Indian Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction: First Nations' Voices Speak Out

by Sierra S. Adare

According to an early 1990s study, 95 percent of what college students know about Native Americans was acquired through the media, leading to widespread misunderstandings of First Nations peoples. Sierra Adare contends that negative "Indian" stereotypes do physical, mental, emotional, and financial harm to First Nations individuals. At its core, this book is a social study whose purpose is to explore the responses of First Nations peoples to representative "Indian" stereotypes portrayed within the TV science fiction genre. Participants in Adare's study viewed episodes from My Favorite Martian , Star Trek , Star Voyager , Quantum Leap , The Adventures of Superman , and Star The Next Generation . Reactions by viewers range from optimism to a deep-rooted sadness. The strongest responses came after viewing a Superman episode's depiction of an "evil medicine man" who uses a ceremonial pipe to kill a warrior. The significance of First Nations peoples' responses and reactions are both surprising and profound. After publication of "Indian" Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction , ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse for Hollywood's irresponsible depiction of First Nations peoples' culture, traditions, elders, religious beliefs, and sacred objects.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intriguing study for any who are interested in the depictions of native peoples in science fiction television. This is not a highly "theoretical" book, but a study of every day First Nations people's responses to depictions supposedly of themselves in 7 specific episodes of science fiction television (including one original Star Trek episode, one Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, two Star Trek: Voyager episodes, one episode of My Favorite Martian, one of Quantum Leap and one of The Adventures of Superman). The only thing that would have made this book better in my view is if they had included one or two of the X-Files episodes that revolved around native characters/themes etc.