John Ford's Neither Blue Back Or The Seneca Indians

Since Whites had no respect for the Indians, it is not surprising that Blue Back was not given a serious portrayal. Native Americans were considered to be an obstruction to the American expansion into the west, not real people with real lives. Robin Woods wrote that “the Indians of Drums were never individualized, and scarcely conceived as human beings.” Therefore, if they are not considered to be human, it does not matter that Blue Back is portrayed as a comedic character. Neither Blue Back nor the Seneca Indians have enough depth of character to enable the viewer to obtain a fuller understanding of the Native Americans. John Ford depicts the Seneca Indians as children needing to be led by Caldwell and gave Blue Back hardly any words to say.