Shooting back: Reversing the dominant gaze and Native American self-representation

Research Mentor(s)

Morgan Parmett, Helen

Description

The discursive formation of dominant, mainstream media regarding Native Americans perpetuates the interests and prejudices of the ruling class. The majority of this media is made by an industry of whiteness and marketed toward an audience of similar identity. When tribal members create media they are generally breaking with the standard representation of Native people. The documentary film In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman, a media artifact created by Native American youth Camille Tso, is counter-hegemonic in its production and message and discontinues the existing dominant discourse. In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman challenges the hegemonic structure of dominant media by telling a narrative that opposes the “historical” or popular story, specifically through the personal account of a family involved in the Long Walk. The fact that this story is told at all is significant, since frequently The Long Walk and other crimes committed against Native people in this country are ignored. This film utilizes portable video technology to record first person narrative, reenactments, and traditional Navajo oral storytelling to construct an alternative truth. It shatters the lens that diminishes the brutality of the ruling class, obscures the narrative of Native people and enforces negative stereotypes of Native Americans.

Document Type

Event

Start Date

14-5-2015 10:00 AM

End Date

14-5-2015 2:00 PM

Department

Communication Studies

Genre/Form

student projects; posters

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Indians in mass media; Indians--Press coverage; Stereotypes (Social psychology) in mass media

Geographic Coverage

United States--Race relations

Type

Image

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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May 14th, 10:00 AM May 14th, 2:00 PM

Shooting back: Reversing the dominant gaze and Native American self-representation

The discursive formation of dominant, mainstream media regarding Native Americans perpetuates the interests and prejudices of the ruling class. The majority of this media is made by an industry of whiteness and marketed toward an audience of similar identity. When tribal members create media they are generally breaking with the standard representation of Native people. The documentary film In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman, a media artifact created by Native American youth Camille Tso, is counter-hegemonic in its production and message and discontinues the existing dominant discourse. In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman challenges the hegemonic structure of dominant media by telling a narrative that opposes the “historical” or popular story, specifically through the personal account of a family involved in the Long Walk. The fact that this story is told at all is significant, since frequently The Long Walk and other crimes committed against Native people in this country are ignored. This film utilizes portable video technology to record first person narrative, reenactments, and traditional Navajo oral storytelling to construct an alternative truth. It shatters the lens that diminishes the brutality of the ruling class, obscures the narrative of Native people and enforces negative stereotypes of Native Americans.