Thomas C. Gannon
Associate Professor, U of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mniconjou Lakota (enrolled: Cheyenne River Reservation)
Pages created: 5/13/06
Last modified: 7/25/12
< http://incolor.inetnebr.com/tgannon/GreatIndian.html >
 

Final caveat/defense: of course, I hardly speak for all Native Americans, or even all Lakota (no doubt, en'it!). I recall a grad. lit. theory class in which a voluble South American "radical" woman brought up Dances with Wolves. She stated categorically that no "Indian" could/would tolerate the movie, given its various misrepresentations of Native culture (not that I'm sure that she could have pointed them out). I sat there—agawk, like Kaw-liga (the stereotype is true!?). I wanted to say—and curse myself to this day that I didn't say: "Well, I can name two 'Indians' who loved the movie: my MOM, and my BROTHER (whom they call 'Chief' at his job, to this day). And they both live in that local country where the movie was shot. And they both go up to Sioux San—in Rapid, en'it—for their meds. And your intellectual ass wants to deny them the right to enjoy one of the few semi-positive portrayals of the Lakota in the media, in their lifetimes?" . . . I apologize here & now if I've performed any such similar crimes of brazen/barren intellectualism in these pages.

    --toks[h]a, TCG