Indian Comics Irregular #166

In January, CBS broadcast "Comanche Moon," Larry McMurtry's prequel to his hit
"Lonesome Dove." Spread over three nights, the mini-series was one of the worst
hatchet jobs on Indians in recent memory. It wasn't much better than a 1950s
Western with whooping wild men.

In part one, we meet the major Indian characters. As I wrote in my review:

There's Blue Duck the attempted assassin. Kicking Wolf and Three Birds the
horse thieves. Ahumado the torturer. An unnamed Comanche rapist. And Buffalo
Hump, the genocidal revenge seeker.

Other than speaking Comanche, these Indians show no evidence of culture. They
have no religion, no beliefs, no ceremonies. They live to steal horses, capture
women, and kill white men.

In part two, Blue Duck (Adam Beach) rapes a white woman in the middle of the
street. Apparently, his lusts are so bestial that he can't control himself. In
part three, Buffalo Hump (Wes Studi) and his brother-in-law Idahi decide to end
their lives. Blue Duck bludgeons a bear, then tracks down and murders Buffalo
Hump, his father.

As I concluded:

So what are we left with? Indians kill each other or go off to die. Either
way, their actions are barbaric and savage--nothing civilized men would do.

It doesn't even matter because they're doomed to die. Like dinosaurs, cavemen,
and other primitive creatures, their time is done.

"Kid Nation" Meets Indians

In December, the reality show "Kid Nation" ("40 Kids. 40 Days. No Adults") had
an episode featuring Indians. In the first half, the town's leaders meet Pueblo
Indians incongruously camped nearby in teepees. In the second half, the
remaining youngsters reenact the Homestead Act by building shacks on plots of
land.

Here's what the kids (and the viewers) learned about Indians from the show:

Indians lived here "centuries ago" but are now (almost) gone. You'll find them
only out in the wilderness somewhere if you search long enough. Led by a chief,
they live in teepees and do colorful dances. They impart sage advice around
flickering fires.

Since the Indians have vanished, the land is empty. It's okay to claim this
vacant country as your own--to move in and raise towns on it. Using God's gifts
to help yourself is your manifest destiny.

The Emperor's New Sacrilege

Since January 2006, ABC has aired a Saturday morning cartoon called "The
Emperor's New School." It's a spinoff of "The Emperor's New Groove," the
animated Disney movie (ICI #48). In it, the sarcastic, self-satisfied Emperor
Kuzco must stay in school or he'll lose his throne.

At first I thought the cartoons might be as entertaining as the old Looney
Tunes. Then I realized they're treating Indians as if they lived in a magical
fantasy land devoid of history or culture. In this series, Indians are about as
real as fairies, elves, or mermaids.

Worse, in one episode Kuzco mocks the Inca god Viracocha. As I noted:

Could there be a better example of how "The Emperor's New School" disdains
Indian culture? A supreme deity is treated like a joke. To the show's
creators, he's no different from Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. He's
infinitely less important, not more important, than a human emperor who should
be groveling at his feet.

For the full story on these shows, visit http://www.bluecorncomics.com/natv.htm
.

Rob Schmidt
Blue Corn Comics