Smoke and mirrors: the changing image of Native Americans in films and television since 1950
Date
2010
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Native Americans have been a subject of curiosity and scorn for centuries. With the advent of film and television, the perception of Native Americans has vacillated from savage to hero, with other stereotypes thrown in for good measure. While the subject has been studied various ways, my attempt here is to discuss whether the level of accuracy and authenticity from films and television series since 1950 has changed, if one media form is more accurate in its delivery than the other, and whether stereotypes have been broken. From my research and intimate viewing of over 20 films and television series, the entertainment industry has made mixed progress in the eradication of treating Native Americans as less than human beings in both the small and big screens.