For Native Americans, Old Stereotypes Die Hard : NPR: May 4, 2009 Native Americans have a long history of one-sided portrayals in Hollywood, including such stereotypical characters as the war-whooping savage or the grunting tribesman.After decades of being shoved into these stereotypes, many Native American artists are trying to write their own scripts.
Charlie Hill is a comedian and member of the Oneida Indian Nation of Wisconsin. Despite the existence of modern, real-life icons among Indians — runner Billy Mills, an Olympic gold medalist; Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell; activist Winona LaDuke; and Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist N. Scott Momaday — a TV stereotype still stands out in Hill's mind.
'I remember as a little kid playing the Lone Ranger, my little brother and I. He had to be the Ranger because he was smarter. We're taught that.'
The Native American character in the 1950s show The Lone Ranger, Tonto, was played by actor Jay Silverheels. Hill notes that Tonto belonged to no tribal nation; he was 'just a generic Indian that was created by the white man.'
'We're indoctrinated, we don't know better. Jay Silverheels — I think if he came around in another era, he might've been offered better parts,' Hill says. 'But in the part of Tonto, he was just, 'Ugh, me not know,' a grunting savage.'
