"Hollywood Destroyed Image of Indians"

OHSWEKEN - Fifteen years ago at the 45th annual Academy Awards presentation in Santa Monica, Calif., Marlon Brando rejected Hollywood's most coveted prize. Having won an Oscar in the title role of The Godfather, he took issue with the movies for being "as responsible as any for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character. Describing him as savage, hostile and evil."

Actress Sacheen Littlefeather tried to deliver his dis-acceptance speech amid boos and catcalls. By the third paragraph, she was escorted off the stage.

Hollywood film director Norman Jewison, a Canadian recently acknowledged that "feature films are the literature of our generation. They express the social conscience of a country: films are forever."

Too bad American director John Ford didn't know anything about psychology or history. In his late-1940s U.S. Cavalry triology, hero John Wayne single-handedly killed an awful lot of Indians.

A host of actors such as, J. Carol Nash, Victor Mature, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Rock Hudson, Richard Harris, and Trevor Howard have all starred in films about Indians. It would seem physique was the main criteria for these poor casting choices.

Aware of this dilemma, Jay Silverheels, who co-starred as Tonto in the Lone Ranger stories, founded the Indian Actors Workshop "as a vehicle to get Indian people on the screen; also to try and change the image of Indian people."

Finally focussing its lenses, Hollywood shamed the American conscience by releasing Little Big Man in 1970. Chief Dan George, a Tsla-a-wat, portrayed Old Lodgeskins and won the New York film Critics' and National Society of Film critics' awards in 1971. Though he lost his bid for an Oscar, his Best Supporting Actor nomination put him and his people's cause in the limelight.

But films with Indian story lines starring bankable non-Indians continued Hollywood's tradition of looking but not seeing.

James Buller, a Cree, founded The Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts in Toronto. Said Buller in 1981; "So many millions of dollars have been spent on native development. It hasn't give us our pride. But the Arts will give us that. They are a positive demonstration."

Last year, Six Nations' Gary Farmer landed feature roles in two films. Graham Greene, another actor from Ohsweken, has had success in CBC's Spirit Bay series. Greene's credits range from costume dramas on CBC-TV's The Campbell's to a long-haired lawyer in a contemporary TV series. Fern Henry has many TV credits and played the lead in a film about Mohawk poetess and theatrical performer Emily Pauline Johnson.

While some move into acting, others see production as a final step in achieving parity. Filmmakers such as Carol Geddes, Tlingit, are involved in projects told from the 'Indian Heart' point of view. ANDPVA projects include two films: a biography of the first Indian to conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, England, titled John Kim Bell, and a prize-winning short film, October Stranger.

Though a long way from reducing the stoic, 'noble savage' image perpetuated by Hollywood, Indian artists seem unanimous in their conviction to start bringing out the truth. Until that happens, the dominant society will never see Indians as they are.