This bachelor’s thesis examines the portrayal of Native Americans in contemporary American cinema, focusing on the representation and deconstruction of stereotypes in Dances with Wolves (1990), Smoke Signals (1998), and Hostiles (2017). Drawing on a historical and socio-cultural framework, the thesis explores the origins and persistence of stereotypical images of Indigenous peoples in American culture and Hollywood, including the “noble savage,” the “bloodthirsty savage,” and the “vanishing Indian.” Through a comparative analysis of the three films, it investigates how Native American characters are represented, whether they are portrayed as complex individuals or reduced to stereotypical images, and how the films challenge, reproduce, or transform established clichés. Particular attention is paid to Smoke Signals as a film written, produced, and directed by Native Americans, offering an Indigenous perspective that uses humor to subvert dominant representations. The comparison ultimately highlights three distinct approaches to portraying Native Americans on screen and explores the extent to which these films contribute to challenging long-standing stereotypes in American cinema.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Historical and Cultural Genesis of Stereotypes
2.1 Manifest Destiny, White Superiority and the Frontier
2.2 Conveying “True History” in Literature and Wild West Shows
2.3 Indian Removal Act and Reservations
2.4 Assimilation Policy: Detribalization and Indian Boarding Schools
2.5 The Western Movie: Creation of the Hollywood Indian
3. Concepts
3.1 The Stereotyped Hollywood Indian
3.2 The Assimilated Indian
4. Kevin Costner’s Controversial ‘Revisionist’ Western Dances with Wolves
4.1 Noble Sioux versus Bloodthirsty Pawnee
4.2 Dunbar Goes Native
4.3 “They Are Both White”
4.4 Casting Native Americans and Speaking Lakota
4.5 Ecological Sioux versus White Pollutants
4.6 The Vanishing Sioux
5. Chris Eyre’s Playful Treatment of Stereotypes in Smoke Signals
5.1 Silencing Stereotypes
5.2 Moving between Nativeness and Americanness
5.3 Alcohol and Poverty on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation
5.4 Arnold Vanishes
5.5 The “Real Indian” according to Victor
5.6 “Cowboys Always Win”: Undermining White Superiority
5.7 Thomas the Storyteller
6. Hostiles: A Western with a Progressive Mindset?
6.1 The Morally Grey versus the Evil
6.2 The Relationship between Joseph Blocker and Yellow Hawk
6.3 “They Are Human Beings”
6.4 The White Rapers
6.5 The Death of Yellow Hawk’s Family
6.6 Little Bear’s Assimilation
7. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This academic work investigates the cinematic portrayal and persistence of Native American stereotypes across three prominent Hollywood films—Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals, and Hostiles—examining how these productions either perpetuate or deconstruct historical clichés of Indigenous peoples.
- Historical genesis of stereotypes through Manifest Destiny, literature, and the frontier myth
- Analysis of classic Hollywood tropes including the noble and bloodthirsty savage, the vanishing Indian, and the drunken Indian
- Case study of Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves and its revisionist yet Eurocentric narrative
- Evaluation of Chris Eyre’s Smoke Signals as an all-Native production utilizing humor and contemporary perspectives
- Critique of Scott Cooper’s Hostiles and its depiction of moral grey areas versus binary opposition
- Exploration of assimilation policies, boarding schools, and the subversion of White supremacy in modern cinema
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
One of the most iconic scenes of the movie Smoke Signals (1998), directed by Chris Eyre, takes place during a bus ride, when the two Native protagonists, Victor and Thomas, are having a conversation about “how to be a real Indian.” According to Victor, his travel companion has to stop grinning constantly and to get stoic instead. He continues to tell Thomas he has “to look like a warrior, […] like [he] just got back from killing a buffalo.” Rather than depicting reality, this short description of a “real Indian” paints a stereotypical image of Native Americans propagated by White people. The fact that Victor, being an American Indian himself, holds these stereotypes to be true reflects the concerning matter that not only non-Native Americans believe in them, but that even American Indians have internalized those ideas.
In order to uncover cinema’s stereotypical treatment of Native Americans and its potential to deconstruct these clichés, Smoke Signals is one of the films that this thesis aims to analyze. Consequently, this paper discusses the following research questions: How are Indians portrayed in the movies Dances with Wolves (1990), Smoke Signals, and Hostiles (2017)? Are they stereotyped? If that is the case, which stereotypes come to life in each of the movies and how are they expressed? Are the Native people depicted as individual, three-dimensional human beings or as a homogenous, dehumanized group without depth of character? Do the movies subvert, dissolve, or discuss stereotypes? If so, how and why?
Each movie deals with stereotypes of Native Americans and their deconstruction in a very different way. The Western Dances with Wolves has been chosen for this paper because it can be considered a milestone in terms of dissolving clichés about Native Americans; notwithstanding, the film’s director, Kevin Costner, also maintained predominant stereotypes. Hostiles is the most recent of the three productions and serves to show whether progress has been made since DwW’s release, concerning the depiction of Native Americans on film.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the core subject of Native American representation in film, outlines the research questions, and establishes the analytical framework focusing on three specific movies.
2. The Historical and Cultural Genesis of Stereotypes: Explores the socio-cultural foundations of Indigenous stereotypes, detailing the impact of Manifest Destiny, literature, Wild West shows, removal acts, boarding schools, and the genesis of the Hollywood Indian.
3. Concepts: Defines and analyzes prominent cinematic clichés including the noble and bloodthirsty savage, the ecological Indian, the vanishing Indian, Indian talk, the drunken Indian, and the assimilated Indian.
4. Kevin Costner’s Controversial ‘Revisionist’ Western Dances with Wolves: Analyzes Dances with Wolves as a milestone in sympathetic portrayal that nevertheless relies on binary savage dichotomies, a White savior narrative, and the ultimate disappearance of the Lakota.
5. Chris Eyre’s Playful Treatment of Stereotypes in Smoke Signals: Examines how the first all-Native feature film uses humor, contemporary settings, and an indigenous narrative perspective to subvert traditional Hollywood clichés.
6. Hostiles: A Western with a Progressive Mindset?: Critiques Scott Cooper’s contemporary Western, evaluating its depiction of violence, moral complexity, the relationship between Blocker and Yellow Hawk, and the lingering threads of assimilation and the vanishing Indian.
7. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings of the three film analyses, confirming that while modern cinema has made strides in authenticity and casting, deep-seated stereotypes regarding Native Americans persist.
Keywords
Native Americans, Indigenous Cinema, Hollywood Stereotypes, Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals, Hostiles, Noble Savage, Bloodthirsty Savage, Vanishing Indian, Manifest Destiny, Boarding Schools, Cultural Assimilation, Representation, Film Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work examines how Native Americans have been stereotyped and portrayed in Hollywood cinema, analyzing three specific films—Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals, and Hostiles—to determine whether they perpetuate or successfully deconstruct historical clichés.
What central themes and issues are addressed in the book?
Key themes include the historical genesis of anti-Indigenous prejudices, government assimilation policies, the myth of the frontier, White supremacy in film, the evolution of the "Hollywood Indian," and the ongoing struggle for authentic Native representation.
What is the main research question guiding the analysis?
The research questions investigate how Native Americans are portrayed across the chosen films, whether they are subjected to stereotyping, and how these movies either reinforce or actively subvert conventional cinematic tropes.
Which scientific and analytical methods are applied?
The author utilizes qualitative film analysis combined with historical and cultural contextualization, drawing upon extensive secondary literature from cultural studies, film history, and Indigenous scholarship.
What content is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body establishes the historical and theoretical framework of stereotyping, details specific film concepts, and delivers deep-dive comparative case studies of Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals, and Hostiles.
Which keywords best characterize the publication?
Key terms include Native Americans, Indigenous Cinema, Hollywood Stereotypes, Dances with Wolves, Smoke Signals, Hostiles, Noble Savage, Vanishing Indian, Cultural Assimilation, and Film Representation.
How does Dances with Wolves handle the representation of Indigenous peoples?
While praised for casting Native actors, speaking Lakota, and portraying sympathetic characters, Dances with Wolves ultimately relies on a White savior narrative, maintains the trope of the bloodthirsty Pawnee, and reinforces the myth of the vanishing Indian.
In what ways does Smoke Signals revolutionize Native American representation?
As an all-Native production, Smoke Signals utilizes humor, contemporary settings, and an internal Indigenous narrative voice to successfully dismantle traditional Hollywood clichés and portray real, multi-dimensional contemporary lives.
How does Hostiles contribute to the discourse on modern Westerns?
Hostiles offers a morally complex, gritty portrayal of the 19th-century American frontier, featuring strong performances and nuanced character dynamics, though it ultimately leaves open questions regarding the persistence of assimilation tropes.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding future Hollywood productions?
The author concludes that despite progressive strides in casting and language use, Hollywood still frequently retreats to archaic tropes, highlighting an urgent need for more Indigenous-led storytelling to combat enduring stereotypes.
- Quote paper
- Joya Kamps (Author), 2024, Revising the Image of Native Americans on Film, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1781839
