Native American Week 6 Discussion
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Texas A&M University *
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Course
4389
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
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Uploaded by mhoisington9
Explain and give examples of how film depictions of stereotypical representations influence
the public's view of Native Americans.
Film depictions of stereotypical representations are influencing the public in negative ways when
it comes to the Native Americans. Stereotypically speaking, it is giving us the wrong impressions
and wrong thoughts when we are wanting to know more about Native Americans. Examples of
stereotyping Native Americans in films may include saying that they are princesses, alcoholics,
or that they are savages or having them portray the role of such no matter what they are wanting
to do or what they have already done. Having Native Americans play this role can be seen as
indigenous and can give us the wrong impression on Native Americans and who they really are.
Another example of film depiction and Native Americans would be Pocahontas. She was indeed
a Native American woman who was the daughter of a powerful chief and was a huge help to
those who may have been struggling to live. Now, she is seen or portrayed as a Disney princess.
She is not seen for what she did but is only portrayed as a princess due to stereotypically
representing her in films.
Singer identifies contemporary Native filmmakers as storytellers. Why do you think she
says this?
I believe that she is saying this because Native filmmakers want to be able to tell their stories.
They may want to explain how they grew up and what it was like, what they had to wear, if they
went to school, were they in line to be the next chief, etc. It is interesting to know these things
and learn more about them. Having them be told from a true Native American makes it even
more mind-blowing and mind-opening because it would be coming from first-hand experiences.
Find one example of a contemporary Native American storyteller online and share that
example with your peers.
The Native American storyteller that I chose is “Te Ata”. I chose her because she received a
theatre degree from Oklahoma College for Women and even performed on Broadway as the first
Native American woman. In a way, she tells us her story, and uses tribal drums, rattles, music
and dance to do so. According to Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby,
“Te Ata brought
the beauty and wisdom of American Indian culture to the world in a way that helped develop
greater appreciation for core values such as basic human kindness and respect for the natural
world” (si.edu).
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