Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States
Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States of America include many ethnic stereotypes found worldwide which include historical misrepresentations and the oversimplification of hundreds of Indigenous cultures. Negative stereotypes are associated with prejudice and discrimination that continue to affect the lives of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas are commonly called Native Americans in the United States or First Nations people. The Circumpolar peoples of the Americas, often referred to by the English term Eskimo, have a distinct set of stereotypes. Eskimo itself is an exonym, deriving from phrases that Algonquin tribes used for their northern neighbors, in Canada the term Inuit is generally preferred, while Alaska Natives is used in the United States.
It is believed that some portrayals of Natives, such as their depiction as bloodthirsty savages have disappeared. However, most portrayals are oversimplified and inaccurate; these stereotypes are found particularly in popular media which is the main source of mainstream images of Indigenous peoples worldwide.
The stereotyping of American Indians must be understood in the context of history which includes conquest, forced displacement, and organized efforts to eradicate native cultures, such as the boarding schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which separated young Native Americans from their families to educate and to assimilate them as European Americans. There are also many examples of seemingly positive stereotypes which rely on European "noble savage" imagery, but also contribute to the infantilization of Indigenous cultures.
Indigenous terminology
The first difficulty in addressing stereotypes is the terminology to use when referring to Indigenous peoples, which is an ongoing controversy. The truly stereotype-free names would be those of individual nations. A practical reference to Indigenous peoples, in general, is "American Indian" in the United States and "First Nations" or "Indigenous" in Canada. The peoples collectively referred to as Inuit have their own unique stereotypes. The communities to which Indigenous peoples belong also have various names, typically "nation" or "tribe" in the United States, but "comunidad" in South America.All global terminology must be used with an awareness of the stereotype that "Indians" are a single people, when in fact there are hundreds of individual ethnic groups, who are all native to the Americas, just as the term "Europeans" carries an understanding that there are some similarities but also many differences between the peoples of an entire continent.
American Natives
Myths about American Indians can be understood in the context of the metanarrative of the United States, which was originally "manifest destiny" and has now become "American exceptionalism". Myths and stereotypes persist because they fit into these narratives, which Americans use to understand their own history. This history includes the description of Native Americans in the Declaration of Independence as "merciless Indian savages". These stereotypes have historical, cultural, and racial characteristics.Historical misconceptions
There are numerous distortions of history, many of which continue as stereotypes.There is the myth that Indians are a dying race, i.e. "The Vanishing Red Man", when in fact census data shows an increase in the number of individuals who were American Indians and Alaska Natives or American Indian and Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races.
There is an assumption that Indians lost possession of their land because they were inferior, when the reality is:
- Many of the Indigenous peoples died from Old World diseases to which they lacked any immunity.
- There were a number of advanced civilizations in the Americas, but they did lack two important resources: a pack animal large enough to carry a human; and the ability to make steel for tools and weapons.
Purchase of Manhattan
Pocahontas
The story told by John Smith of his rescue by the daughter of Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas, is generally thought by historians to be a fabrication. Pocahontas was most likely eleven or twelve at the time, and this popular tale of the "Indian princess" and Smith's story changed over many retellings.The story of Pocahontas and Native American women was established in American mainstream culture through the 1995 and 1998 Disney movies. Before these movies, Native American women were not commonly in the media and were mainly not named. These images were used to represent exoticism of the “Indian princess”, the opposing nature of the princess and the princes, and that they are not to be shown together. This is to preserve the image that white men had of native women being a representation of the virgin land and not showing that they may have loyalty to native men. Through these stories, Pocahontas became a representation of and a justification of white U.S. dominance and how and why the Native Americans welcomed the fate brought to them.
The story told through Disney’s movies perpetuates stereotypes and inaccuracies. Beginning with her appearance and attire, Disney resembled her to be like an Asian Barbie instead of based on an old engraving made of Pocahontas. Then with historical inaccuracies in the second movie, Pocahontas finds out that John Smith died and sails to England as a diplomat. However, historically, she is married to a white man named John Rolfe as a part of a deal to get leave the colony. She was then converted to Christianity and had her named changed to Rebecca. Then Pocahontas, John, and her child sailed to England to raise money for the colony. She died of illness in her early 20s. In the movie she was well treated in British society. Historically, this is probably true but primarily out of curiosity not acceptance. At this time interracial marriages were not accepted in British culture. They were in Native American culture and seen as an asset of knowledge.
Disney attempted to show Pocahontas as a strong woman who advocates for her culture. Some say that this was not the result of the movies and that instead they perpetuate harmful images to younger girls. This is seen with the idea that native women are seductive and a sacrificial virgin. It also highlights the societal obligations and roles of women to stay with their village or tribe, self-sacrifice, motherhood, etc.
Cultural and ethnic misconceptions
The Media Awareness Network of Canada has prepared several statements about the portrayals of American Indians, First Nations of Canada, and Alaskan Natives in the media. Westerns and documentaries have tended to portray Natives in stereotypical terms: the wise elder, the aggressive drunk, the Indian princess, the loyal sidekick, the obese and impoverished. These images have become known across North America. Stereotyped issues include simplistic characterizations, romanticizing of Native culture, and stereotyping by omission—showing American Indians in a historical rather than modern context.There is also the outdated stereotype that American Indians and Alaskan Natives live on reservations when in fact only about 25% do, and a slight majority now live in urban areas.
There is an assumption that Indians somehow have an intuitive knowledge of their culture and history when the degree of such knowledge varies greatly depending upon the family and community connections of each individual.
Indigenous women
Native American and First Nations women are frequently sexually objectified and are often stereotyped as being promiscuous. Such misconceptions lead to murder, rape, and violence against Native American or First Nations women and girls by mostly non-Native settlers.An Algonquin word, the term "squaw" is now widely deemed offensive due to its use for hundreds of years in a derogatory context. However, there remain more than a thousand locations in the U.S. that incorporate the term in its name.
Indigenous men and sports mascotry
In early colonial writings, the most common portrayal of Native men came in the form of what Robert Berkhofer calls "savage images of the Indian as not only hostile but depraved." In later times, particularly under the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's idea of the noble savage, Native American men were portrayed by European sources as fierce warriors that Euro-American writers called braves. Berkhofer summarizes this idea as follows:The word "brave" often appeared in school sports teams' names until such team names fell into disfavor in the later 20th century. Many school team names have been revised to reflect current sensibilities, though professional teams such as American football's Kansas City Chiefs, baseball's Atlanta Braves, and ice hockey's Chicago Blackhawks continue. Some controversial upper-level Native American team mascots such as Chief Noc-A-Homa and Chief Illiniwek have been discontinued, while some such as Chief Osceola and Renegade remain. A controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo was resolved in 2012.
There have been issues with the continuation of professional team names and mascots especially in the Washington Redskins name controversy. In 2013, President Obama and NBC sportscaster Bob Costas voiced their objection to the name. After a petition, the Trademark and Trial Appeal Board ordered the cancellation of six federal trademark registrations in 2014. The Redskins appealed this ruling. The team was renamed the Washington Football Team in 2020, and in 2022 was renamed again as the Washington Commanders.