Reel Injun
Neil Diamond is a Canadian aboriginal filmmaker. He comes from the Cree community of Waskaganish, located near the Arctic Circle.
Summary
Reel Injun takes a critical look at the depiction on Native Indians in Hollywood films over the past one hundred years. Some of the first moving pictures used native Indians as their subjects, and they continue to be explored in films today. The film discusses the various stereotypes of native people in Hollywood. It also discusses the affect that these stereotypes have had on the native community and concludes with how native filmmakers are representing their people in films today.
a) In what grade level / course would you teach this text? Are there other courses for which it might also be appropriate?
English, Grade 12, Academic (ENG4D) English, Grade 11, Academic (ENG3D)
English, Grade 12, Applied (ENG4P) English, Grade 11, Applied (ENG3P)
This film may be useful in any grade and at any level, but I think that it may work best with students at the senior level. The language used is not overly complex and makes it easily accessible, but the subject matter that it deals with is very sensitive. It may be best to have senior level students who are presumably more mature deal with this type of material. Ultimately, it could be incorporated into any grade and any level under the strand of Media Studies.
b) What are the main ideas/ issues/ teaching points which you would emphasize when teaching the text? (Consider the knowledge possibilities: Social, topic, cultural, textual.)
Textual:
· Documentary film
· Written, directed, and narrated by Neil Diamond
· Offers a chronological look at how American Native Indians have been presented in Hollywood films, from the silent era until present
· Includes several interviews from native filmmakers and actors, as well as white actors from films about native Indians
· Explains how historical events have influenced how native Indians have been presented in film
· Contrast between the way that native Indians are presented in films and how native people believe that they have been misrepresented
Social: What knowledge of our own personal experience and our society does this text elicit/explain/describe?
Racial Discrimination/Stereotyping:
The entire film is based on the negative stereotypes of native Indians in Hollywood films. Some of these stereotypes include:
Noble Indian:
Early films showed native Indians as noble heroes and helpers of the white man. This view of natives changed with the onset of the Great Depression.
The Groovy Injun:
This representation resulted from the traditional dress of the Indian and their seeming connection to the natural world around them. They were often confused or grouped in with the hippy lifestyle.
The Drunken Indian:
This view of natives finds its origins in early trading with white people that they encountered. This stereotype would lead observers to believe that all native Indians suffer from alcoholism.
The Savage Indian:
This type of image began to be used in the 1930’s. The Indian began to be seen in films as a savage, attacking marauder. It was at this time that the so called “tanto” speak began to be associated with native people.
Native People as Plains Indians:
Many films that have been made have presented natives as Plains Indians. These films depicted all natives as wearing headdresses and residing in the deserts of the American southwest.
Native women in film:
Native women are not represented well in film, with Pocahontas being the notable exception. At time of contact with John Smith, she was nine years old. She has become an embodiment of American society and desire.
Depression:
The theme of depression is touched upon when discussing a Buffalo Child Long Lance, a revered actor of Blackfoot and Cherokee Heritage. In reality, he also had Afro-American roots as well, and the controversy surrounding this resulted in his eventual suicide in 1932.
Cultural: What questions can we ask and discover about our culture through reading this text?
· Reel Injun examines a certain culture of fear that has been portrayed in films containing native Indians. In many films, native people are presented as savages that torment white people, influencing the way that native people are viewed.
· Reel Injun also examines native language to a small extent. Native language was ignored in early Hollywood films. In certain cases, English was simply played backwards in the place of native language. When the actual dialect was spoken by real native actors, it was ignored and no one bothered to translate what they were saying. This film goes back and translates what some of these actors were saying in early films.
Topic: What topics does this text introduce, explain or inform us about?
Geographical: The film documents Neil Diamond’s journey that takes him across North America, including the American plains and the Canadian Arctic, as he discusses the result of films that have stereotyped Indians in certain ways.
Historical: The film examines certain historical events and figures, such as the battle at Wounded Knee and ``Crazy horse``, that have shaped the way that native people are viewed.
Social Justice: The film examines the way that native Indians have been presented in movies and the affect that it has had on native communities in regards to prejudice.
c) What are the issues/challenges you might encounter in teaching the text?
· sensitive issues such as
o racial discrimination
· Many students may have preconceived notions about native Indians that must be addressed
o sexism
o coarse language
o violence/murder
o suicide
o discussion of alcoholism
· students that have personal experience with any of these issues may have a difficult time viewing or discussing the film
· there may be certain students that self identify as belonging to a certain native group, even though they may have not vocalized this. An educator must be cognizant of this.
· as a white educator, there may be the issue of authenticity when discussing this film
· Some students, especially those that self identify as native Indian, may
· students must be prepared to deal with sensitive issues with a certain level of maturity
d) Describe one possible assignment / activity which you could use when teaching the text. How does it connect to the curriculum expectations of the course you are teaching?
For the activity and assignment that I have proposed, both could fit within the Media Studies unit since Reel Injun is a film that attempts to unpack the image of native people in film. Therefore, the applicable Overall and Specific Expectations within that strand are as follows:
Media Studies
Overall Expectations
• demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media, media theories, and media industry
practices by analysing representations, forms, and techniques in media works and assessing
their implications for individuals and society;
• demonstrate an understanding of the relationships among form, content, purpose, audience,
and production techniques by designing or creating media works, independently and
collaboratively, based on ideas, themes, and issues examined in this course, and assessing their
effectiveness.
Specific Expectations
Analysing Media and Media Works
– use critical thinking skills to identify bias and to analyse the differences between explicit and implicit messages in media works
– explain how representation, form, style, and techniques in media works convey messages with social, ideological, and political implications
Reflective Discussion:
Reel Injun is chalked full of negative stereotypes surrounding the depiction of native people in Hollywood films. The images of the drunken, savage, and noble Indian are discussed in this film, to name a few. After viewing this film with your class, it would be necessary to engage in a thoughtful discussion surrounding what they have just watched. Most students would have encountered these portrayals in the past without giving them much thought. This discussion would lead students to consider why they had not thought of these images more in the past, and how viewing this film has now changed their perception of native people.
Language
Overall Expectations
• use listening techniques and oral communication skills to participate in classroom discussions
and more formal activities, with a focus on using academic language appropriately in seminars
and presentations of independent study projects.
Specific Expectations
– communicate orally in large and small groups for a variety of purposes, with a focus on challenging and extending the ideas of others; using academic and theoretical concepts and language; and discussing the coherence, relevance, strengths, and weaknesses of ideas and arguments;
– communicate orally in group discussions, applying such skills as the following: leading and contributing to productive discussions; suggesting possibilities and selecting directions within the group; generating ideas; contributing information; connecting ideas and arguments to other knowledge; making inferences; assessing the process used to reach conclusions; and fulfilling roles and completing tasks as required to produce presentations and products of high academic quality;
– use critical listening skills to analyse and assess the content of oral presentations
Research Assignment and Choice Board:
Depending on the particular student, they may have a very limited knowledge of aboriginal people. They may also be having a difficult time drawing connections between Reel Injun, an expose on how native people are represented in film, and how these images affect how they are depicted and viewed in society today. This research assignment is designed to examine these stereotypes and can be used as a culminating task in a unit focused on native studies within English or as a formal assessment piece. The teacher would provide the students with a list of resources to start their research. Some of these resources may include:
· ``Borders,`` by Thomas King
o This piece discusses a woman crossing at the Canada – U.S. border, and she is repeatedly asked by the border patrol whether she is Canadian or American. Her response, given multiple times, is that she is Blackfoot.
· http://imagesofindiansinchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/
o This blog examines how aboriginal people are depicted in current books, toys, and media, among other things
The students would be expected to examine any resources given to them and to research using other sources before beginning to piece together their final product. They would then be presented with a choice board to give the students options regarding how they would like to present their findings. They would be assessed based on the expectations of the Media Studies strand, so the rubric would remain the same, regardless of how their findings are presented.