Analysis Of The Video 'Reel Injun'

While watching the video, “Reel Injun” it made me realize how much the First Nations people as a culture were impacted and wrongfully stereotyped. The video was very informative on how they were viewed and how the Western Europeans portrayed them in the Western Films. With the movies, the First Nations people were terribly stereotyped so that had a strong impact on how the rest of the world perceived them. There were many movies “They Died with their Boots on” depicted the First Nations people in a very inaccurate way. That movie along with many others had the First Nations people wearing the same costumes regardless of where they were from. The producers and directors would have they First Nations people wearing a headband, bracelets and
other jewelry made from beads, and a feather headpiece. This was wrong to have all the First Nations actors and actresses wear the same costumes because each culture has a different style of what they would wear. The headpiece was a staple in the Western films even though only the Plains Indians actually wore them. Another thing I feel was wrong was that they didn’t use First Nations people to play the parts of First Nations people in movies. They would get European actors to dress as them which I feel is not necessary because there were numerous First Nations people who could have played the role. The First Nations people were also scripted by the directors to play numerous different types of roles such as the savage Injun, noble Injun, and then how they were perceived during the Cowboy era. The way the producers and other film crews wanted to portray the First Nations people strongly influenced the world’s view on their culture and who they were as people. I feel the directors could have improved their relationships with the First Nations people they had in their movies by taking time to understand their specific culture, try to learn a bit of their language, and to ask them their opinion on if they felt it was appropriate the way they were being portrayed. In ending, the video, “Reel Injun”, it showed me how the film industry affected the lives of the First Nations people and how they were perceived as a culture by the world. I feel if the film producers would have taken the time to understand the culture and the individuality of each tribe it would have changed how the First Nations people were viewed. I think that as time goes on the world will see the First Nations people for who they really are and understand that the stereotypes were not only inaccurate, but also wrong to do.