Reflection of Dancing With Wolves

Throughout the film Dancing With Wolves, Lt. John Dunbar slowly transforms from a western soldier to a proud member of the Sioux tribe.  He is assigned to a post on the frontier to negotiate with the local “Indians.”  Dunbar not only negotiates with the Sioux, but he becomes one of them based on several factors.  In the beginning, Dunbar is dressed in a western army uniform with the United States Flag at hand.  Towards the end, Dunbar slowly adapts to the Sioux way of dress and trades away his old western clothing.  Dunbar realizes that there is no civilized or savage way of dress; it all depends on the meaning behind one’s clothing and the person’s point of view.  Another example is when Dunbar dances around the fire by himself at his post.  This displays another example of how it looked so uncivilized before, but now he understands the meaning and purpose behind it.  Dunbar starts to connect to the Sioux on an even deeper level by learning their language and marrying Stand With A Fist.  Dunbar learns that communication is key to understand one’s culture and intentions and that it does not matter who marries whom, as long as that couple makes each other happy.  Lastly, Dunbar fights against the United Stares army he was previously apart of.  Dunbar is able to look at white people through the point of view of the Sioux.  He finds out how cruel white people can be around nature and Native Americans, like leaving their trash behind and having not respect to Native people or nature. He can now see how the view of Native Americans though a white person’s perspective is highly stereotyped.  Overall, Lt. John Dunbar learns to be one of the Sioux and drops the life of a Union Soldier.

Dancing With Wolves displays important visual symbols and stereotypes that are recognized in Native American history.  Although this is one of the first films to represent Native Americans in an overall positive way, there are still common stereotypes displayed in the film.  One of the most common stereotypes that anger the Sioux is the use of guns in the film.  The Sioux does not like how the film portrays one white man that saves their reservation from the Pawnee by teaching them how to use riffles.  According to history, The Sioux already started to trade guns and knew how to fire them well before Lt. Dunbar showed up.  When Dunbar arrives at his post, a grey wolf spots him.  The wolf seems to always be close by, and Dunbar calls the wolf Two Socks because of his white paws.  Two Socks symbolizes two aspects in the film.  One is the friendship between a dog and an owner today.  Dogs originated from wolves, and wolves slowly became friendlier with humans.  Dunbar feeds Two Socks up to the point where Two Socks would eat straight out of his hand.  Having this kind of relationship with Two Socks allows them to protect each other, like dogs with their owners today. The other part Two Socks symbolizes is the reckless killing of Native Americans by white soldiers.  When the soldiers beat Dunbar excessively and kill Two Socks just to kill something, they did not have any remorse.  This shows how white soldiers did not care what they killed or left behind. Another symbol in the film is “Tatanka” or buffalo.  Buffalo are not just meat to eat or fur to sell, but a holy figure in the Sioux tribe.  They use

every part of the buffalo (bones for weapons, internal organs for water pouches, hide for blankets) and make sure none of it goes to waste.  This makes sure that the death of a buffalo will give life to many others.  This film does a great job at showing important historic symbols and stereotypes during this time.    

                      

Dancing With Wolves

     The Film Dancing With Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, displays many stereotypes and double standards on both the Native American side and the white settler’s side.  The film takes place in 1863 during the Civil War.  The main character, Lt. John Dunbar, is relocated at a rundown abandon post on the frontier.  The post is dirty with trash everywhere and dead dear carcasses in the pond near by.  Not cleaning up after ones self is an example of white person’s stereotype.  Native Americans tend to respect nature, where as White people tend to leave their trash behind for someone else to deal with it.  Lt. Dunbar and his driver partner encounter several American Indians during their journey.  After the driver drops Lt. Dunbar off at his post, a Pawnee tribe kills him on his returning trip.  This scene has several stereotypes displayed about Pawnee including their way of dress and their aggressiveness.  The film showed the Pawnee tribe with traditional clothing and face paint on, which is only worn during important ceremonies.  The film also shows the Pawnee as violent with no mercy to anyone disturbing their land.  The driver is shot down with arrows and is scalped to the death.  Many of the Pawnee today are unhappy with this interpretation of them in the film.  During Lt. Dunbar’s stay, Kicking bird, Native American children, and Wind in His Air approaches his base at different times.  Lt. Dunbar eventually sees himself as a target of the Native people and decides to go out and confront them.  He dresses in his finest Union uniform and sets out on his horse with the American flag in hand.  This poses as a double standard because when white people dress up for battle, they are seen as “civilized.”  When Native Americans dress for battle, they are seen as “savage.”  This film accurately represents stereotypes and double standards on both sides.

    

Dancing With Wolves also incorporates Pathos and post-traumatic stress.  Pathos is an appeal to emotion, and is a way of convincing an audience of an argument by creating an emotional response.  A good example of ethos is when Lt. Dunbar solely rides across field in Christ pose, while being shot at by the entire confederate army.  The music and the intensity of this scene draws the viewers eyes in and it connects to them emotionally.  Another example of pathos is when Lt. Dunbar travels across the frontier.  The film displays large pretty landscapes with dignifying music playing in the background as Lt. Dunbar embarks on his voyage.  This film can connect to its viewers in a feel good emotional way, but can also be very realistic with Post-traumatic stress.  Although it was not diagnosed back in the Civil War era, it still frequently occurred.  The general that assigned Lt. Dunbar to his new post is an example of a person with post-traumatic stress.  He did not care about his job, was constantly drunk, and felt the guilt of moving all the Native Americans off their homeland.  He didn’t even care about himself so much that he pissed his pants in front of Lt. Dunbar and then later committed suicide.  Post-traumatic stress was very real back then, and is still a major issue today.  Overall, Dancing With Wolves uses pathos to connect to the viewer and shows the first time cases of Post-traumatic stress.            

            

                                       

       

                                       

Native Americans

Abenakis

     The Abenakis, pronounced AH-buh-nah-kee, means “people of the dawn.”  This tribe originates from Main, Vermont and New Hampshire, but their main reservations today are in Quebec.  The Abenakis left their homeland for Canada, due to the mass movement of European colonists.  Some Abenaki groups stayed in the northeast part of the United States, under the rule of Graylock.  Graylock, also known as Wawanolewat (“he who fools others”), was a famous chief of the Abenaki people that never gave into any proposals or offers by the white colonist; he only wanted war.  Different reservations of The Abenkis tribe have their own government and rules, but each reservation today has to follow the Canadian government or the United States government.  There is still a very prominent reservation of Abenaki people in main called the Cowasuck Band.  Paul W. Pouliot is the current chief and president of this reservation. Most of the Abenaki tribe speaks English or French currently, but their native language was Abnaki-Penobscot.  They lived in Wigwams (tepee shaped buildings built out of birchbark) and traveled by birchbark canoes.  Some traditions in the Abenakis tribe are storytelling, fathers showing their kids how to hunt and fish, and putting newborn babies in cradleboards: a type of carrier that is put on the mothers back.

           










Apache

     The Apache Tribe is located in the southwest parts of the United States including Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. .”  There is still around 30,000 Apahe’s living in these areas today.  There is a White Mountain Apache tribe still around today that runs the Hon-Dah casino in Arizona.  The Apache Tribe was originally called themselves the Ndee, but eventually adapted to the name Apache, which means “enemy.”  Just like the Abenakis, the Apache live on different reservations with their own laws.  Each reservation has a chief, and each chief is part of the Apache council.  The Apache council negotiates between different Apache tribes and makes decisions for the Apache tribe as a whole.  Most Apache people can speak English and their Apache language.  Many of the Apache Tribes lived in Wickiups: tepee like structured buildings framed by wooden branches and covered by brush or buffalo-hide.  Important figures in the Apache tribe were Cochise, TY Vicenti and Geronimo.  Both of these people were famous chiefs that were known for their resilience against European colonist.  Ty vicenti is the current president of the Jicarilla Apache Nation.  Some traditions with Apache children are running foot races, playing with dolls and archery games.  Women had the role of maintaining their family’s home, by cleaning, cooking, taking care of the children, and repairing it.  The men were hunters, warriors, and leaders.  Traditional clothing of the Apache Tribe was Buckskin dresses for the Women and Breechcloths for the men.

Sioux

     The Sioux nation is located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota.  A lot of Sioux people today live mainly in the South and North Dakota.  The Sioux people are split into seven different tribes that have their own rules and regulations, but they still have to follow U.S. laws.  Members of the tribes elect one person to be the leader of the tribe, know as the “itancan” (means chief).  A famous Itancan of one of the Sioux tribes was Tatanka Iyotanka, also know as Chief Sitting Bull.  He was known for his ability of using sarcasm and his ability to peaceful at times, but also ready to take action at other times.  He was very straight forward, and only his decision was the right one.  Albert White Hat was a current Sioux member that became famous for translating the Lakota Language in Hollywood films and being a activist for the Sicanju Lakota.  A Sioux tradition in the past was for the older children to make their own sticks out of wood and string and play lacrosse.  Traditional clothing the Sioux people wore were breechcloths, leggings and moccasins in bad weather. The Sioux people used many different weapons in battle, but the most common weapon was the Sioux Indian Bow.  They used this bow in battle and to hunt buffalo.

Cherokee

     The Cherokee People lived mainly in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas and Kentucky.  They were originally the Aniyunwiya, but slowly adapted the name Cherokee as more and more white settlers came.  The Cherokee were forced out of their homeland and sent to Oklahoma or Texas by president Andrew Jackson.  This long journey is known as the Trail of Tears, where many Cherokee’s were unprepared for the cold weather and thousands of people died.  Duwali (Chief Bowl), a famous Cherokee chief, lead his people from North Carolina to eastern Texas with minimum casualties.  He was then able to reach an agreement with Mexican authorities to give him and his people their homeland in eastern Texas.  A more current famous Cherokee was Jack Dempsey, a professional boxer.  He was one of the top boxers at his time, and was an American heavy weight champion.  The Cherokee’s usually lived near rivers and built houses out of rivercane, plaster and used thatched roofs.  They also used rivercane to make traditional baskets and other crafts.  The Cherokee were also very into making pottery and gourd art.  There is still a very prominent Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma around today. This Nation has many programs to revive other Cherokee groups and to keep old-fashioned traditions going.

         

Navajo

            The Navajo tribe lived in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.  The word Navajo means “farmlands,” since many of the Navajo’s were farmers.  The Navajo government is formed like many other Native American groups, where there is a chief that is elected by the tribal council.  One of the most famous Chiefs to ever be elected was Hoskininnie Begay.  He lead his people from being captured by the U.S. military for four years, until he found a safe zone in the Monument Valley, Arizona.  Navajo’s traditional gender roles were for the men to be warriors, hunters, and leaders and for the women to take care of the house.  Men made jewelry and women made rugs and traditional sandpaintings.  Navajo’s usually walked as their main form of transportation and used travois, a type of dog sled, to carry their possessions.  The Navajo Nation is still very alive today, with Chris Deschene as the president.  He is an engineer, attorney, veteran, and a community leader. 

       

Work Cited

     Redish, Laura, and Orrin Lewis. "Native American Facts for Kids." Native Americans Facts for Kids: An American Indian Website for Children and Teachers. Native Languages of the Americas Website, 1998. Web. 09 Jan. 2015.

     "Indigenous Voices of the Colorado Plateau." Cline Library. Northern Arizona University, 2005. Web. 10 Jan. 2015.

"Native Americans." Native Americans. AAANativeArts, 1999. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.