American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Native Americans Through a Distorted Lens

Native Americans Through a Distorted Lens

Details

Author
Mike Stapert
Topic/Subject Area
Native American
Historical Era
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762, Revolutionary America, 1763–1783, The New Nation, 1784–1815, National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
Grade Level
Middle School (6–8), High School (9–12)
Creation Date
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that popular misconceptions about Native American culture in the early 20th century were often reflected in American literature, art and drama.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items

Teaching Plan

  1. Students will have had previous instruction on the prominent Native American groups and cultures that existed in the New England area during the colonial period. They will have already discussed early interactions between indigenous peoples and European colonists in the Northeast.
  2. Students will be placed into groups of four. Each group will view the photo entitled Indians Glimpse a Vision of the Future and discuss their initial impressions. Students should be informed that the “Native Americans” in the photo are being played by white townspeople for an historical pageant in the town of Deerfield. Students will answer the following questions:
    1. What reactions do the “Native Americans” seem to have to this “vision” of the future?
    2. How would you describe the clothing & way of dress of the “Native Americans”?
    3. What does the posture of many of the “Native Americans” suggest about them, compared to the posture and body language of the women in white?
    4. List 5 adjectives to describe the “Native Americans” in the picture, and 5 adjectives to describe the women in white.
  3. Next, students will read the second paragraph from the article “New Attack on Deerfield. By Moving Picture Red Skins.” from the Springfield Republican (Mar 13, 1910) newspaper. Instruct students to pay particular attention to the language used to describe the Native Americans, and to the aspects of their culture and appearance the writer highlights.
  4. After students have read the passage from the Springfield Republican article, they will discuss their reactions to the following questions with their group:
    1. Does the author describe Native Americans in a favorable way?
    2. What are some descriptive words the author uses that you think a Native American would object to?
    3. What does the author believe that audiences want to see when it comes to Native Americans? Do you think this is still true of movie audiences today?
    4. Would you want to see the movie based on the short passage you just read? Why or why not?
  5. Try to write a fictional movie review for a film that highlights more favorable aspects of Native American cultures. For example, perhaps you can review a film that focuses on the vast knowledge of the environment many native cultures had, or their adaptability, their complex religious & social systems, or even their accomplishments in the arts. Students who have difficulty creating an original review may try to rewrite portions of the Springfield Republican review using less provocative language.