Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960

Picturing Indians explores the experiences of Native actors on the sets of midcentury Hollywood Westerns, revealing an all-too-familiar narrative of racism and complicating filmmakers' choices to follow mainstream representations of "Indianness." Liza Black offers a rare perspective on American cinema history by giving voice to the creators of movie Indians, exploring the inherent racism in sensationalizing Native culture for profit and the studios' attempts to generate cultural authenticity and historical accuracy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 354 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2022
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Picturing Indians, a captivating exploration of Native history, labor, and representation, delves into the intricate experiences of Native actors in midcentury Hollywood Westerns. This behind-the-scenes look at costuming, makeup, contract negotiations, and union disparities unveils an all-too-familiar narrative of racism, further complicating filmmakers' choices to adhere to mainstream representations of "Indianness."

Liza Black offers a unique and previously overlooked perspective on American cinema history by granting a voice to the creators of movie Indians—the stylists, public relations workers, and actors themselves. Through her exploration of the inherent racism in sensationalizing Native culture for profit, Black also chronicles the lesser-known efforts of studios to generate cultural authenticity and historical accuracy in their films. She delves into the studios' need for actual Indians to participate in, legitimate, and populate these filmic narratives. However, studios also crafted stories that diminished the Indian characters by portraying them with darker skin tones, Western-style clothing, and limitations in performing tasks considered authentically Indian by non-Indians.

In the context of ongoing territorial dispossession of Native America, Native people engaged in film work as an economic survival strategy. Black has meticulously crafted an interdisciplinary experience, drawing from new primary sources such as pay records and unpublished publicity photographs, to showcase what it meant to "play Indian" in post-World War II Hollywood.

This captivating book sheds light on the complex and often overlooked experiences of Native actors in the golden age of Hollywood, challenging prevailing narratives and providing a deeper understanding of the role of Native people in the film industry. It is a valuable addition to the fields of film studies, history, and Native American studies, offering a fresh perspective on a significant period of American cultural history.

Weight: 532g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496232649