| Contents |
Foreword / by Suzan Shown Harjo -- Introduction: The forgotten minority : how stereotypes marginalized the Indians -- Race and reality -- Why race matters -- The origin of race and racism -- In the beginning -- Conquistadors and cannibals -- The lasting testament of The last of the Mohicans -- Native Americans and atrocities : scalping, raping, and pillaging -- Barbarians, savages, braves, warriors, statesmen, and heroes -- Cooper's enduring influence -- Compulsory assimilation : Indian boarding schools -- The drunken Indian stereotype -- Indian casinos : winners and losers in the game of life -- Making stereotypes stick : Indians as cultural artifacts -- The contemporary Western novel and Native Americans -- Television, cowboys, and Indians -- Buffalo Bill, art, and Indians -- Native Americans in the modern media -- Proselytizers, do-gooders, voyeurs, and exploiters -- The final fight? |
| Abstract |
"Since the earliest days of American colonization, racist imagery has been used to create harmful and enduring stereotypes of the indigenous people. In this book, the conflict between invading European white settlers and the indigenous groups who occupied the land that became the United States is described through the context of race and racism. Using depictions from art, literature, radio, cinema and television, the origin and persistence of stereotypes about Indians are explained, and their debilitating effects on the well-being of Native Americans are presented. This text also explores contemporary cultural accomplishments by Native Americans in their attempt to maintain their sovereignty, dignity and respect"-- Provided by publisher. |
