TrendsintherepresentationofNativeAmericansin ‘Westernmovies

Abstract

For decades, Hollywood has portrayed Native Americans as villains, battling against white people, who are invariably the heroes. The portrayal of Native Americans in films has sparked outrage among native peoples, resulting in a widespread misunderstandingoftheirhistoryand cultureand thatledtoaccusingtheAmerican film industry by been biased. Due to several historical events, the views toward natives have changed through time and this was shown in the latest productions and in the popular view of the society.The following study carries a comparison between three different movies 'The Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Revenant' where the first two movies represent a negative representation of natives and the third one was a try to correct the stream and an attempt toward objectivity. In doing so, we will try to prove that western movies are biased and that is has aan effect on the way we see things in reality, relying onthetheoriesofpostcolonialismandOrientalism.