Blog Post #2

Growing up, I’ve always known the stereotypes of the native and indigenous groups before the European 
settlers. The facepaint, feathers, loud drums, and dancing around the fires late at night are all images that I’ve
seen in movies growing up. The most stereotypical scene I saw depicting Native Americans were the ones in 
the movie Peter Pan and the Indian in the Cupboard. In my opinion, the depiction of Native Americans are
not much different than how blacks and hispanics are portrayed. People living in the outdoors with minimal 
clothes on, shouting in different languages and hunting animals. I believe that these assumptions are 
where the ideology of white supremacy starts from. The ideas that Europeans have these technological 
advancements such as guns, concepts of business and formal education, clothing, and religion are used 
as evidence in support of these racist ideals.

I think the effects of these portrayals leads to the further justification of the genocide of Native Americans. 
People who view the culture of Native Americans as poor and savage may often justify the treatment of the 
tribes by saying things such as “we civilized them by bringing them the Bible” or “taught them to be apart 
of a more advanced culture.” In effect, I think this also contributes to the nonchalant attitudes when it comes
to issues affecting the Native American tribes in this day in age. For example, the North Dakota pipeline 
protests received almost no media coverage from the big news corporations until violence erupted during 
the demonstrations. If these protests were peaceful, there would be no coverage and the oil companies would 
have won out against the protestors relatively easy.

Native Americans should be seen as they truly are: people. I think the best way to start on shattering the 
media-bred stereotypes of Native Americans is to start with the education in elementary schools. Instead of 
just talking about the Trail of Tears, why not talk about famous Native American leaders and their 
accomplishments to today’s society? Why not go into depth about Native American culture? Explaining the
differences in culture for the different tribes in different parts of the culture will definitely help to get rid 
of the notion that ALL Native Americans look the same. Talking about the traditional purposes of wearing 
animal hide or what different face painting styles mean will also help to counteract against the savage
Indian stereotype.

However, the most important way to battle stereotypes of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds is 
to have face to face interactions with people that are different than your own self. Unfortunately for Native 
Americans in particular, this is definitely easier easier said than done. I propose that schools in states 
with a long history of Native American oppression should schedule field trips to historic sites so students 
can get a feel of the experiences the tribes experienced during their oppression. However, the first step 
in battling stereotypes, is to have an actual conversation with someone and get a glimpse at their 
different life experiences.