Reel Injun - Heather Rendell's Classes



Reel Injun - Questions

1. What are the consequences caused by the distorted representation of First Nations people with regard to their identity, self-esteem and social and cultural development?

Some Consequences of the distorted representation (stereotypes) of First Nations people are that they might buy into the stereotypes. In the film, Smoke Signals, Victor tried to tutor Thomas about how to be a proper Indian: the hair, the mean look. All things created by Hollywood. History and the racism suffered by First Nations people have led to social problems such as substance abuse, violence, suicide, anger. They have begun to take back their cultural pride which will help with their self-esteem.

2. What are the main reasons for First Nations people being widely represented in the movies?

The main reason for the wide representation of First Nations people is their historical significance in the making of America. When Europeans first arrived, they were met by groups of people who already called this place home. The cultural clash that occurred led to problems as Europeans wanted to settle the land and bring their traditions from their home countries. Their way of owning land and building permanent structures differed from the ways of the First Nations people. This led to violent encounters. It may be that history was rewritten to make the First Nations people more savage to justify the response of the Europeans: genocide and forced assimilation.

3. How are nations robbed of their identity via media stereotypes?

Stereotypes can lead to the group of people being stereotyped actually living up to the stereotypes. Think about the movie Smoke Signals. In it Victor advises Thomas that he has to act like a “real Indian”, stoic, warrior-like with the long hair, because “an Indian man ain’t nothing without his hair”. People start to identify with the stereotype rather than who they really are.

4. What message does posing cowboys against Indians in film plots send? What is the overriding message when the cowboy is the dominating figure who always wins against the Indian?

The idea of cowboys against Indians creates an “us versus them” mentality. While watching movies where the cowboy was always the good guy, and the Indian was always the villain, a savage that must be stopped, people picked up on this idea. Kids playing this game would want to be the cowboy. This image would lead to stereotypes which would lead to discrimination.

5. By developing the Tonto speech, did Hollywood harm the existing First Nations languages? Do you think First Nations youths benefit from hearing actual Native languages spoken in films? How?

Tonto speech was created by Hollywood. First Nations languages were lumped into one, consisting of bad English. It sent the message that all are the same and it isn’t worthwhile to actually have the language in the movies. This would cause First Nations people to lose pride in their language, and we all know that language is a huge part of a group’s culture. First Nations people would be less likely to speak their own language because of shame. This is what happened and is the reason many First Nations youth no longer speak their mother tongue.

6. Is the documentary approach used by Neil Diamond in Reel Injun valuable in changing people’s perceptions about the mythical and one-dimensional stoic Indian?

By creating his documentary, Neil Diamond was able to draw attention to all the stereotypes Hollywood has used, and looking at them all together seems to show the absurdity and damage caused to society. It makes us challenge our own ideas and understand the importance of recognizing stereotypes for what they are. While watching Smoke Signals I was struck with Victor’s growth throughout the movie. He started the movie trying to live like the stoic Indian he thought he was supposed to be. Throughout the movie we see how his family life, the abuse, his father leaving him created a need for him to be the stereotypical Indian. By the end of the movie, his cutting his hair was symbolic of him shedding the stereotypes.

7. What are some of the benefits for First Nations youth of seeing First Nations filmmakers creating actual movies, about First Nations people in today’s society, without the stereotypes that existed in movies for so long?

First Nations youth are able to see themselves represented accurately instead of as old Hollywood portrayed them. It can give them something to relate to. I think it would be pretty hard for anyone to relate to some of the images we saw in older films about First Nations. Films can be a reflection of society and if the image created is always negative that will be the message received.

8. Read the reaction to Sacheen Littlefeather delivering Brando’s speech. Why do you think there was such tension behind the scenes? What would have caused John Wayne’s reaction?

“Can you tell us about the threats the Oscar officials gave you about reading Brando’s entire speech and the questioning of your Indian identity?

I had only 60 seconds to discuss years of oppression, to express my opinion, which was very heartfelt. The officials told me that I could be pulled off the stage and arrested if I went over 60 seconds. There was tension that night backstage: John Wayne had to be restrained by security men because he was so angry about my presentation. I was the first person to publically stand up alone and make a statement about Hollywood stereotypes. The media accused me of having a false Indian identity, to invalidate the message by invalidating the messenger. I gave the full speech later to reporters, but it got lost in the shuffle—too hot to handle. Recently the full speech came out in the open on the Internet on . The title is “Marlon Brando’s Unfinished Oscar Speech, March 27, 1973.”

The tension behind the scenes at the 1973 Oscars was caused by people being forced to look at the ugly events in society on a night when all they want to do is celebrate. Some people would rather ignore such ugliness than be forced to deal with it. Marlon Brando was challenging the very institution that helped shape the stereotypes. It placed blame for the events at Wounded Knee, and at that time, many wanted to blame the Indians. John Wayne was an actor who always played the cowboy, the good guy fighting the savage Indian. Perhaps this lead to him believing the role he played, believing the stereotypes. And then to be forced to listen to a speech where you are being linked to such an event might have enraged him.

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