Indian Comics Irregular #31

Ron Fattoruso, PEACE PARTY #1's penciler, suggested we look at songs
about Native Americans. Since we aim to cover Native appearances in
popular culture, the topic is a good one. How do Indians fare in pop
music?

Ron submitted three Native-themed songs by heavy metal groups:
"Trail of Tears" by Testament, "Spirit Horse of the Cherokee" by
Manowar, and "Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden. What can we note
about these songs?

On the plus side, they summarize key moments of Native history with
reasonable accuracy. They make good use of Indian names, concepts,
and events. One can't expect much more in a short slice of music.

And yet, the songs are still subtly stereotypical. They present and
reinforce only one side of the story. Let's see how.

The overwhelming tone of these songs is elegiac. The Indians were
strong, brave, and unyielding. They fought against overwhelming
forces until, to coin a phrase, they could fight no more (forever).
But still they lost.

The imagery reinforces this tone. The setting sun, the trail of
tears, running for the hills, fighting to the grave. The message is
that Indians are defeated, dead, and gone.

A second theme is the Indian as warrior. All these songs contain
martial language. "A warrior's riding"..."hatchets sing with
pride"..."We fought him hard, we fought him well." Many Indians,
especially those who battled the US Army, were obviously warriors.
But many weren't. The Pueblo people, for instance, resisted not with
"hatchets" but with what we'd call civil disobedience today.

In contrast, consider the song "Ghost Dance" by Robbie Robertson
(Mohawk) and the Red Road Ensemble. The differences?

1) A more knowing account of Native history. Crazy Horse and Sitting
Bull as mystic and apostle, not just warriors. An idea that the
Indian/Anglo clashes were about ideological differences, not just
greed. A more thorough listing of Native people. (Not just the
Sioux and Apache fought the US.)

2) No invocation of warrior imagery. In "Ghost Dance," prayer and
love will win the day. This reflects the deep spiritual grounding of
traditional Native cultures. Though Indian tribes fought with each
other, harmony rather than supremacy was their overriding goal.

3) Finally, "Ghost Dance" looks forward rather than backward. This
isn't an elegy of a defeated people, but rather a prediction of times
to come. The tone is similar to that of the civil rights belief,
which was also religiously based: "We shall live again," "We shall
overcome." There's no doubt in the word "shall" that the outcome
WILL occur.

For the complete lyrics and analysis of these songs, go to
http://members.xoom.com/peaceparty/nalyrics.htm.

Indians Shanghaied

In the commercial for the new Jackie Chan western, "Shanghai Noon,"
Chan and an Indian chief say "How" to each other uncomprehendingly.
Later, Chan gets bombed smoking a "peace pipe." He awakes to find
himself betrothed to the proverbial chief's daughter.

Whoa. Sounds like a real laff riot from the Native American
perspective...not. The stereotyping continues.

More Pix Online

I've posted more pix of Pueblo country and the Maya site Chichén
Itzá at http://members.xoom.com/peaceparty/gallery.htm. While
advisor Joseph Riverwind helps jazz up our website, I've posted his
comments on PEACE PARTY at
http://members.xoom.com/peaceparty/fans.htm. Check 'em out.

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics