Product Information
Standing at the intersection of Native history, labor, and representation, Picturing Indians presents a vivid portrait of the complicated experiences of Native actors on the sets of midcentury Hollywood Westerns. This behind-the-scenes look at costuming, makeup, contract negotiations, and union disparities uncovers an all-too-familiar narrative of racism and further complicates filmmakers' choices to follow mainstream representations of Indianness. Liza Black offers a rare and overlooked perspective on American cinema history by giving voice to creators of movie Indians-the stylists, public relations workers, and the actors themselves. In exploring the inherent racism in sensationalizing Native culture for profit, Black also chronicles the little-known attempts of studios to generate cultural authenticity and historical accuracy in their films. She discusses the studios' need for actual Indians to participate in, legitimate, and populate such filmic narratives. But studios also told stories that made Indians sound less than Indian because of their skin color, clothing, and inability to do functions and tasks considered authentically Indian by non-Indians. In the ongoing territorial dispossession of Native America, Native people worked in film as an economic strategy toward survival. Consulting new primary sources, Black has crafted an interdisciplinary experience showcasing what it meant to play Indian in post-World War II Hollywood.Product Identifiers
PublisherUniversity of Nebraska Press
ISBN-139780803296800
eBay Product ID (ePID)15046634588
Product Key Features
Number of Pages354 Pages
Publication NamePicturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHistory
Publication Year2020
TypeTextbook
Subject AreaRegional History
AuthorLiza Black
Dimensions
Item Height229 mm
Item Width152 mm
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States
Title_AuthorLiza Black