Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States
Eskimo itself is an exonym, deriving from phrases that Algonquin tribes used for their northern neighbors,[3] in Canada the term Inuit is generally preferred, while Alaska Natives is used in the United States.
However, most portrayals are oversimplified and inaccurate; these stereotypes are found particularly in popular media which is the main source of mainstream images of Indigenous peoples worldwide.
Whether portrayed as noble savages, ignoble savages, teary-eyed environmentalists, drunken, living off the Government, Indian princess/Squaw or most recently, simply as casino-rich, native peoples find their efforts to be treated with a measure of respect and integrity undermined by images that flatten complex tribal, historical and personal experience into one-dimensional representations that tells us more about the depicters than about the depicted.
In 1626 the director of the Dutch settlement, Peter Minuit, traded sixty guilders worth of goods with the Lenni Lenape people, which they would have accepted as gifts in exchange for allowing the settlers to occupy the land.
Westerns and documentaries have tended to portray Natives in stereotypical terms: the wise elder, the aggressive drunk, the Indian princess, the loyal sidekick, the obese and impoverished.
[7] In early colonial writings, the most common portrayal of Native men came in the form of what Robert Berkhofer calls "savage images of the Indian as not only hostile but depraved.".
[15] In later times, particularly under the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's idea of the noble savage, Native American men were portrayed by European sources as fierce warriors that Euro-American writers called braves.
[17] This stereotype became most prominent in the mid to late twentieth century when alcoholism became the number one cause of death according to the Indian Health Services (IHS).
This stereotype has stemmed from the long-term enthrallment many non-natives have had with this particular minority group, causing American Indians to be viewed as "objects of reverence and fascination".
[20] Kat Anderson's book, Tending the wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources, delves into the "hunter-gatherer" stereotype which describes survival solely on hunting animals and gathering of berries and other plants.
The author attempts to break this stereotype by illustrating the varied ways Indigenous peoples of California tended and supported their environment.
California Natives have utilized methods, such as effective harvesting, controlled burning, and selectively pruning, in order to maintain their environment and keep many plant and animal species flourishing.
Through the book, Anderson wanted to accurately spread the ecological knowledge of California natives to shed light on the impact these groups have had on surrounding wildlife areas.
This leads directly to Indians being viewed less stable economically, making it more difficult for those that have succeeded to fully enjoy the benefits in the same way that non-Indians do, such as obtaining credit.
Two studies examined the effect of exposure to an American Indian sports mascot on the tendency to endorse stereotypes of a different minority group.
Students were given a paragraph to read about Chief Illiniwek adapted from the University of Illinois' official website, while the control group was given a description of an arts center.
[29] Colonial culture has been foundation of these stereotypes creating a relationship of violence and hatred, which justifies the treatment of First Nations peoples to this day.
[30] The mainstream media makes a lot of money-making movies that play along with stereotypes; while accurate portrayals may be critically acclaimed they are not often made or widely distributed.
Reel Injun is illustrated with excerpts from classic and contemporary portrayals of Native people in Hollywood movies and interviews with filmmakers, actors and film historians, while director Diamond travels across the United States to visit iconic locations in motion picture as well as American Indian history.
"[32][33] The other animated series Spirit Rangers, which premiered on Netflix in 2022, also features all-Native American protagonists, casts and writers, aiming to educate children about the culture of both Chumash and Cowlitz peoples and debunking ethnic stereotypes.
