Stereotypes In Pan Peter Pan

It is difficult to learn of the atrocities committed by my ancestors towards Indigenous peoples throughout time. What is even more appalling is that it continues to happen to this day. After countless apologies and vows to treat Indigenous peoples like equals, negative portrayals are still evident, especially in Hollywood films. Throughout Indigenous Peoples and the Media I have become increasingly aware of the racist depictions in movies I otherwise saw no issues with. Since 1904 several directors and creators have been producing a famous film seem by millions throughout the last century, Peter Pan. The issue surrounding the film is not just the negative stereotypes on Indigenous people; rather that writers and directors continue to write …show more content…
In Pan, the film takes on a different storyline than the others, showing the beginning of Peters journey to Neverland. Tiger Lilly was not played by an Indigenous woman, instead, Wright chose to have a popular Caucasian actress Rooney Mara portray Tiger Lily in the film which created public outrage for not having an Indigenous woman play Tiger Lily. Here Tiger Lily and her tribe are seen wearing large headdresses filled with bright colours and with noticeably red paint covering her eyes and long dark hair. The film depicts the Indigenous tribe as cruel when Peter and his friend Hook run into the tribe. During one particular scene in the film Hook tells Peter “those savages would just as soon kill you then help you” and “there is a fine line between bravery and suicide kid” (Pan, 47:00). Once again, this more modern depiction of Peter Pan continues to refer to Indigenous people as “savages” and describes them in an extremely threatening way. Making it seem as though Indigenous cultures main desire is to kill the white man instead of helping them which is what Peter wants. This representation continues when Peter finally meets the Indigenous tribe when they are shown as wanting to kill both Peter and his friends, chanting while one of their men fight with Hook. This perception of the tribe makes it appear that Indigenous tribes may have acted like this, discovering new cultures and wanting to capture them and kill them. Displaying Indigenous people in this negative way makes people feel like Indigenous people are out to harm white people and have no respect for them. Which in turn causes stereotypical thoughts and racial discrimination towards all Indigenous people. Lastly, like many other stories before its time, Tiger Lily falls in love with Hook at the end of the movie, an Indigenous women choosing a white man over her own, making her more