Hollywood, Pretendians, and Cultural Appropriation: Ep 23 of Crash Course Native American History

Key Concepts

Native American Stereotypes in Film
Redface
Pretendianism
Tribal Identity and Belonging
Cultural Appropriation
Indian Arts & Crafts Act
Indigenous Representation in Media

The Enduring Legacy of "Cowboys and Indians" Stereotypes

The video begins by tracing the origins of Native American stereotypes in American cinema back to the 1890s, when Thomas Edison used his kinetoscope to film Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. This traveling rodeo reenacted battles between American settlers and Native Americans, creating depictions that were "far from accurate" but deeply influential. These early portrayals spun tales of "savage warriors" and "Noble Tribal Leaders" belonging to a "cartoonish, mythical past," which then permeated American Western movies.

A significant problem arose because, for many Americans, these films provided their first—and often only—exposure to Indigenous people. The resulting "flattened, phony caricatures" discouraged viewers from seeing Native people as actual individuals. For decades, Native American movie roles were confined to a few main tropes: drunken Indians, aggressive warriors, magical healers, sage elders, and "Indian princesses" (a concept debunked as "not even a thing").

The Oscar-nominated 1930s John Wayne Western, "Stagecoach," is cited as an example, featuring the constant threat of attack from "bloodthirsty Apache." The video notes that "Apache" is a Spanish name, while the tribe refers to themselves as "Indé," meaning "person" or "people." Hollywood has produced "more than 4,000 movies about Native people," yet Native actors were typically relegated to uncredited, background roles and paid significantly less.

Casting Bias, Redface, and Cultural Inaccuracy

A pervasive casting bias meant that higher-paying Native roles frequently went to white people in "redface." This term describes non-Native individuals impersonating Native Americans, whether through makeup or simply by being cast in such roles, and highlights a longstanding discriminatory practice in Hollywood.

This bias extended to costumes and props. Without Native cultural advisors on set, films often depicted all Native characters in feathered headdresses and buckskin. While traditional for Plains Indians, this attire is not representative of "hundreds of other tribes," effectively "flatten[ing] the massive diversity of Native cultures into one smooshed-together tribe." Furthermore, for many tribes, including Plains Indians, feathers and warbonnets hold deep spiritual significance and are not meant for everyday wear or fashion events like Coachella.

This historical context created a "terrible catch-22" for Native American actors: either they accepted demeaning, stereotyped roles that misrepresented their identity, or non-Native actors took their jobs.

The Harmful Phenomenon of "Pretendians"

The video introduces the concept of a "pretendian"—someone who falsely claims Native American identity—through the prominent example of Iron Eyes Cody, once dubbed "America’s Favorite Indian." Born Espera “Oscar” de Corti in Louisiana in 1904 to Italian immigrant parents, he was not Native American. Despite his non-Indigenous heritage, Oscar moved to Hollywood in the 1920s, anglicized his name to Cody, and began claiming his father was Cherokee and his mother Cree, stating he grew up on an Oklahoma reservation. He appeared in "over 100 Westerns and popular TV shows," becoming a symbol of Native identity for Hollywood and America.

The phenomenon of pretendians is not limited to Hollywood but also exists in academia and politics. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is mentioned for publicly referencing her Cherokee heritage for years. While a DNA test showed she had a Native American ancestor "about 10 generations ago," the Cherokee Nation, through Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin, Jr., stated that "a drop of blood is not what makes someone Native" and that "using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong."

Pretendians cause real harm by taking up resources (like scholarships and jobs) intended for actual Native Americans, profiting from historical and ongoing trauma, and misrepresenting Indigenous peoples. They can even become "well-respected 'Indigenous' scholars" who position themselves as authorities on Native issues without genuine heritage.

However, the video also acknowledges the complexity of policing Native identity, noting the danger of discouraging individuals genuinely trying to reconnect with their Indigenous heritage after generations of violent disconnection. Ultimately, it is "up to each individual tribe to decide who belongs to them," as tribal belonging is a relationship, not just a roll call. Colville journalist Dina Gilio-Whitaker is quoted emphasizing that tribal identity involves not just rights but also "responsibilities."

Cultural Appropriation: Exploitation and Disrespect

Pretendianism is presented as a form of "cultural appropriation," defined as when members of a dominant culture adopt symbols, art, and ideas from historically disenfranchised cultures in a way that exploits, disrespects, or stereotypes them. Examples include warbonnets at Coachella, sports mascots, and regrettable Halloween costumes.

While seemingly subtle compared to identity theft, cultural appropriation is harmful for several reasons:

Separation from Meaning: It detaches objects from their specific cultural significance (e.g., warbonnets as symbols of honor reduced to fashion accessories).
Caricature and Dehumanization: It turns real, living people into caricatures, collapsing diverse cultures into a single stereotype, similar to early Hollywood Westerns.
Perpetuation of Colonialism: It reinforces the misconception that Native Americans are "a relic of the past," contributing to "the culture of power that continues the cycle today," as noted by Cherokee writer and scholar Adrienne Keene.

Cultural appropriation also extends to Native-inspired items like dreamcatchers and jewelry. The video highlights the issue of non-Native individuals profiting from these designs. To combat this, the Indian Arts & Crafts Act of 1990 made it illegal to market products as Native unless they are genuinely made by a Native American artist, benefiting both creators and consumers.

Towards Authentic Representation and Self-Determination

The video acknowledges that "pretendianism and cultural appropriation can be messy," and Native communities themselves don't always agree on where the lines fall, reflecting their inherent diversity. However, a significant positive shift is occurring: there are now more Native people than ever in creative roles, both on-screen and behind the camera in Hollywood.

Examples of this progress include the FX hit show "Reservation Dogs," where all writers, directors, and actors playing Native characters are Native. The show offers a "funny, quirky, and authentic portrait of what life on a reservation is like." Another example is Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated film "Killers of the Flower Moon," starring Lily Gladstone (of Siksikaitsitapi and Nimiipuu heritage). "Hundreds of Natives were consulted for the movie," which Lily Gladstone affirmed made a significant difference, stating, "Our voices exist in community. It’s a lot to put on one person to be the voice for such a large body, of a very diverse group of people."

Conclusion

While there has been "a lot of positive change since the heyday of the Hollywood Western," the video concludes by emphasizing that "there’s still a long way to go." The true "movie magic happens" when Native people are empowered to tell their own rich and diverse stories, collaborating to share their worldviews, their people, and their sense of humor. This shift from harmful stereotypes and misrepresentation to authentic, self-determined storytelling is crucial for fostering understanding and respect for Indigenous cultures.