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American Indian Film Report From Kiowa Scout!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... some of you may well remember Kiowa Scout's last pair of reports. If not...just search for Kiowa and you'll turn them up! Anyways... here's her latest look at the Film and Television work of American Indians illuminated on silver and small screens everywhere!
Hello, Harry. Kiowa Scout here with an update from Indian Country. There
are some exciting things happening for American Indians on television and
film.
FILM:
Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves), Wes Studi (Geronimo: An American
Legend), and Adam Beach ( Smoke Signals)all had significant roles in
mainstream films this year. Progress? Well, yes and no.
Darabont's "The Green Mile" provided the best Indian role this year. It was
a five-minute scene for an Academy Award-nominated actor. However, Graham
Greene's 'Bitterbuck' character initiates the pathos of the film.
Bitterbuck is the first inmate executed. His character offers the audience
one surprise. His character is a Christian. Most in the dominant culture
view us all as animalists( those who worship nature), thereby 'pagan'. That
is also a fallacy.
The spiritual life of many indigenous tribes is monotheistic (one diety)
and permeates all aspects of existence (not just on Sundays). Animals, as
living moving creatures were and are seen as being on equal footing with
humans. Because the Creator made all living things, we are relatives of the
animals. Nature and the elements are tools that the Creator uses for his
own purposes, therefore they too deserve respect. Constant gratitude and
humility to the Creator are exemplified throughout the day in prayer (not
to animals, but to a single God). Given this, Christianity rings true for
many Indians. A great percentage of us practice Christianity.
In Bitterbuck's final scene the top of his head is shaved in order to
provide a conduit for the electricity that soon thereafter is shot into his
body. Most audiences may recognize the significance of hair to Indians, but
may not understand why. To most tribes, the human body is sacred. It
belongs to the Creator and houses our soul. Like everything else, hair is a
spiritual gift. It is only cut to signify respect for the loss of a loved
one during mourning.
American Indian spiritual leaders continue the struggle to help our young
men sentenced to "iron houses" find balance in their hearts and solace for
their souls. Today's incarcerated American Indians fight for the right to
practice their religion, which includes keeping their hair. State courts
across the country debate this issue regularly.
So, "The Green Mile" may not bring in any mainstream awards for Graham
Greene. Nevertheless, Indian Country is proud not only of the actor's
performance, but of the man as well. His talent and his ethnicity shine for
the whole world to see.
TELEVISION:
Several minority groups challenged the television industry this fall
concerning its lack of diversity. The networks are responding with a slight
increase in storylines and casting choices for all minorities, including
American Indians.
This trend is most notable in the science-fiction and action genres. NBC'S
"Pretender" and "Profiler", CBS's "JAG", and "Walker, Texas Ranger", Fox's
"The X-Files", WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Roswell" all have
featured Native-themed plotlines and actors. The success of these efforts
is dependent on one's viewpoint.
For the networks, "it's all about the Benjamins, Baby!" We all know that
their primary concern is the advertisers. For the producers, it may be more
about expanding fanbases. For the writers, it's about balancing plot
devices with cultural accuracy. For the Indian actors, it's about pleasing
the director or being true to their cultural knowledge.
I believe that most television viewers accept the idea of poetic license
when it comes to judging the verity of storylines. We all understand that
it may be necessary to stretch the truth a bit when condensing a person's
life down or an historical incident to a two-hour timeframe. Life is messy,
but TV isn't supposed to be. However, it is just as important that culture
and history remain relevant aspects of plot and characterization.
I have found that WB's "Roswell" is a great barometer of current trends in
television. While the real world Roswell is home to a substantive Indian
population, I was pleasantly surprised to see any in the television
version. Yet, there they are. The young protagonists make several visits to
a nearby reservation. Ned Romero (Mystic Warrior, Star Trek Voyager) is a
shaman with connections to the aliens' crash in the desert. Relative
newcomer Tod Thawley (Mortal Combat: The Animated Series, Buffy the Vampire
Slayer) plays a young man from the reservation who becomes involved with
the young aliens.
Both of the above-mentioned actors are wonderful casting choices. It was
such a revelation to see an old Indian man who spoke excellent English with
no stereotypical cadence to his voice. Furthermore, we saw a young Indian
man in casual street clothes and short hair. Oh my God! Modern living
Indians. What is this world coming to?
On the other hand, Michael Horse (The Lone Ranger, Twin Peaks, Passenger
57) plays the town's deputy. I remember being very excited at the prospect
of a regular cast member being an Indian. I was so hoping that one of
Indian Country's 'best and brightest' would be chosen. One of my personal
favorites was asked to try out and I kept my fingers crossed that for once
talent would be recognized. Alas, I was wrong.
It would be nice to commend TPTB at "Roswell" for using unknown Indian
actors for a change. I'm sorry, but Michael Horse's Deputy character is as
dull as a brick. Horse has one note to his acting, stoicism. If they had
signed Pato Hoffmann (which almost happened), the Deputy character would
have sparked interest in the audience. His leading man looks would appeal
to "Roswell's" mainly female audiences. Hoffmann could open the doorway to
interesting plotlines, maybe even an interracial romance. I am quite sorry
to say this. But, in my personal opinion Michael Horse's looks have faded
far beyond leading man status. The stoic thing was fine when he was younger
and better-looking, but now it's merely boring. It feeds the stereotype
rather than usurps it.
I sincerely mean no personal disrepect towards Mr. Horse or his fanbase. He
has done much to open doors for later Indian actors. As a human being, I'm
sure that he's done many fine things for his people. However, a fine human
being does not necessarily translate into fine acting.
This very situation is what continues to keep Indians out of Hollywood.
Casting directors pick known actors for recognizability, but at what cost?
In my personal opinion, it feeds into the mainstream Hollywood practice of
stereotyping. "If this is the best Indian actor out there for this role,
then we were right. Indians are inferior", so Hollywood continues to tell
America with its cameras. If the image is to be changed, then it must be
done by American Indians, part of the intended audience.
We, as an audience must press for change. We must push forward our best and
brightest. We aren't ALL stoic monoliths. We don't ALL speak in broken
English. We don't ALL have a nasally Northern tone in our voices. We don't
ALL have long dark hair. We aren't ALL even full-blooded.
In short, changing Hollywood means opening up our OWN image of who and what
is Indian.
AH-HO!
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I love reading your posts about Native Americans in the media. Keep it up & I hope you have much more to report in the coming year.
One small note: I think you meant to use the term "animists" instead of "animalists."
Seeya.
Doug -
I'm caucasian, but I've always felt a strong pull to various Native American cultures, especially those from my area (American Northeast) and the Western Nations. I'm always on the lookout for characters in film and on television that represent Native Americans well, and I'm always thrilled (and often surprised) when it actually happens. Kiowa, this report was an inspiration to me. I'm going to search the AICN archives for your other submissions, and I hope you continue to make them regularly. You mentioned a few projects (Roswell in particular) that I haven't watched, and I'm going to check it out because of what you wrote here. Thanks for enlightening me, and for keeping an eye open for strong, accurate, and positive representations of native peoples in the media. It shouldn't be neccessary (but unfortunately it is), and AICN is lucky to have someone as thoughtful and well-spoken as you on this site. Report again soon.
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I just saw One who flew over the cucko's nest (still drunk) and I thought that the Indidan/Native A., whatever...was the same actor from the first Predator film.
That would make him quite old at the Predator time, since Devito and LLoyd were very young...so I wasn't sure.
Anybody know? -
Well, thanks a lot, Kiowa, that was a thoroughly interesting post. I wonder if you might know whether there is a body or individual who could advise me on the authenticity, ethnicity and verisimilitude of a creative work featuring American Indians? A merry Christmas to you and yours.
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it's reports like this that make this site shine.no one relizes that like black actors native theaspians have a hard time finding work.it was nice to see GREENE get work in the "GREEN MILE"(even if they did kill his ass early in the film.)i havn't seen him in a "MAINSTREAM" film since DIE HARD 3.this was a great report.ayyyyyyyyy.
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keep it up and keep us informed, it's posts like this that sperete this site from so many other movie news sites out there
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Keep it up, you're a very good writer. There seems to be mre and more lame "Indian" characters popping up in bad sci-fi TV these days - whenever they do some hokey pseudo-spiritual montage to pad out the running time, I reckon. The X-Files started this trend, and have probably done it the best, but from there it's all ben down hill IMHO, with Star Trek Voyager being the worst offender. Not that I'm opposed to seeing Indian's depicted as spiritual people, just give them some depth as human beings please. One of the things I especially liked about old Twin Peaks was a constant allusion to Native American spirituality and the secret powers that reside in nature, but without banging you over the head with it. Horse in his role as Deputy Hawk was stoic, but also humorous and highly intelligent. The show kind of used him to poke fun of outdated stereotypes of NA's, I thought. One interpretation of Twin Peaks I find fascinating is that the "aliens" in the Black Lodge were in fact spirits, vengeful to the European-American's desecration of their culture and the "Ghostwood" forest. I've heard the same interpretation applied to Kubrick's The Shining and to the Blair Witch Project. It's an interesting trope, especially as none of these movies actually go right out and say such a thing as "Vengeful Native American Spirits are a-haunting them woods out there" - rather, there's a more subtle approach here, one saying that the evil spirits are as much, or more so, a reflection of the hatred and fear that historically resides in the "White Man." Anyway, I'm a ramblin' kinda guy and I need to go eat. Thanks again!
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