POST-SECONDARY ASPIRATIONS NATIVE AMERICANS IN FILM: AN IMAGE CREATED, AN IMAGE REMEMBERED

ABSTRACT: Film is an effective medium within society for communicating thoughts, visions, fantasies, and images. For decades it has been an acceptable means of pure entertainment with little or no concern toward what messages it may be unconsciously sending. If the image evoked proved positive then film has not only entertained us, but also enlightened us. But far too often what we see is either exaggerated, biased, stereotypical, or inaccurate. This is when film becomes damaging for it formulates an image on screen built out of ignorance that may be retained in the mind of the viewer as truth. This "ignorant imaging " poses a genuine threat and is of utmost concern for films involving Native Americans. For many years the only view the world saw of Native Americans was one of uncivilized savage warriors out to destroy the white man. Not until recently have we begun to realize the embedded prejudices and falsehoods these types of films have created and have thus gradually started to attempt to change this negative image into a positive one. In this paper I will analyze a few recent and widely-seen films involving Native Americans and discuss to what extent cultural authenticity and historical accuracy have been maintained. I will also look at how filmmakers are handling the previously neglected concept of place--an extremely important concept for the Native American which has a dominant effect on shaping their culture. Finally I will discuss wha