Many Feathers and Much Paint Don't Make an Indian

[Of the Lone Ranger, and Jay Silverheels role as Tonto] .. The stoic but faithful Tonto was almost a parody of the noble savage so beloved in Western literature. But Mr. Silverhee;s wisely saw the role as the breakthrough for Indian actors it really represented. Tonto didn't talk much or ride a gorgeous white stallion or leave silver bullets as his calling cards, but he was one of the good guys. That was quite a departure from the standard Hollywood depiction of Indians as drunken louts, treacherous savages and lust-inflamed kidnappers of white women... 1980 March 7, Detroit Free Press  Indians get raw deal from TV, movies  by Joan Hanauer 1980 June 26, Muncie Evening Press        New York - The American Indian - the true native American - has gotten almost as bad a deal from movies and television as he got from the politics of "manifest destiny" that robbed him of his land.       The basic problems probably were the same - greed and ignorance.       Unfortun

So strong is the influence cast by "the Hollywood Indian," says Deloria, that young Indians identify with that image rather than with their own real heritage. When youngsters see these films on TV they assume that they depict the sort of role that white society expects of them. This sort of "electronic authority" which perpetuates "the movie Indian" has "tremendous detrimental impact against (genuine) Indian culture," says Deloria. 1980 July 19, Hartford Courant  1980 June 30, The Journal News 

The Indian's Last Stand: Guarding His Good Name By Gene Wyatt  1980 July 27, The Tennessean         The American Indian, already stripped of lands and cultural entity, is also losing his last and possibly most precious possession - his good name.       At least, that is the thesis of "Images of Indians," a five-part PBS series which begins tonight..       Will Sampson, the Indian actor who was featured in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, hosts and narrates the film. In his soft, sad voice he pronounces Hollywood the chief culprit.       "The movies formed their Indian Image from the Western dime novels which originated in the  1860's," Sampson says, "These books were popular, even into the 1930's, with sales sometimes reaching 10 million a month."       "And then there were the folk 'heroes' -- Buffalo Bill and his sort. For them to be heroes, there had to be villains. These were the Indians." Watch a clip