Rhyan Malachowski

Cooper/Whipple
English/APUSH
May 23, 2017

Native American Stereotypes: A Reflection on Junior Year

Luckily, I have been able to learn about Native Americans this year and develop a

research question I think I can answer. Why do non-natives create such set stereotypes of Native

Americans? I have come to believe that it is because people are uneducated about Native

Americans, thus causing them to believe and/or create false stereotypes. In addition, what are

these stereotypes? Furthermore, since so many of these stereotypes are continuations of beliefs

from long ago, why were these stereotypes created and why do they persist? It is also interesting

to note that not all of these stereotypes are negative. Nevertheless, even positive views feed into

an overall sense that the natives are different.

One modern stereotype of Native Americans is that they are earthy, basic and at one

with the land. This view goes back hundreds of years and is still held today by non-natives. In

fact, this view is so common that even people who think of themselves as very sympathetic to

Native Americans tend to believe it. What is particularly strange is that this stereotype is

positive from the perspective of the non-native culture, but actually is condescending. It also

works hand in hand with the view that natives are not sophisticated and therefore not capable of

the complex thinking that is natural to the non-native. In fact, Native Americans are just as

diverse as non-natives. When I watched The Mission, I learned how non-natives viewed natives

early on in the New World and the ignorance of the non-natives created stereotypes and lack of
respect for the natives (The Mission). It is particularly ironic that this earthy stereotype is

driven largely because natives have been forced to live on reservations where there is little

modern commerce or options other than old-fashioned means of survival. On my trip to New

Mexico, I could see that the natives simply wanted to participate in the world at large. They

yearn for modern education just like the non-native world so that they can have the option of

choosing how they want to live.

Probably the most common and long-lasting stereotype of Native Americans held by

non-natives is that the natives have a tendency to be lazy and to overuse alcohol. It is unfortunate

that this most common view is such a negative one. Since alcohol was not present in America

before outsiders brought it in, it is a great irony of history that the most negative of the white

mans native stereotypes was birthed by white people. Of course, the drunkenness of natives has

always been greatly overstated, and this stereotype became planted in the minds and culture of

the non-natives. As a result of this, a drunk Indian was seen as representative of all Indians,

while a drunk white person was seen as simply a drunk person. In the movie Smoke Signals, the

main characters, Native Americans, make light of many stereotypes of their culture, while also

showing one Native American who would a drink a lot (Smoke Signals). This movie humorously

and seriously points out stereotypes to its audience and portrays the lack of education of the

white people and their unconscious behavior towards the Native Americans. Furthermore, the

reason for drunkenness on reservations is the lack of economic opportunity, which causes

unemployment that often drives substance abuse.

Another long-standing stereotype of Native Americans is that they were unusually

violent. In addition, the stereotype wasnt just that they were violent, but that they enjoyed the
violence and that it was a fundamental attribute of native culture. This is untrue, at least

according to my research for the Light Side/Dark Side project. My friend and I created a project

based on the Trail of Tears and the torture placed upon the natives and I learned that the white

people always believed that they were right and had no interest in hearing the natives out (Native

American Portfolio). Also, in another project, I read documents on the Dakota/Sioux war from

different perspectives, including Native Americans, U.S. government, and white settlers, and

how they all had a different view on the event and these documents show how much view of

natives vs. non-natives differ (Native American Portfolio). When the first Europeans arrived in

the Americas over 400 years ago, the natives were initially cooperative and interested in the

ways and intentions of these white people. The natives suffered tremendous abuse and finally,

decided to fight back. The Europeans only emphasized the violence of the natives - and generally

overlooked the causes. This constant discussion of violence caused non-natives to view the

natives with fear and mistrust. The resulting cycle of violence that lasted for hundreds of years

caused the natives to be pushed onto small reservations or completely absorbed into the new

non-native culture. Though the settlers had good reason to fear violence from the natives, the

historical context was not generally discussed until fairly recently. The modern tendency to

discuss the motivations for native violence should help to undermine the unjustified stereotype

about violent native culture.

As with the previously mentioned stereotype of earthiness, there is also a positive aspect

of the violence stereotype, since natives tend to also be viewed as tough, courageous warriors.

These two views of violence, unfortunately, tend to reinforce each other. It is true that native

warriors were tough and resilient, but there is not evidence that they had or have some
supernatural fighting capabilities. Indeed, the settlers also fought very hard and used vicious

tactics since they also believed that they were fighting for their survival. There is a stereotype of

the noble Indian soldier, which does have some historical support. As I learned in history, the

code-talkers, which were Navajos who used their unique language to confuse Japanese code

breakers, is a true story which has been written about and made into the movies. In many cases

such as books and Disney movies, the creator is not a Native American and therefore likely does

not know much about natives. The book, The Education of Little Tree, is written by a non-native

and my study of parts of it show a very convincing story about the childhood of a native boy,

when I know that the stories cannot be completely realistic. However, it should be seen that

these natives were simply doing their duty, like non-natives, and were not some type of

super-soldier culture.As we get further away from these war stories, their effect on violent

stereotypes should lessen.

Another stereotype that, like the previously discussed earthiness and fighting ability, is

positive on the surface is that Native American culture is high-minded and more moral than that

of the non-natives. The first English settlers first referred to the natives as naturals. This was

generally derived from the underlying belief that natives were simple and unsophisticated, which

also could feed into a belief that they were lacking in intelligence. In modern times there is

special respect given to natives, which is driven by a desire to make amends for the past.

However, the actual history of Native Americans is that they were capable of many of the same

bad traits as white men: stealing land, making unjustified war, keeping slaves. This fawning over

natives and their culture is just another false stereotype that doesnt allow the natives to be seen

as the multi-dimensional characters that they truly are.

 I have come to conclude that the cause of long-lasting stereotypes of Native Americans is

the lack of education about them. In my IBL project for english, I actually conducted a project

based on my research question and came to this conclusion. Recently, I was able to visit with

Native Americans in New Mexico. I didnt see stereotypes - warriors, drunks, etc - I saw only

people. When I looked into the eyes of the children, I saw hope for a future free of stereotypes.
 Works Cited

Carter, Forrest and Strickland, Rennard. The Education of Little Tree. Albuquerque, University

of New Mexico Press, 2008.

Malachowski, Rhyan. Native American Portfolio. Weebly, May 2017,

ags17malachowskir.weebly.com/. Accessed 24 May 2017.

Smoke Signals. Directed by Chris Eyre, performances by Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Sherman

Alexie. 1998.

The Mission. Directed by Roland Joff, performances by Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Warner

Bros., 1896