But, That Isn’t What Was Shown to Me! Inaccurate Portrayals of Indigenous Peoples in Media and Literature
- Anne Tepper (Iowa State University)
Abstract
What has been shown in the media and what is described in literature about indigenous people is not what it should be. The misconceptions of this group that have been portrayed for so long have led to racism and discrimination that come from stereotyping indigenous people in the media. What is shown on TV and read in literature can put images in our minds of what these people are supposed to look like, when, in reality, they may look just like we do. Why are these people shown in this misconstrued way? Not only is there misrepresentation of indigenous people in the media, but also this group is underrepresented when it comes to media. Are the directors or the authors leading this problem? In this presentation we would like to show how this came to be an issue and what we may be able to do to change it. Our research on this topic focuses on the effect of cultural appropriation and how it affects this topic of misrepresenting indigenous people. This will be an interactive session filled with media clips that help showcase the topic and bring it to life with examples.