"For a subject worked and reworked so often in novels, motion pictures, and television, American Indians remain probably the least understood and most misunderstood Americans of us all."
-John F. Kennedy in the introduction to The American Heritage Book of Indians
And what themed restaurant is complete without over-the-top decoration (click on the images to enlarge)
(but mankind really had to pee and couldn't afford a slice!)
And if you can't make it to the restaurant, just order carryout!
PIZZA BOX (front)
PIZZA BOX (back) featuring:
TEN NATIVE AMERICAN COMMANDMENTS
They even sell licensed merchandise and other novelty gifts such as the Apache Novelty Arrow, Apache Fun Feathers, and Apache Feather Headdress.
"King of your tribe?, then prove it with a feather headress."
Someone care to explain to me what Native Americans and the Apache in particular have to do with pizza?
What's that, absolutely nothing.
Indeed, Native American culture is a pretty odd choice for a pizza chain in the emerald isle, but then again considering the cultural phenomenon that is the "Indian" I'm sadly not surprised by this.
This chain is the epitome of "drawing on Indians" because it is so completely detached from real Native culture and instead dives head first into the stereotypical soup of the "Indian".
It has all the best known elements: a chief head with war bonnet, Hiawatha, Geronimo, a special Indian connection to the natural and spiritual world (though I personally prefer my Native wisdom from tribal elders, not from the back of pizza boxes).
I'm assuming the founders of Apache Pizza were enchanted with the stereotypical Indian of American frontier lore and decided it would make a great memorable pizza mascot. Thus was born "Big Chief" (he's named in one of the radio adverts) and Apache Pizza!
I was originally going to "go easy" on this company and simply decry it for its clear stereotypes of Native Americans but then I heard the radio adverts.
Apache Pizza is officially racist. How else can you describe such an ugly stereotype as the tonto-speaking gruff-voiced Indian named Big Chief who literally says HOW every other word?!!!
Stuff like this is supposed to be a thing of the past but I suppose when you take centuries of ugly stereotypes and then move across the ocean to a place far removed from real Native people, this stuff does happen. Sad.
"Welcome to Hunting the Rez Magazine, a magazine that is written with the non-enrolled sportsman in mind. Hunting the Rez is a quarterly publication, its aim is to provide the general public with a directory to 52 million additional acres of hunting and fishing opportunities right here in the United States. With hunting grounds getting harder and harder to find due to a myriad of reasons, we believe that Indian country is the biggest best little secret hot spot for sportsmen all across the globe."
The magazine provides all the essential information for the sportsman looking for that unique hunting or fishing trip that one cannot get on other lands. The website notes many of the unique benefits of planning your next trip in Indian Country...
"...for example; many tribes have rifle seasons during bugling season as opposed to the states. Some tribes even offer extended seasons for non-enrolled sportsmen.
Many tribes are reintroducing animals on our respective lands, such as wild turkey, big horn sheep, buffalo and moose, a management strategy that serves as a base from which we can build and sustain a renewable natural resource."
The magazine especially emphasizes the quality experience available only through sound management techniques:
"Native American tribes have the resources and management means to realize the responsibility that stewardship of these lands carry and work with wildlife biologists for quality game management, and are implementing sound strategies for protection and promotion of resident wildlife."
If done right, I think this magazine and the resulting interest in hunting and fishing on tribal lands for non-enrolled members could prove a great new source of income and job creation for the tribes. It's certainly a different crowd than the casino folks!
I especially appreciate the design of the magazine as it clearly steers away from any stereotypical Indian symbolism or design. The magazine is professionally done with its focus squarely on hunting (albeit on tribal lands). This is probably due to the fact that it is published by Jason Belcourt from the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in Montana.
This is in stark contrast to many of the survival schools I profiled here:
Many of these schools are run by non-Natives who liberally sprinkle Native symbolism and spirituality throughout their programs and websites. Then again, I think these schools attract a different crowd than the high-end sportsmen group. Your average primitive living enthusiast or survival skills junkie would probably prefer a more rugged, earthy adventure in the outdoors than what I expect Hunting the Rez magazine promotes. (But maybe I'm wrong)
As I argued in the "Cody Lundin" post, it's often hard to gauge the motivations of anyone who appropriates Native skills, culture, or spirituality.
A good example of how to appreciate Native skills in the outdoors is this article:
It is a straightforward piece that describes Native corralling techniques for hunting deer. It makes distinctions between tribal groups (Menomoni, Iroquois, "some western tribes") and doesn't indulge in any fluff language about Indians "living in harmony with the land" or their "superhuman" hunting skills. It could make mention of modern Native hunting techniques but the piece does make it clear it's looking at historical trends. Otherwise, it's a great informative piece that puts it all in perspective when it says:
"Much of what we use today in our tactical strategies to drive deer we have learned from the first Americans... I think our knowing how this hunting technique of man-drives has evolved is important. It's another part of the rich history of the sport of deer hunting."
We all have our unique hobbies. Some people are bird watchers. Others collect stamps. Still others restore classic cars.
And some get dressed up and pretend they are living in the 1700s.
This past weekend I visited the annual Voyageur Encampment at Metro Beach Metropark in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. I have attended these events before but this was the first one here in my home state of Michigan.
The Living History Encampment
For those of you who are not familiar with Fur Trade reenactors or even reenacting in general, I'll let Wikipedia do the talking: “Historical reenactment is a type of roleplay in which participants attempt to recreate some aspects of a historical event or period.” In this case, the Great Lakes Fur Trade of the 1700s.
There are as many reasons for participating in reenactments as there are reenactors. It is usually some combination of love of history, love of the reenactment community, and love of dressing up and getting away from it all. I met several fascinating individuals this weekend but there is one in particular who fits right in here at Drawing on Indians.
Tim is just your average midwestern blue collar worker pulling down his 40 hours and a steady paycheck as a pipefitter for General Motors. It's only on the occasional weekend during the summer that you realize Tim is somehow different.
Here's Tim:
(click to enlarge)
Tim immediately caught my attention because of the hair. I jokingly asked him if he had cut it especially for the event or if this was a permanent style choice. He told me this was a summer ritual where he would cut it into the Mohawk style when the reenactments started.
I then asked what type of individual he was portraying. He told me he dressed to represent a Great Lakes Fur Trade era Indian. He said he didn't know his history as well as others and was representing a more generic Great Lakes Indian and not a specific tribe. I then of course had to ask politely if he was indeed Native himself. The answer was both expected and unexpected. (and I paraphrase)
"Yeah, well I'm French and Native, maybe like 1/32nd Indian but mostly French."
Tim explained how he first became interested in primitive living skills and Indian material culture back in the day which eventually led to his involvement in Fur Trade reenacting. He actively participates in the group Great Lakes Primitiveswhose facebook page explains:
Primitive skills teachers and participants gather to share knowledge of our ancestors’ ancient art forms and survival technologies to preserve and pass on these traditions with new friends and renew old friendships.
The group sounds like many of the other survival schools I profiled in my post Cody Lundin and Surviving like an Indian. These groups draw upon indigenous cultures including American Indians to teach primitive living skills. Something new I spotted on the Great Lakes Primitives page which surprised me was the following line:
We respect all religious beliefs and practices. Due to the diversity of participants’ spiritual beliefs and the nature of this event, we ask that attendees be respectful of differences as we share our time together.
Between the line "our ancestors’ ancient art form" and the note on religious diversity, I'm wondering if there aren't active Indian members in this group. Then again, the group could swing the other direction and simply idealize a primitive Indian lifestyle to which it makes false attachments. All I know is that Tim did refer to some of its members as "those natural people" which made me chuckle.
Now, before anyone starts condemning Tim as a wannabe or shameless hack consider this. One of the main goals of the Fur Trade reenactment community is to faithfully recreate the look, feel, sights, sounds, smells, and even tastes of the era. Reenactors put hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars into their tents, gear, and clothing so that you the visitor can walk into the encampment and literally walk back in time.
From my experience, the Indian presence in the Fur Trade reenactment community is quite small and even non-existent in some places. How then does one faithfully reenact and represent this era of exploration, trade, and cultural interaction without one half of the equation?
When talking to reenactors or listening to presentations a common phrase was "The Native Americans wore this" or "The Indians traded those" or "The Natives believed in that." The combined effect was to reinforce the fact that there were no Indians at the event to answer these questions for themselves!
A Group of Reenactors
In an ideal world, every historic reenactment would have reenactors represent their own ethnicity or culture (a group of French-Canadians as voyageurs, English and Scotsmen as traders, Métis as Métis, and Indians as Indians). But such restrictions limit the openness and inclusivity of these groups. After all, it's a hobby not a movie set!
Which brings me back to Tim.
After talking with him briefly, he seemed to have a well rounded view of historic and modern Native Americans. He readily acknowledged the centuries of injustice against Indian people and expressed genuine concern for the loss of Indian culture, language, and traditions. He even mentioned several acquaintances who actively work with native communities to preserve their language and culture. Furthermore, he didn't assume a first person identity as an Indian or started lecturing me on native culture as if he'd just walked off the rez, which is always a good thing.
Then again, my conversation with him was rather short and I will never know the truth behind his claim of Indian heritage. Therefore the question remains...
Can you or should you ever faithfully recreate the look and material culture of American Indians by dressing as an Indian?
My thoughts:
As with most issues of native appropriation, it all depends on the context. In this particular case, I'm just not sure.
Is Tim's motivation for dressing as an Indian primarily educational to teach others about primitive skills and Indian material culture or is he simply dressing up to "be" an Indian, a human prop on display in the living history encampment.
He certainly has the authentic clothes and gear to represent a Great Lakes Indian of the 1700s (expect for the bow which he acknowledged was not quite period authentic). Sure is a refreshing change from the stereotypical Plains Indian with full warbonnet and face paint!
I honestly see both sides on this...
What do you think?
Is this a harmless hobby or questionable cultural appropriation?
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (link) is the largest music festival in the world. In 2010, over 130,000 people attended the yearly event to watch such varied acts as Radiohead, Gorillaz, Muse, and Stevie Wonder.
Such festivals always attract the weird and wacky and Glastonbury 2010 was no exception. The Boston Globe's website Boston.com has a very popular section known as The Big Picture which features recent news events as seen through the work of photojournalists. It was on this site that I stumbled upon the following entry on the 2010 Glastonbury Festival:
and saw these two pictures with accompanying captions:
"The sun rises over tents at the 2010 40th Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2010 in Glastonbury, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)"
"Festival attendees wear Native American head-dresses as the temperatures remain high at the Glastonbury Festival on June 26, 2010. (LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)"
My thoughts:
The hipster headdress has officially made the leap across the pond. This is no surprise considering how connected and global the hipster subculture has become. Then again, those could be honest to goodness Yankees sporting the latest fashion trend on their weekend trip to the British Isles. I wonder if they brought the headdresses with them or worse yet bought them at the Festival from a vendor?
The tepees are another thing altogether. The fascination with the tepee goes way back to the Summer camps of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Affluent white American children were sent away to Summer camp to get back in touch with the Natural world including a healthy dose of appropriated Native culture. They played Indian games, made Indian crafts, and slept in Indian tepees. This trend then exploded in the 1960s with the hippie and New Age fascination with everything Native including once again the tepee.
Are we in for a third wave of tepee appropriation among America's and Britain's affluent white young populace?
I imagine the case at Glastonbury is similar. Essentially, you have a bunch of young, white British folk who look to Native Americans as the ultimate symbol of the Natural, harmonious, simple lives they want to live. They put up a tepee not for the practicality of it but because it screams Indian! It says, "I'm hip!" "I'm cool!" "I'm down with Mother Earth! (just like the Indians were)"
It also says, "I didn't spend even one second thinking about the real culture and people behind this beautiful, unique, and culturally significant architectural wonder! Hey look at me, I gotta tepee!!!"
(But then again maybe I'm wrong and an entire community of Lakota simply uprooted and moved to a random farm in western England for a weekend. You never know... )
For more on the hipster headdress, check out these entries at the Native Appropriations blog:
First there was Les Stroud, Canadian survival expert and filmmaker whose perilous solo journeys into the wild recesses of the world captivated audiences in the hit show Survivorman. Then came British special forces vet and high-flying stuntman Bear Grylls who impressed us with his own entertaining brand of survival on Man vs. Wild. Since these humble beginnings, a whole slew of wilderness survival imitators have sprouted up across the cable television landscape.
The newest entry in this wilderness survival genre is Dual Survivor. This Discovery Channel show features two wilderness survival instructors, primitive skills expert Cody Lundin and army trained hunter and scout Dave Canterbury.
Here is a clip from the first episode which pits our two intrepid survivors on an isolated island off the coast of Nova Scotia:
The whole gist of the show is simple: put two completely different survival experts with diametrically opposed survival philosophies together in the wilderness and see what happens.
If you watch the clip and read the bios online, one clearly gets the impression that each survivor fills a particular niche.
Cory Lundin is the New Age hippie who combines Native inspired primitive living skills, new age spiritualism, and a sprinkling of solid science to live in harmony with the natural world.
Dave Canterbury is the hardened, military vet who combines strict discipline with practical survival skills to overcome his sworn enemy- the savage, unforgiving wilderness.
In many ways, the first show both reinforces and breaks down these two stereotypes. Cody Lundin definitely gets into the pseudo-science when he talks about training his mitochondria to adapt to the cold, which the narrator quickly points out happened only after many generations in Arctic people. Cody references a digging stick and hunter/gatherer societies when he digs up clams. The most awkward thing is that the show's music always shifts to Native American style flute music whenever the action centers on Cody.
Dave Canterbury criticizes Cody and his "bush hippie logic" and refuses to eat the clams. Instead, he insists on catching a "red-blooded 4-legged furry critter" as he calls them. In fact, he succeeds in killing a porcupine which he proceeds to cut up and consume. Interestingly, Dave (and not Cody) eats the heart first saying "the spirit of the animal is in its heart" so he eats it "to be close to the animal." Dave also refers to the survival shelter Cody constructs as being as "warm as a Lakota sweat lodge."
In case you have any lingering doubts as to the direction the producers were going with the show, this 30 second spot should clear them up:
As a fan of both Survivorman and Man vs. Wild, I have seen both Les Stroud and Bear Grylls reference and utilize indigenous inspired survival strategies. Both of them learn from the local indigenous communities and practice specific learned skills.
Cody Lundin takes this trend to the next level, helped in part by the direction of the show. His Native inspired, New Age philosophy is more abstract than the practical skills both Bear and Les practice in their shows. It also doesn't help that his philosophy (or lifestyle as he calls it) serves as the foil to Dave's hardened, military ways.
I decided to do a little more investigating and stumbled upon his survival training school:
His look is clearly Native inspired with the long cloth-ended braids, Apache headband, and turquoise jewelry. It's almost as if you crossed some California surfer dude with a Woodstock Hippie with a Hollywood Indian:
His philosophy is also Native inspired. First, there is the name "Aboriginal Living Skills School." He refers to a difficult period in his life as "my warrior training." His life changed forever when "he experienced a transformation in the Red Rock wilderness" and after deciding to share Nature with others "consciously entered a multi-year journey of hard choices, deprivation, and self-correction."
After watching Dual Survival and seeing Cory Lundin's website I wondered: Is he alone in this Native inspired survivalism or is he part of a larger trend? I decided to google "survival school" and "primitive living" and stumbled upon some interesting websites:
I want you to pay attention to these three things when perusing the following sites:
1. Name of the School
2. Visual imagery and themes
3. Word choices, tone, and program philosophy
Also, remember the difference between primitive living skills and survival skills. Brain tanning a deer hide and knapping a flint spear will probably not help you in a survival situation. Then again some primitive skills such as snares or dead falls for catching food are effective survival skills. But notice how these two distinct skill sets are taught at the same schools, blurring the lines between the two.
I have included a little commentary and direct quotations from the websites:
"BOSS instructors bring to their courses a diverse background of personal experiences with traditional culture... BOSS staff have lived and learned from the Native peoples, not to mention the knowledge gained from North America's heritage of native tribes and nations."
"You will feel empowered as you learn to make fire by rubbing 2 sticks together, make a meal from the plants you find, and how to set snares or traps for food."
"Our wilderness education courses draw on traditions from indigenous cultures world-wide, emphasizing nature as teacher, routines to enhance awareness, storytelling, self-motivated learning, and tracking as an interpretive tool."
"The Anake Outdoor School helps people develop a deep and intimate relationship with the natural world. This life changing wilderness experience is grounded in a powerful, community-oriented philosophy of learning that is informed by the legacy of indigenous cultures from around the world, and a cutting-edge understanding of our natural heritage as human beings."
Notice how the four core values are assigned to the four cardinal directions, not unlike a medicine wheel.
In a unique African twist, this school was founded by Ingwe, otherwise known as M. Norman Powell. He was "raised on a colonial plantation in Kenya, Africa, where he grew up under the tutelage of an older boy, Ndaka, a member of the local Akamba community. He was eventually initiated into Akamba society, and carried those traditions with him through all his life."
"It has been said that the best way to remain "civilized" is to get away from civilization for a while."
Course offerings include: Braintan Buckskin Intensive, Bushcraft Course, and Walkabout
Notice the Sun, Moon, and Wildlife imagery.
The website also emphasizes the Native presence in its Northern Arizona location saying: "Northern Arizona is also the home of the Hopi, Navajo, Supai, Hualapai, Apache, and Paiute, and has the largest concentration of Native American languages anywhere in North America." This line is completely unrelated to the actual survival courses but instead serves to tie the courses to the local Native groups.
For a survival school founded by two guys from Essex and Kent in merry old England, they sure lode up on the Native imagery and spirituality.
"Bushcraft or Wilderness Living skills are not new, they are as old as mankind itself. They were the living skills of our ancestors and forebears, just as they are the living skills of native peoples and outdoors folk all over the world today because they really work."
"Skills which enabled our ancestors and forebears to make fire, find shelter, water and food in an often unfriendly world, skills which made their lives not only bearable but comfortable and which taught them a deep respect for the nature around them, skills which can be learnt and used by you just as they did."
"Presently working with a number of aboriginal bands to teach individuals a series of wilderness living skills."
"Gino has traveled extensively in the Canadian northlands, and has taught survival techniques to the Inuit, Metis, and Native people." (as far as I can tell, Gino is not Inuit, Metis, or Native himself)
"The Tracker School was founded in 1978 by Tom Brown Jr, Americas most renowned Tracker, and Wilderness Survival expert. Based on the teachings of Stalking Wolf, the Apache elder from whom Tom began teaching, when he was seven years old, the school has expanded to include over 75 classes, divided into eight course tracks, of the teachings that Grandfather passed to tom."
Notice the skull, feathers, and mud-covered people on the home page.
"Native people believe that when we take a life for our nourishment it becomes part of us, one with our being. Thus, it is absolutely necessary that we show the Creator honest and humble gratitude in prayer, and that we properly honor our brothers and sisters of the rivers, oceans, and seas, as they sustain and nourish us in this life. Every skill has its own myths, prayers, legends and traditions, and in this course Tom will share with students many of Grandfather’s beautifully preserved skills of what he considered Sacred Fishing."
And: "I've attended this school, multiple times, Im not going back. He has alot of credit and has a HUGE following, criticize me if you want, but i know hes full of s**t. This guy needs to be proven a fake." (source)
Another UK school heavy on the Native imagery and philosophy that invites you to "join our tribe."
"Wilderness living skills have been developed and refined, not only by native peoples in foreign climes, but also much closer to home: by woodsmen, hunters, trappers, naturalists, research teams, contemporary explorers, and the pioneers who opened up the frontiers of the New World."
"Wilderness bushcraft, as a modern western concept, began as a set of rudimentary survival skills that were gradually added to from a global repository of indigenous knowledge."
"How do we explain our endless fascination with native peoples and their intimate understanding of the land? Their apparent happiness and being at ease with themselves, especially when they have so little? Perhaps it is because we have confused our value structure and lost sense of meaning - having been pre-conditioned to try to generate our happiness through possessions, purchasing new ‘feel-good’ toys and trinkets."
In other words, they want to escape from the modern world through the conduit of indigenous cultures.
"At Earthwalk Northwest, our mission is to guide participants in bridging the past with the present to benefit the future. We recognize that the work of mastering traditional skills is a vehicle for reconnecting people with the earth, enabling them to become effective caretakers."
Another unique twist- one of the two founders, Karen, "is a Northwest native who grew up studying the flora of the Pacific Northwest"
Courses include: arrow making, primitive fishing, and flint knapping.
They also serve wild food dinners where "each meal reflects the traditional wild foods gathered and prepared by indigenous peoples from this region."
"expert Inuit instructors teach critical survival skills... led by our experienced Inuit instructors, NASTC travel packages offer visitors a truly authentic Arctic experience"
"The cheerful and friendly manner of the region’s inhabitants, the Inuit, will quickly put you at ease. Nunavik Inuit will welcome you warmly to their corner of the world, introducing you to the distinctive characteristics of their cultural and linguistic heritage, art and history, as well as traditional clothing and tools."
The school name also appears in the Inuit language.
"Primitive living is a metaphor we participate in and act out. Life is simplified down to the bare essentials: physical and mental well-being, shelter, warmth, clothing, water, and food. We go on an expedition to meet those needs with little more than our bare hands."
He writes a long reflective essay about primitive living entitled Quest for Freedom. Here we have an insider, a primitive skills instructor himself, making the point better than I can:
"As an instructor of primitive wilderness survival skills, I meet all kinds of people who seek to rediscover the ways of our ancestors. I have noticed that many and perhaps most of these individuals are driven by a great thirst--almost a desperation--for freedom. They often feel they are held in bondage by civilization, stuck in jobs they don't want, paying meaningless bills while unable to get ahead, and forced to be accomplices in the destruction of the natural world. They feel as if civilization has them locked in chains and stuck in a box, against which they rattle and wail in desperation to get free. They are part of a counter-culture of people who see civilization as a dead end.... They want to break free from the chains of civilization to live as our ancestors did in supposed harmony with nature. Perhaps you are one of these individuals. If so, then this article is written for you."
"As a teenager I got caught up in the romantic notion of living a Stone Age existence in harmony with nature. However, I finally acknowledged that 1) it wasn't sustainable, 2) even if it was sustainable, it would be impossible to convince the rest of the world to join me, and 3) with thousands of hours Stone Age skills experience, I found that living in the Stone Age is immensely satisfying for insightful and recreational purposes, but I wouldn't want to live that way every day. Pretty much anyone who spends enough time living Stone Age skills comes to the same conclusion--that it is a hard way to live. Thus, the dream of returning to the Stone Age is a 'non-goal' three times over."
He finishes the essay describing how this return to primitivism is a transformative journey and not a destination. In other words, living the primitive/indigenous lifestyle is not only romanticized it's impractical. He encourages us all to embrace sustainability through modern technology and look more holistically at our problems in order to solve them.
Conclusion:
All of the above schools use Native inspired designs, imagery, names, and philosophy. But they are also not all alike. I can split them into three distinct categories based on the individuals involved.
1. Non-Natives with no association or questionable associations with Native people.
2. Non-Natives who have trained with or learned from native people.
3. Native individuals who draw upon their own cultures and traditions.
The problem is that it is impossible to accurately know the motivations of each person in creating their philosophy, programs, and website. Do individuals like Cory Lundin or the Woodsmoke school have a true affinity for indigenous cultures and survival techniques or are they just sucked into the cult of the Natural-Primitive Indian? Are they simply using these images and terms to tap into our own cultural feelings toward the Natural-Primitive Indian?
In other words, are the Native images and philosophy just suggestive marketing to get an already sympathetic and interested crowd (outdoor enthusiasts, survivalists, New Age types) one step closer to playing Indian and fulfilling their ultimate fantasy?
One of the most telling things is from the websites and programs run by Native people. They all make a strong point of emphasizing their authenticity and their own traditions. Is this possibly a direct reaction to these non-Native experts using Native imagery, techniques, and philosophy? Or are they just taking advantage of the same cultural trends to tap into some deep-seated love of everything Native among non-Natives in the United States and abroad?
My thoughts: I think that everyone above truly appreciates indigenous cultures. I'm just not sure about their motivations or even what "indigenous" means to them. The websites range from respectful and informative to those filled with generic "Indian" tipis and New Age nature imagery.
Some seem to have an honest affinity for real Native skills and culture and respectfully incorporate that into their programs. Others show a love and appreciation for an idealized primitive Native lifestyle that is based more on New Age escapism and traditional stereotypes that make for powerful marketing.
And some are in between.
This whole trend is nothing new and extends all the way back to the preeminent outdoors group, the Boy Scouts whohave appropriated Native imagery and philosophy for well over a century.
Regardless, it is a fascinating trend worth noting and investigating. I want to lastly thank my friend Jen D. whose original research into this topic inspired my own, so Thank You!
Avatar... where do I even start. In many ways, seeing this movie was a prime motivation for starting this blog. I walked into this film with a more or less open mind. I had read about the general plot and themes. I read about the glorious special effects and the $300 million budget. I even read about how they constructed a whole new alien language for this film! (and don't get me started on how those resources could have been better used to save one of the hundreds of disappearing real languages!) So after all that, I donned my 3D glasses, sat down, and awed in the glory of James Cameron's 162 minute master opus. Or not.
It didn't take long before I started noticing things. The way the plot was developing, the specific dialogue, the overall themes. Something didn't seem right. It seemed just all too familiar. I finally realized what was happening. I had seen this movie before!!!
That's right- Avatar is Pocahontas. It's not even a metaphor- the plots are literally the same thing. Young soldier lands in strange new world. Goes off to make peace with the “natives.” Falls in love with the impeccably beautiful native princess. The indigenous population lives in absolute 100% perfect harmony with the natural world around them (unlike those greedy, polluting, capitalist invaders!). All hell breaks loose and the poor native people tragically suffer.
In many ways, Avatar simply re-imagines the classic stereotype of the noble, primitive Indian- the sons and daughters of the forest living in complete harmony with the natural world around them. This stereotype has been around for centuries but took on a new meaning in mid-twentieth century America. With the new age counterculture of the 1960s embracing Indian primitivism as a form of rebellion against modern society combining with the burgeoning environmental movement of the 1970s, you get America's new love affair with the tree-hugging Indian. Essentially, two popular movements combined and in the process co-opted the American Indian as its symbol. Hence the classic TV commercial of the crying Indian and the malicious littering. Exhibit B:
Popular notions about American Indians tell us that of course they “have a deep abiding respect for the natural beauty that was once this country”! The reason this type of “Indian” is so pernicious is that it once again traps native people in the cage of primitivism. It doesn't allow for any complexity of thought, feeling, or action towards the environment. The historic relationship between native people and the land is just as complicated as the one between settlers and the land. The relationship between modern native communities and the land is also just as complicated at times. But then again, when Hollywood drops such a wide-spread cultural phenomenon in your lap, why not take advantage.
Just a few months ago, this appeared in the Oscar edition of Variety magazine. Whatever your stand on the issue of tar sands development in Canada, you can't help but notice the trend that continues today.
I am a graduate student at the University of British Columbia where I study modern U.S. and Canadian social and cultural history. I specialize in issues of myth, memory, and representation concerning indigenous peoples and the North American fur trade. In an effort to bring attention to these topics and put my thoughts into writing, I have started blogging. I hope you appreciate the results.
You are free to distribute and reuse this work so long as full and clear credit is given to the blog's author and direct and clear direction is given to the original content.
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