“In Canada, the stereotype of a
traditional Indian conjures up images of moccasins, beads, canoes, etc. It is as if these groups of people have been
untouched by western civilization during the last two hundred years.”- James
Crawford: Media, Stereotypes and the
Perpetuation of Racism in Canada
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I'm Not the Indian You Had in Mind - Thomas King I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’ve seen him I’ve seen him ride A rush of wind A darkening tide With wolf and eagle by his side His buttocks firm and well defined My God he looks good from behind But, I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’ve heard him I’ve heard him roar The warrior wild in the video store The movies that we all adore The clichés that we can’t rewind But, I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’ve known him Oh, I’ve known him well The bear greased hair The pungent smell The piercing eye The startling yell Thank God he’s the friendly kind But, I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’m the other Indian The one who live just down the street The one you’re disinclined to meet The Oka guy, remember me? Ipperwash? Wounded Knee? That other one The one who runs the local bar The CEO, the movie star The elder with her bingo tales The activist alone in jail That other Indian The doctor, the homeless bum The boys who sing around the drum The relative I cannot bear My father who was never there He must have hated me I guess My best friends kid with FAS The single mom who drives the bus I’m all of these, they are us .... And Indians, well we’ll still be here The real one and the rest of us We’ve got no other place to go Don’t worry, we won’t make a fuss Well, not much Still sometimes Sometimes late at night When all the world is warm and dead Wonder how things might have been Had you followed, had we lead So consider As you live your days and we live ours under the gaze of generations watching us Of generations still intact Of generations still to be Seven forward, seven back Yeah, it’s not easy Of course you could always go ask this buck you like so much This Indian you idolize Perhaps that’s wisdom on his face Compassion sparkling in his eyes He may well have a secret song A dance he’ll share A long lost chant Ask him to help you save the world To save yourselves Don’t look at me I’m not the Indian you had in mind I can’t, I can’t National Screen Institute's video for I'm Not the Indian You Had in Mind |