Misrepresentation of Indigenous people in the media

Growing up, many things influence how identity is formed, such as parents, family, community, things you are taught in school, others reaction and treatment towards you on and off-reserve, and representation you see- or don’t, see of yourself in the media and mainstream society. Positive and accurate representation, as well as likewise negative representation, of oneself on television, in films, and media impacts youth a great deal. Think about your childhood, you probably had a favorite character you looked up to, admired, or thought was pretty badass. They might not have looked exactly like you but there was something in them that you related to, or that made them special in your eyes, and chances are, in some way, at some point, they helped influence the person you grew into. This is why for youth, having role models you can look up to and connect to is very important. For Indigenous youth especially, this is all the more crucial.

Misrepresentation of Indigenous people in all forms of media has always been an issue, that is still ongoing today. These misrepresentations are what cause stereotypes. Popular Stereotypes such as the drunk Indian, savage, and believing all Indigenous people are on welfare and get money from the government. For youth, these stereotypes can be very contradicting and confusing while trying to navigate such an important time of their life, without the added stress of grappling with one’s identity.

How did all this misrepresentation start you ask? Waaaaay back at the beginning. When British and French settlers came to North America, they already had the idea stuck in their heads that their new neighbors were savage and stupid. Mass media newspapers like the Toronto star spread this attitude, that Natives were savages, something to be mocked, made excuses for or a problem that needed to be contained. With a huge news source backing these beliefs of Indigenous people, how were settlers and the rest of the population not supposed to hold these same views?

Fast forward a little way down the road to when films are introduced. Hollywood transformed the Indian into a 2-dimensional character, leaving a very narrow view for audiences to interpret what an Indian, “should” be or are. These films added to the disrespect towards Indigenous people and fueled the already circulating stereotypes. Many of these films depicted Indigenous people as a part of the past, usually sporting inappropriate costumes that are culturally and geographically inaccurate. To make matters worse, most actors used to play Native characters were, in fact, Italian or Spaniards, films would hire basically anybody dark enough to save the movie from spending more money on makeup. Some of these stereotypes were The Native warrior, The noble savage and the Indian princess. Hollywoods versions of “how the west won” relied only on the presence of tribes who had been wiped out or reined in. This gives a message that Natives don’t exist in modern society.

In the early ’90s films such as Dances with the wolves, How the West was lost and Northern exposure, gave hope to many that a new era for films was coming. Instead, however, the movies delivered relyed upon stereotypes or showed Natives as only existing in the past. A few years later, movies like Smoke Signals, Powwow Highway and Dance Me Outside brought fresh contemporary, but still romanticized, portrayals of the Native community. In the '80s and '90s CBC, (Canadian Broad Casting Corporation) made big strides to improve the portrayal of Indigenous people. Real Native actors were used to play their own people, as well many Native writers were involved. These shows included Spirit Bay, The Beachcombers, North of 60 and The Rez. Over the years CBC has continued to broaden its representation of all cultures in the media and gives everybody a spotlight. Something else really cool is that CBC has its own Indigenous News and Radio. Personally, I feel this has been a huge step towards hearing and sharing many unique Indigenous voices.


The Noble Indian and the savage

While most Indians were portrayed as the “bad guys” in Hollywood films, there was also another way they were viewed. To be considered “good” basically meant letting white people walk all over you, expected to constantly put others’ needs ahead of their own as well as their communities, (or just becoming a sidekick, like Tonto in the Lone Ranger) all with a smile on their faces. This has long been the expectation in Hollywood of “good Indians.”

More recently, a modern depiction of a “Bad Native,” is “Fake Native Americans.” Typically this means they are out of touch with their culture, receive benefits, operate casinos and are untrustworthy. Similarly, a positively portrayed Native means being poor, living on reserve, being honest, culturally knowledgable, sometimes involved in supernatural occurrences. This backs up the stereotype that “real” Indigenous people must be impoverished, helpful to outsiders and totally immersed in their traditional culture. Even so-called “positive’ Stereotypes are still trying to mold and confine Natives to a very small box of what they “should” be.


Indian Princess

Growing up my favorite Disney princess movie was Pocahontas. I thought she was the best and I wanted to be her. Looking at it from such a young age, I really didn’t see anything wrong with the film from the historical inaccuracy to the fact that Pocahonist was actually a 10-year-old girl named Matoaka. Of course, at the time I didn’t know all this, it was when I got older I realized how big of an issue this was. Aside from the real story actually being about a young girl getting kidnapped by Englishmen and made to be a child bride, this story fueled the Indian Princess stereotype. Indian Princesses were placed on fruit cans and cigar boxes, as a way to sell products and paint a picture of the exotic beautiful new world.

This has all only added more to the sexualization of Native women. This new image of them harmed their self-image as well as puts them in real, physical harm. Today, when the more privileged cases make it to mainstream media, we hear words like missing and murdered indigenous women, there is no way these things are a coincidence. As a minority group, they are already under much more threat without the added targets of “Sexy Indian” and “Indian Princess.” These stereotypes, as well as many others, have been around for far too long and its time to make bigger changes. In what we allow the media to get away with and in the conversations we have with each other, to minimize and end the misrepresentation of Indigenous people.


Ways to help stop misrepresentation and stereotypes

1. One of the most important and effective things to do is educate yourself and others. Often what allows rumors, stereotypes, and misrepresentation to spread is lack of knowledge and understanding. That is why it is so important to have conversations and speak up when you hear or see something that isn’t correct.

2. Having an open mind and putting yourself in other’s shoes. These are really good tools that can help you gain understanding and empathy.

3. Pressure media outlets and big companies to right their wrongs and/ or add better Indigenous representation and inclusiveness. It's been proved many times before through various social media platforms that if we all target big groups and call them out for their mistakes that they will change or try to right their wrongs. After all, we are the ones they are trying to appeal to.

4. Listen and help give the spotlight to authentic Indigenous voices sharing their stories. Not only does this help decrease the amount of inaccurate information and misrepresentation, sharing the spotlight helps aspiring Indigenous as well as inspires the youth, who then have more representation and role models to look up to.


Erin Watling