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Shadows of the Indian: Stereotypes in American Culture

Shadows of the Indian: Stereotypes in American Culture

Paperback

Native American History

ISBN10: 0806119632
ISBN13: 9780806119632
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Published: Mar 15 1986
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.17
Height: 0.64 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English

The Indian of popular culture has never existed anywhere--except in imagination. Yet these illusory Indians are so authentic to most Americans that no alternate images are acceptable. Even in recent decades, when increased awareness of the sensitivities of minority groups has become more prevalent, American Indians are seen as almost mythic figures.

Raymond William Stedman examines images of American Indians from the first contact with whites, who viewed them as a curiosity, through incarnations including the Noble Savage and, to the Puritans, an almost Satanic presence lurking in the woods. Since the time of Pocahontas, the Indian maiden has been idealized as lovely, compassionate--and ready to sacrifice her feelings.

The stereotype of the savage Indian with a raised hatchet or flaming arrow was never forgotten. But the commercially minded soon realized that Indian images could sell merchandise. American medicine shows featured feathered chiefs, there in person to do the selling. And Indian images are still used to hawk products and sports teams today.

Drawing on literature, art, and popular culture, Stedman isolates counterfeit images of American Indians. He contends that American culture rarely portrays Indians as they really are, presenting them instead as distorted, false shadows.

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Native American History