As the end of Native American Heritage month comes to a close, I think it is necessary to address the severe lack of Native American representation in modern day film and entertainment. The few times Native Americans are shown are predominantly in spaghetti western movies, which depict their culture in old-fashioned stereotypical ways that are either borderline, or just straight-up offensive.
In my childhood, I had the opportunity to live near the Umatilla reservation in Eastern Oregon. However, not everybody has had the up-close and personal experiences that I have. There are currently 326 reservations in the United States, however, most of these reservations are small. A few, such as the Summit Lake Reservation, or Oil Springs Reservation, only have one resident. Many states have as little as one reservation, and some have none at all, making it difficult for many to have first-hand experiences with Native American culture.
The experience that people do have, however, is through pop culture and television. There, many get their first glimpse to Native American representation and history, but unfortunately, this depiction is not always accurate. When we see Native Americans on television, we are often seeing them painted in an extremely surface level way. In movies such as Peter Pan, or The Ridiculous Six, they are shown as background characters, little more than figures of the past, with few character traits. Sometimes, they are depicted as wild, un-educated, and the villains of the film, which further creates a false representation of their culture.
Even in the few instances where Native American characters should get their time to shine on the big screen, it is stolen from them. In the Lone Ranger, (2015), Tonto, a traditionally Native American character, was played by Johnny Depp, an actor who has no proof of Native American heritage. When confronted about this, Depp stated that he was guessing that his great grandmother grew up Cherokee but has stated little else. This action proved very controversial, making others question if taking this role from a Native American was morally and culturally correct.
Luckily, with the internet, a more positive wave of Native American representation has begun pouring in. Tik Tok has quite a few popular creators, such as Theland Kicknosway, @the_land, and Patrick Willie, @patrickisanavajo, who have gained large followings for their traditional hoop-dancing and education on their culture.
Despite the small population of reservations and preservation of Native culture, there are currently 5 million Native Americans who reside in the United States, for 78% live outside these reservations. This is a population that deserves to have more of a presence in television, and to be featured in more than just decades-old John Wayne movies. We should be able to witness more modern ways of representation and be able to see more Native American actors present in film. Featuring Native Americans in diverse, complex, and interesting roles benefits everyone, it benefits Native Americans, the film industry, and the viewers behind the screen. By doing this, it will give a voice to a population that has been under-represented for too long, and allow us to wake up and acknowledge the civilization that has been here for much longer than we have.
Dani Moore can be reached at [email protected]