Get Outta Ma Land Ya Injun

The Stereotypical "Red Indian" Presented in Many
 Cartoons back in the 20th century.

Offensive isn't it! If one were to read the title as, "Get Outta Ma Land Ya Indian," one would think that this post might be about South Asians. However, when reading the title as it is, one can understand that it is definitely about the Natives. The term, "injun", is strongly offensive and can be said to be as bad as calling a Japanese person, a "jap" (WWII). Over the many years after the Europeans colonized the Americas, the Natives have been given many names, some more politically correct then others. Of the many names, one can say that the most politically correct are Native Americans, Native Canadians, Natives, First Nations, First Peoples and Aboriginals. For this post i will be using the term "Natives" as i find it to be the most politically correct and from the research that i have done, it seems to be one of the least offensive terms currently circulating around in the media. Before i continue, take a look at the title again. Did you notice that to write it, i used the diction of a stereotypical red neck?

                               

Let us now address this question: What does the dominant discourse say about Natives? Well, let's first start by listing some stereotypes: they are all alcoholics, they all live on reserves, they are always angry, they are now all being treated as equals, they are all savages, they are all the same and they all own casinos and general stores. Let's take a moment and break down each stereotype. Not all Natives are alcoholics. However, recent studies have suggested that because of their DNA and blood work in general, they are more susceptible to become alcoholics. Then again think of all the crimes that have been done against them; it is understandable that this might be a way to deal with all the pain. (Not saying that this is the best outlet) Not all Natives live on reserves. Now, since we are living in Canada, let me give you the Canadian statistics. Only about 22% of Native Canadians actually live on reserves, while the rest live either in rural or urban areas. Natives are not always angry, but then again even if some are, they have reason to be. Now one can say what happened to them is in the past, but some tribes were treated more harshly than others. Therefore their descendants hold a more gruesome history. This next one about them being now treated as equals is a huge misconception. While some may argue that they are being given free money checks, they do not pay taxes, they get free college education ect, this is not enough to compensate for the hate that they are currently receiving. They are still being discriminated against based on the Blood Quantum Laws and there are still acts that are being enforced that put caps on businesses owned specifically by Natives. Also, the reserves that some live on lack the basic needs that every human should be entitled to. It is very hard to get hot/clean water there, medical care is little to none and even the electricity provided is not enough to live off of. A common stereotype, enforced by the dominant discourse, states that before the Europeans came, all Natives were savages. However, what many do not know is that the Natives taught the Europeans many things and they were advanced past the thoughts of the average European at the time. They taught them how to fertilize soil, how to hunt when low on ammo, how to use medicinal herbs and how to use irrigation canals (Hohokam Canals). Continuing on, one should understand that not all Natives are the same. There are many Aboriginal tribes such as Mohawk, Cree, Tahltan, Inuit, Iroquois, Metis, Dene and Blackfoot (just to name a few). Finally, it is a common misconception that all Natives own casinos and are therefore very rich. While there may be a few that do, not all fall into the casino-owning category. While is was true that many general stores were owned by Natives is rural areas, this is not the case any more. There are still some stores owned by Natives in existence (obviously) but now, putting a picture of the typical Native beside the words "General Store" is just a marketing scheme.

Now that we have addressed many of the stereotypes surrounding the Natives, let's take a look at 4 examples in media that talk about the Natives. Firstly, let's take a look at the magazine company, "Cowboys & Indians". It focuses on the western lifestyle, meaning that it talks about Western American clothing, consumption of goods and choice of recreation. While it normally does cover the "cowboys" part of the title, where is the "indians" part (man that's offensive!). Well, the website has dedicated a small section to the Natives calling it, "Native Life". While they may have gotten their name from the game, "Cowboys and Indians", it is sad to see that their website is mostly one sided and does not build a neutral base against the Natives. Moving on, have you ever watched the Disney film named, "Pocahontas?" It tells of a love story between a Native, Pocahontas (Powhatan to be exact), and a European, John Smith. Sadly, the movie strayed far from the truth, and while she did save his life (he was going to be executed by the Powhatan chief but she saved him, thus earning her respect in the eyes of the settlers) she did not love him in real life but was said to have seen him more as a father figure. Instead of the heartfelt goodbye seen in the movie, the reality of the situation was entirely different. After John Smith left and around 1613 Pocahontas was abducted and taken to Virginia. She was then baptised as a Christian, told to change her name to Rebecca and then married a tobacco business owner named John Rolfe. Let's now talk about the videos presented. Take a look at the first one. It is an audio clip from the radio station, Brocket 99, and was played on air even though it was not a real radio show. Since it was made for comedic purposes, there is really no need to deconstruct it. However, when you watch it, you will notice that many stereotypes are at play in the video, ranging from the stereotypical Native sounds made at a Pow-Wow to the mentioning of alcohol and drug abuse condoned by Natives. Finally, the last video is of a song called "Run to the Hills" by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. What i want you to look at are the lyrics provided in the description. You will notice that they are quite strong in meaning and you can feel the animosity that is being emitted from the words. Because this song is not going against the Natives and the lyrics are self expanatory, one can understand that to consume this media is easy and that it is not in any need of deconstruction. Before i end this post, i would like to point out one line from the song in particular which says, "The only good injins are tame", and while they may seem like just words, i assure you that they have a deeper and more interesting meaning.

I would like to leave you all with these questions. Ponder upon them, derive an answer and spark a discussion below. Thank you all for reading. Please forgive any grammatical errors and if i need to correct/clarify anything, please tell me (comment).

1. What some other stereotypes about Natives that you have heard about and that i have not mentioned in this post?

2. Do you agree with the comments i made about the stereotypes? If not, then what would you like me to know?

3. Should history be allowed to be manipulated for the purposes of entertainment?

4. What do you think about the magazine, "Cowboys & Indians"?

5. How do you feel about the Blood Quantum Laws?

6. If they are a joke, should stations such as Brocket 99 be allowed to air their programs?

7. How have the lyrics of the song presented affected you? Have they?

8. Has this post helped you in any way? If so, then how has to helped and in what aspects?

Here are some links that might interest you:
Cowboys & Indians: http://www.cowboysindians.com/

Blood Quantum Laws: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_quantum_laws

Pocahontas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas