Images of Native Peoples in Mass Media

The Imaginary Indian: Representations of Native Peoples in Mass Media : 

The Imaginary Indian: Representations of Native Peoples in Mass Media

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Noble Indian Ignoble Indian Environmental Indian Performing Indian Bureaucrat’s Indian Textbook Indian Vanishing Indian Grateful Indian

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The Noble Indian The Noble Indian lives in harmony with Nature and is uncorrupted by the influences of civilization. He is also physically healthy ,wise, generous, self sacrificing, courageous, innocent, and doomed to extinction unless they could be civilized. (Women were reduced to the troubling dichotomy of the princess or squaw)

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Ignoble Indian The Ignoble Indian is viewed as a savage, bloodthirsty, untameable enemy of white society. As with the Noble Indian, the Ignoble Indian was viewed as uncivilized and doomed to extinction unless they could be civilized.

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The notion of the Vanishing Indian stems from the idea that Native peoples were destined to disappear in the face of a more advanced civilization. Vanishing Indian

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Environmental Indian The representation of Indians as environmentalists or eco-warriors that are threatened by the forces of a consumer culture and will do anything to protect the land.

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Bureaucrat's Indian The Bureaucrat’s Indian is the official Indian of government policy, the assimilated Indian.

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Performing Indian The Performing Indian is a type of identity that was often found in Wild West Shows where Indians were seen as savage and bloodthirsty.

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The Grateful Indian The Grateful Indian derives from the idea that, because Indians were being offered the "gift" of progress and civilization they should be thankful, not resistant.

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Textbook Indian The textbook Indian is a image that is based on a cluster of stereotypical and inaccurate images that are perpetuated in textbooks

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Sources Francis , D. (1992) The Imaginary Indian: The Image of the Indian in Canadian Culture. Arsenal Pulp Press. Films/Television Pocahontas (1995) Thunderheart (1992) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) The Lone Ranger Season 1 (1959) Maverick (1994) Keep America Beautiful Public Service Announcements (1974), (1998) Dances With Wolves (1990)