Native American Film Analysis
The Logistics of Storytelling: Native American Representation in Film
When someone says the word Native American, most see a distinct image in their minds. From headdresses, to war cries, the public’s perception of Native culture has been undeniably shaped by the film industry. In a culture where everything is compared to the norm of whiteness, American audiences have always been fascinated by indigenous peoples, and have thus created a fantasy that’s been marketed as facts. This is the basis behind the 2010 documentary, Reel Injun, which follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond on his cross country expedition to analyze the origins, trends, and future of Native representation in film. In their textbook, Media Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, …show more content…
Croteau and Hoynes ask, “Do people from different racial and ethnic groups have control over the creation and production of media images that feature different groups?” (193) As presented in Reel Injun, Natives have had very few opportunities to tell their own stories throughout history. This is most likely due to the fact that white men have traditionally held all the power in mainstream media (204). Despite this, during the silent era of film, Native Americans directed films that were successful with audiences. However, as public preferences shifted over time, it became more popular for Indians to be antagonists or props rather than artists and producers. It wasn’t until the 1990s that independent Native cinema would give aboriginal filmmakers, artists, and songwriters opportunities to create and share their work. Reel Injun showcases two films made during this period. In 1998, Native filmmaker Chris Eyre’s Smoke Signals was one of the first films to move out of the historical West and tell a modern day story about Indians from an Indian perspective. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) retold an an Inuit legend for the screen. In an interview for the film, Zacharias Kunuk stated that his main inspiration was wanting to record his tribe’s history in a purely authentic manner. As Jesse Wente, an Ojibway film critic put it, “Atanarjuat marked a point where cinema was being altered to tell our stories, our way, and gone were the stereotypes of past” (Reel
When someone says the word Native American, most see a distinct image in their minds. From headdresses, to war cries, the public’s perception of Native culture has been undeniably shaped by the film industry. In a culture where everything is compared to the norm of whiteness, American audiences have always been fascinated by indigenous peoples, and have thus created a fantasy that’s been marketed as facts. This is the basis behind the 2010 documentary, Reel Injun, which follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond on his cross country expedition to analyze the origins, trends, and future of Native representation in film. In their textbook, Media Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, …show more content…
Croteau and Hoynes ask, “Do people from different racial and ethnic groups have control over the creation and production of media images that feature different groups?” (193) As presented in Reel Injun, Natives have had very few opportunities to tell their own stories throughout history. This is most likely due to the fact that white men have traditionally held all the power in mainstream media (204). Despite this, during the silent era of film, Native Americans directed films that were successful with audiences. However, as public preferences shifted over time, it became more popular for Indians to be antagonists or props rather than artists and producers. It wasn’t until the 1990s that independent Native cinema would give aboriginal filmmakers, artists, and songwriters opportunities to create and share their work. Reel Injun showcases two films made during this period. In 1998, Native filmmaker Chris Eyre’s Smoke Signals was one of the first films to move out of the historical West and tell a modern day story about Indians from an Indian perspective. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) retold an an Inuit legend for the screen. In an interview for the film, Zacharias Kunuk stated that his main inspiration was wanting to record his tribe’s history in a purely authentic manner. As Jesse Wente, an Ojibway film critic put it, “Atanarjuat marked a point where cinema was being altered to tell our stories, our way, and gone were the stereotypes of past” (Reel