we talked about it in class, it really struck me what a negative impact portraying Native Americans all as one type has, that we might not think about. Growing up, I heard words like "reservation" and "tribe" and knew to associate them with Native Americans, but I never understood quite what they meant. In movies Native Americans always looked and acted the same and lived sometime in the past, so I could never grasp what it meant to be part of a specific tribe, or to be a modern-day Native American. I completely agree with what you said here: "In my opinion, the lack of representation of specific tribes diminishes the knowledge and understanding non-Native Americans have of them." The watered-down stereotypes portrayed in Hollywood really sets non-Natives up for misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteI really love point you bring up about the neglect of the wide variety of Native American tribes! We are always spoon-fed the easy ones that are constantly recycled through Hollywood and that is a real shame. There are hundreds of tribes that go unmentioned, and because of this the immediate audience of Americans are still ignorant to the diversity of Native Americans.
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