Offered Winter Quarter via ZOOM
at Communiversity Issaquah
Fridays 10:30 to 12:30
Did Hollywood icons such as Director John Ford and actors Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne have any part in creating the perception of Native people today? Perhaps! This course will view and analyze some of Hollywood’s greatest Westerns in search of the answer. After learning about the Native Worldview and thinking about what we should be looking for in the films, we will view classic Westerns and explore in group discussions how Indians were portrayed and whether those images might have had lasting effects.
The Hollywood Indian:
Looking Through Indigenous Eyes
Class will begin with briefly examining the Native Worldview and Perspective. After gaining some insight into how the Native views the world, we will watch the introductory film Reel Injun. Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinema's depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today, with clips from hundreds of classic and recent Hollywood movies, and candid interviews with celebrated Native and non-Native film celebrities, activists, film critics, and historians.
Class Resources:
Click on the movie icons below for a preview of what is coming in the weeks ahead.
