IMDb RATING
7.5/10
1.6K
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The history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.The history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.The history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.
- Awards
- 10 wins & 3 nominations
Photos
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance
- Self
- (archive footage)
Richard La Motte
- Self
- (as Richard Lamotte)
Iron Eyes Cody
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsIn a montage showing Caucasian actors portraying Native Americans, Daniel Day-Lewis is shown in "The Last of the Mohicans." Day-Lewis's character, Nathaniel Poe, a/k/a/ "Hawkeye," is actually a white man adopted into Native American culture.
- Quotes
John Trudell: We're too busy trying to protect the idea of a Native American or an Indian - but we're not Indians and we're not Native Americans. We're older than both concepts. We're the people. We're the human beings.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Brows Held High: Dead Man (2013)
Featured review
A great documentary, but a few claims need a response
The fatalities at Wounded Knee are described as 300 Sioux. Around 250 Sioux died and about thirty soldiers (many from friendly fire). It was not a deliberate massacre, but the result of a series of mistakes, long and short term, on the part of officers. This is not to minimise what happened. The actions of many of the soldiers would be war crimes today.
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance's story is tragic, but I have found little evidence his rejection by society was based on racism rather than resentment that he had lied extensively and received a lot of money for his lies. He was, after all, exposed by genuine Indian actors, and the studio to its credit did not publish the findings of the inquiry either for compassionate reasons or to cover up their mistakes. He was the original Pretendian, exposed almost a century before Buffy Sainte-Marie.
We should however, try and understand why a talented black man growing up in segregated North Carolina, who was likely interested in Indian Culture from a young age, and who could pass as Indian, would take an Indian identity which whites would admire more than his true black heritage.
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance's story is tragic, but I have found little evidence his rejection by society was based on racism rather than resentment that he had lied extensively and received a lot of money for his lies. He was, after all, exposed by genuine Indian actors, and the studio to its credit did not publish the findings of the inquiry either for compassionate reasons or to cover up their mistakes. He was the original Pretendian, exposed almost a century before Buffy Sainte-Marie.
We should however, try and understand why a talented black man growing up in segregated North Carolina, who was likely interested in Indian Culture from a young age, and who could pass as Indian, would take an Indian identity which whites would admire more than his true black heritage.
helpful•00
- robinschweitzer-74455
- Mar 25, 2024
- How long is Reel Injun?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
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