First Nations Stereotypes

First Nations People are often represented negatively and worth less than average people. They are often considered animals instead of human, and are stereotyped as typical feather wearing, horse riding Indians. Stereotypes stretch from the noble savage to the Drunken Indian. These representations have a damaging effect on First Nations as their entire culture is being misinterpreted by the world. They are treated like the minority and feel voiceless when it comes to proving their points. An example of this is when Sacheen Littlefeather went up to do her speech in place of Marlon Brando for the Godfather. She had a 15 page speech to say but was threatened if she were to exceed 60 seconds on stage. Although she had a voice, she was prevented …show more content…
In the Birth of the Hollywood Injun, the Natives were portrayed as spirited, noble and free. This is a positive image towards their people, and intrigued viewers with the romance of the tragedy of things such as the genocide. Although genocide is a terrible event, it enhanced the audience’s knowledge of the occurrence. “We’re not Indians and we’re not Native Americans. We’re older than both concepts. We’re the people, we’re the human beings,” stated John Trudell. With more rising activists like him, First Nations will be viewed less stereotypically and more as humans. Film has been a bridge of passing information, and is slowly becoming a tool to bridge the misunderstandings between First Nations and the rest of the world. In the film age now, it is considered a revolution for the First Nations. In movies such as Whale Under (2002) and Once Were Warriors (1994), aboriginals are starting to be represented more as humans, and less of savages. Chris Eyre said Aboriginals were not asking for a great representation of themselves or always being seen as the heroes, but they are asking to be seen as human. They are not dead, they are as alive as ever, and that point needs to come across through the