First thoughts..

            I’ve always viewed my interest in the American Indian culture as a form of respect and intrigue for their traditions because of my love for nature and all living things. Initially, I signed up for this course with the goal of broadening my knowledge of their traditions and history, and while I still believe my understanding of those will grow, I now have an additional goal in this class after watching “Reel Injun”—to develop a new perception of native people throughout these next sixteen weeks. The documentary traces the American depiction of Indians through film. The representation of Indians through the use of film from the silent era to today has had a major impact on our vision of what an American Indian is. The film discusses how Americans tend to group all Indians into the same group rather than acknowledging the variety of tribes and people that exist. Before hearing this, I must admit I too was one of the many Americans they discussed who visualizes headdresses and chanting around the fire when I think of Indians. True, I do recognize the difference in tribes and that not all Indians dress like that, but I admit that growing up these films did impact my perception of what an Indian was. After recognizing my conventional view of Indians within the first week of classes, I believe it will give me a new way of thinking and analyzing American Indian culture as I begin to develop my knowledge of these people and their history.