The Rhetoric of Empire and Our Image of Indians

My most common memories of American Indians, although I realize they are false, are those from old Western movies. The Apache, Commanche, and other Plains tribes were favorites for directors and writers to use to exemplify the "Savage". It makes me laugh to think about the context which we talked about this representation today. It is nothing more than a way to push what we fear about ourselves (as Westerners) on other groups of people. Although the tribes of the plains may have had a strong warrior tradition, that does not mean that they are unthinking monsters who rape, pillage, and destroy. But if we think of them that way, we have a much easier time rationalizing our own agenda. It becomes much easier to kill a group of people and take their land when they are not on a moral par with you. Western movies are just one example of how we have continued to use Colonial discourse to defend our mistreatment and general disrespect of the cultures of American Indians.