Reel Injun and the portrayal of the Native American in Cinema

Reel Injun  is a documentary film made by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond. Diamond’s mission was to explore the myths and misconceptions about Indians that Hollywood has influenced on America.  He travelled around the United States to explore these stereotypes and attempt to disarm them.  Reel Injun tells of the history of the portrayal of the Native American Indian in film since it’s conception.  Commentators who hold actual Indian heritage are interviewed and tell of their feelings in response to seeing white men given roles as Indians and the savage and ignorant beasts that they play.  These people express pain and shame when speaking of the negative stereotypes that films have propagated about the various Indians. However, what seems to be the most upsetting is the generalization and the deculturalization  of the various individual tribe’s heritage.  Diamond uses these opinions, as well as clips from various films to make his point that the preponderance of the Hollywood lens has caused the doctrine of the savage Indian to be accepted by Americans.  He also explores modern Indian cinema, where Indians have taken back the agency and are telling their own stories of their individual tribes and the cultures that exist within them. 

There have been over 4,000 films made about Native Americans.  They were one of the first subjects of silent film at the dawn of cinema over 100 years ago. The Western movie was one of the most popular type of films in the 20th century and the Indians played a role in almost every single one. Within this genre of film they were usually being taunted by, tortured by, hunted by, murdered by or sneaking up on the Cowboy heros and shooting them with a bow and arrow. The film’s themes commonly played upon the notion that Native American’s were ignorant and savage creatures that were bloodthirsty and had little to no humanity.  They were seen as sadistic people that came after the white man. In John Ford’s 1956 western The Searchers we see the demonization of the Indians as the plot revolves around chief scar kidnapping a small girl.  John Wayne’s character goes in search of her for several  years while his own hatred of Indians is implied.  As the girl becomes assimilated with the natives, it is clear that her uncle (Wayne) would rather kill her than bring her home.  In the end, Wayne is still the hero, in spite of his racism and wanting to kill his own niece and the Indian is brutally buried by other white men.  Although it is a scenically beautiful film and perhaps John Ford was trying to expose racism and how much it complicated and hindered Wayne’s life, but at the time he was such a hero that it backfired and only confirmed the negative Indian stereotypes that other Westerns had put in place. In Reel Injun, clips from The Searchers are shown and the film is discussed. 
Reel Injun brings together history, activism and film when it delves into the Incident  at Wounded Knee in 1973. This historical site is where members of the 7th Calvary massacred over 300 people, Indians and members of the calvary itself, in 1890.   A church was built on the hill where the mass graves of Indians is located to honor the people who lost their lived that day.  In February of  1973 about 200 Lakota and other members of the AIM (American Indian Movement) seized the town of wounded knee. The occupiers wished to reopen negotiations and discuss the issue of broken treaties with the United States government. The protest and occupation turned violent and three protesters were killed and one FBI agent was paralyzed from gunshot wounds. Russell Means is a contributor to Reel Injuns and was one of the leaders of the 71 day takeover.          
The occupation at wounded knee became relevant in Hollywood at the 45th annual Oscars when Marlon Brando, who was an AIM supporter, boycotted the ceremony and refused to accept his award for his role in The Godfather because of the negative portrayal of the American Indian. After consulting with Means, Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather, who is also featured as a commentator in Reel Injun onstage to give a speech about his feelings. After being told she couldn’t give the entire 15 page speech that Brando had written, she made a short statement and was met with both applause boo’s from the crowd. Littlefeather said in Reel Injun that John Wayne had to be restrained by four security guards to keep from coming after her.  Her message was heard loud and clear by not only the film industry, but the entire world.  After this incident, proxy acceptances were no longer allowed at the Oscars. 
Reel Injun also introduces us to the “fake” Indian.  Most actors with lead roles in the old westerns were not really American Indian. Some were white, and some were actual Indians that were costumed to look more like “Reel” Indians. They were sprayed with makeup and given elaborate costumes to wear that were not likely to be historically accurate.  Actors like Johnny Depp in The Brave (1997) and Mickey Rourke in Killshot (2008) are very white men who attempted to play American Indians. Not that anyone is discrediting their acting abilities in Reel Injun, but that actual American Indian actors are overlooked when these roles are cast.  The older westerns were especially absent of any actors with actual American Indian heritage.  Henry Brandon played Chief Scar in The Searchers and he was actually born in Germany. Gary Cooper played an Indian in the old westerns as well. Many of the extras in some of the films were actual American Indians, but overlooked in the lead roles until later. 
The issue of white supremacy in films is explored in Reel Injun is explored as well. Dustin Hoffman plays Jack Crabb, a 120 year old man, in Little Big Man. He was a Forrest Gump type of character. He was a not so bright man who encountered extraordinary people and circumstances throughout his life.  He has the historical perspective of both  a caucasian and a native American. He plays the type of hero that doesn’t know he is a hero. Like the hero we see in Forrest Gump, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The Indians are simply part of the journey of Crabb.  In Reel Injun, Poet John Trudell voices his frustration over many of the American Indian themed movies actually being stories about white men, and not the Indians themselves. Trudell references Dances With Wolves, a movie starring Kevin Costner who encounters a Sioux tribe that he finds to be  his friends in the end. Although the story has a lot to do with the tribe and is a beautifully made film, Indians could be replaced by many other minorities in many other time periods. It is Trudells frustration in the same old story line with the Indians and their culture being used as decorum and an excuse for a beautiful setting and mystery than the misrepresentation of the Indian.  Although Little Big Man[’s] story was told by a white man, it failed to give agency back to the Indian because it was the historical perspective of yet another white man.  It is in films like these that the American Indian is objectified. Although loyalty and brotherhood were the themes in Dances With Wolves and paint the Indian culture in a positive light, it is simply not enough for the American Indian. 
The new genre of American Indian cinema is introduced in Reel Injun as well. Smoke Signals is a film that was directed by Chris Eyre who is a Cheyenne and Arapaho filmmaker. It is one of the five highest grossing independent films of all time and is cast with almost all American Indians.   The film takes the perspective of an young  Indian living on a reservation and explores his modern day struggles to find his place in society. This may be a common theme in a lot of films, but the fact that the perspective is from a Native American gives it an honesty that America needs in film. Using humor, the film breaks down the stereotypes that people hold to Indians. The main character is not a brave a fearless warrior, but a nerd who struggles with social anxieties and identity issues. Another Indian made film that is referenced is Atanarjuat: (The Fast Runner). This is a 2001  directed by Zacharias Kunuk.  This film is the first feature length movie to be completely acted in the language Inuktitut. This film, and others like it in the future will aid in correcting history and stereotypes propagated by the film industry. They will give agency back to the American Indian. Rather than their story being told by the white man, they are now telling their own beautiful story and educating society on how the Indian culture has thrived for centuries despite the European influence and perspective.