American Indians at the Margins

Since the earliest days of America, racist imagery has been used to create harmful stereotypes of the indigenous people. In this book, the conflict between invading European white settlers and the indigenous groups who occupied the land that became the United States is described through the context of race and racism. Using depictions from art, literature, radio, cinema and television, the origin and persistence of such stereotypes are explained, and their debilitating effects on the well-being of Indians are presented. This text also explores their accomplishments in attempts to maintain their sovereignty, dignity and respect.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Retired professor H. Roy Kaplan, taught Africana Studies at the University of South Florida, Tampa and was named a Hero of Education by the U.S. Department of Education. The author of six other books, he lives in Highlands, New Jersey.

H. Roy Kaplan

Foreword by Suzan Shown Harjo

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 358
Bibliographic Info: 42 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8490-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4537-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by Suzan Shown Harjo 1
Preface 3
Introduction: The Forgotten Minority: How Stereotypes Marginalized the Indians 7
1. Race and Reality 15
2. Why Race Matters 27
3. The Origin of Race and Racism 46
4. In the Beginning 73
5. Conquistadors and Cannibals 82
6. The Lasting Testament of The Last of the Mohicans 90
7. Native Americans and Atrocities: Scalping, Raping, and Pillaging 101
8. Barbarians, Savages, Braves, Warriors, Statesmen, and Heroes 106
9. Cooper’s Enduring Influence 135
10. Compulsory Assimilation: Indian Boarding Schools 144
11. The Drunken Indian Stereotype 151
12. Indian Casinos: Winners and Losers in the Game of Life 159
13. Making Stereotypes Stick: Indians as Cultural Artifacts 167
14. The Contemporary Western Novel and Native Americans 191
15. Television, Cowboys, and Indians 197
16. Buffalo Bill, Art, and Indians 213
17. Native Americans in the Modern Media 227
18. Proselytizers, ­Do-Gooders, Voyeurs, and Exploiters 236
19. The Final Fight? 247
Epilogue 280
Appendix: List of Federal and State Recognized Tribes 283
Chapter Notes 295
Bibliography 325
Index 341