“From the beginning of cinema, Native American culture has been represented stereotypically: Indians are portrayed as proud, independent and honourable peoples or as blood thirsty savages.”- Franki Webb, Underrepresentation of Native American in the Mainstream Media
What is a Stereotype?
A stereotype is defined by The Oxford Dictionary Online as:
“a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing” (Oxford Dictionaries Online, 2012).
The majority of the images of First Nations found in media are based off of stereotypes. Some are positive (ecological, resourceful), many are negative (drunk, lazy).
Stereotypical Images of First Nations
“Portrayals of Aboriginal people as being primitive, violent and devious, or passive and submissive, have become widespread in movies and TV programs and in literature ranging from books to comic strips. Such depictions have become a comfortable frame of reference for most of us…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
Below is a list of some of the most common and “comfortable” stereotypical images of First Nation found in media.
The Indian Princess
“The Indian Princess is the Native beauty who is sympathetic enough to the white man's quest to be lured away from her group to marry into his culture and further his mission to civilize her people…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
“Embody mystery and exoticism and are usually scantily clad in red fringed tunics and wearing a feather over two long braids of hair. The princesses are set in romanticized backdrops, moonlit lakes, beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking
mountains, silently enjoying the picturesque wilderness.”- Indian Princesses and Cowgirls: Stereotypes from the Frontier
A stereotype is defined by The Oxford Dictionary Online as:
“a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing” (Oxford Dictionaries Online, 2012).
The majority of the images of First Nations found in media are based off of stereotypes. Some are positive (ecological, resourceful), many are negative (drunk, lazy).
Stereotypical Images of First Nations
“Portrayals of Aboriginal people as being primitive, violent and devious, or passive and submissive, have become widespread in movies and TV programs and in literature ranging from books to comic strips. Such depictions have become a comfortable frame of reference for most of us…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
Below is a list of some of the most common and “comfortable” stereotypical images of First Nation found in media.
The Indian Princess
“The Indian Princess is the Native beauty who is sympathetic enough to the white man's quest to be lured away from her group to marry into his culture and further his mission to civilize her people…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
“Embody mystery and exoticism and are usually scantily clad in red fringed tunics and wearing a feather over two long braids of hair. The princesses are set in romanticized backdrops, moonlit lakes, beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking
mountains, silently enjoying the picturesque wilderness.”- Indian Princesses and Cowgirls: Stereotypes from the Frontier
Native Warrior
“Native Warrior is fierce and formidable and a threat to civilized society. Bare-chested and brandishing a war lance, this warrior is the epitome of the savagery that must be courageously overcome by "progressive elements" pushing West.”
- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
“Native Warrior is fierce and formidable and a threat to civilized society. Bare-chested and brandishing a war lance, this warrior is the epitome of the savagery that must be courageously overcome by "progressive elements" pushing West.”
- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
Noble Savage
"Time-honoured romantic stereotype -- the mythic Noble Savage. Elevated to a sphere of goodness unreachable by those in contaminated White society and usually possessing some spiritual connection to the land…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
“Noble, primitive man in touch with nature, a master of self-sufficiency through hunting and fishing and making arrowheads, who knows the myths of his people.”- Ken Padgett, Redface! The History of Racist American Indian Stereotypes
"Time-honoured romantic stereotype -- the mythic Noble Savage. Elevated to a sphere of goodness unreachable by those in contaminated White society and usually possessing some spiritual connection to the land…”- MediaSmarts, Common Portrayals of Aboriginal People
“Noble, primitive man in touch with nature, a master of self-sufficiency through hunting and fishing and making arrowheads, who knows the myths of his people.”- Ken Padgett, Redface! The History of Racist American Indian Stereotypes
Loyal Sidekick
“The archetypal "good Indian," always ready to help track down the "bad Indians" and outlaws who menaced whites on the frontier.”- James W. Loewen, Lies Across America: What American Historic Sites Get Wrong
“The archetypal "good Indian," always ready to help track down the "bad Indians" and outlaws who menaced whites on the frontier.”- James W. Loewen, Lies Across America: What American Historic Sites Get Wrong
Chief
“Usually he wears a flowing feather headdress and has a beautiful maiden daughter. Often he's stoic to the point of woodenness.”- Joseph Riverwind, The Basic Indian Stereotypes
“Usually he wears a flowing feather headdress and has a beautiful maiden daughter. Often he's stoic to the point of woodenness.”- Joseph Riverwind, The Basic Indian Stereotypes
Savage
“Often depicted with tomahawks, "war paint," and other imagery that convey a primitive way of life or hostile nature.”- Anti-Defamation League, Native American Stereotypes
“Refuse[s] to live on the reservation and [is] at war with Whites”- Ken Padgett Redface! The History of Racist American Indian Stereotypes
How to be a Real Indian
From the Canadian independent film, Smoke Signals.