Mention "American Indian," and the first image that comes to
most people's minds is likely to be a figment of the American mass
media: A war-bonneted chief. The Land O' Lakes maiden. Most
American Indians in the twenty-first century live in urban areas,
so why do the mass media still rely on Indian imagery stuck in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? How can more accurate views of
contemporary Indian cultures replace such stereotypes? These and
similar questions ground the essays collected in "American Indians
and the Mass Media, " which explores Native experience and the
mainstream media's impact on American Indian histories, cultures,
and communities.
Chronicling milestones in the relationship between Indians and
the media, some of the chapters employ a historical perspective,
and others focus on contemporary practices and new technologies.
All foreground American Indian perspectives missing in other books
on mass communication. The historical studies examine treatment of
Indians in America's first newspaper, published in
seventeenth-century Boston, and in early Cherokee newspapers;
"Life" magazine's depictions of Indians, including the famous
photograph of Ira Hayes raising the flag at Iwo Jima; and the
syndicated feature stories of Elmo Scott Watson. Among the chapters
on more contemporary issues, one discusses campaigns to change
offensive place-names and sports team mascots, and another looks at
recent movies such as "Smoke Signals" and television programs that
are gradually overturning the "movie Indian" stereotypes of the
twentieth century.
Particularly valuable are the essays highlighting authentic
tribal voices in current and future media. Mark Trahant chronicles
the formation of the Native American Journalists Association,
perhaps the most important early Indian advocacy organization,
which he helped found. As the contributions on new media point out,
American Indians with access to a computer can tell their own
stories--instantly to millions of people--making social networking
and other Internet tools effective means for combating
stereotypes.
Including discussion questions for each essay and an extensive
bibliography, "American Indians and the Mass Media" is a unique
educational resource.
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