Indian Comics Irregular #30

While critics slam "The Road to El Dorado" for distorting
Mesoamerican culture and history, they're praising another
Native-themed movie, "The Other Conquest." In his review for the LA
Times (4/20/00), Kevin Thomas wrote:

In his bravura feature debut, [Salvador] Carrasco has created
nothing less than a dazzling vision of the birth of a uniquely
Mexican religion born of the searing fusion of Catholic and Aztec
deities. This epic film is an impassioned assertion that the proud
Aztec spirit lives on in Mexico's culture despite the horrific
efforts of the conquistadors and their priests to eradicate every
vestige of the Aztec heritage of the vanquished natives.

Another Times article describes Carrasco's approach:

From the beginning, the filmmakers set out to make a movie that
explored the conquest with as few clichés as possible. "We
were not going to make a film about the goodies and the baddies,"
Carrasco said. "You end up having a racist approach by doing
that. We were never interested in the idea that the Indians were
so innocent and pure, and showing them in a mystical trance
playing the flute. I think that is disrespectful. These were
complex cultures with inner contradictions."

"The Other Conquest," Mexico's highest grossing drama, is off to an
impressive start in the US, according to box-office reports.
Meanwhile, the Times describes "El Dorado"--a movie about the same
period--as "a big money loser." Is this further evidence that
authentic storytelling is better storytelling, both morally and
financially?

A Lie Is Out There

The 1998 "X-Files" movie begins with two men walking through snow and
ice. The scene is supposedly North Texas, 36,000 BC, during an Ice
Age. The men look like your typical cavemen: raggedy furs, straggly
hair, heavy features that make them seem semi-Neanderthal.

"The X-Files" gets it wrong two ways. Most archaeologists would say
people weren't in North America in 36,000 BC. Most Native Americans
would say people--their Amerindian ancestors--have always been here.
These two wretches looked like Caucasians with bad plastic surgery.

An extra demerit for making the men speechless and having one of them
roar like an animal at the end. The implication is that ancient
Amerindians couldn't speak as we can. In fact, most experts think
language originated at least 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, when modern
humans evolved. And, notes the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, "the
earliest forms of language known are no more 'primitive' than modern
forms."

In short, "The X-Files" is yet another erroneous depiction of Native
Americans. And it would've been so easy to get it right, too. Hire
a couple of Native actors, set the prologue in 13,000 BC, and give
them a few words to speak. So why not do it?

People in the News

We welcome yet another advisor to our board: Joseph Riverwind
(Creek/Seminole), a PC technician and Web designer. Thanks for
helping, friend. You can visit Joseph's website at
http://homes.arealcity.com/southeastintertribal.

We also want to thank Carolyn Bloomer, PhD, for using this newsletter
in her Cultural Beliefs Curriculum at the Ringling School of Art and
Design in Florida. To learn about Carolyn's work, head to
http://members.xoom.com/peaceparty/ici1.htm. Who says comic books
aren't educational?

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics