http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=40839

'Hollywood Casting Call': Native Americans need not apply

Mike Graham
October 22, 2007

Have you watched a movie release lately starring a Native American actor as
the main character? How about one cast in a supporting roll? The answer is,
most likely not. For whatever reason, Hollywood seems to make it a point of
not casting Native Americans in movies to include television network shows.

Over past decades it has become very noticeable that Native Americans are
missing from the Hollywood entertainment industries big screen. They’re
saying, how many Geronimo movies do they want us to make? Casting companies
have pretty much locked themselves into having one White man, one White
Woman, one Black man and one Gay oriented character in the line up of all
movies. Hollywood sees nothing wrong with that, all the while knowingly
turning its back on Native American actors.

It would seem that Hollywood is engaged in social engineering of our visual
and mental outlook of the world through their present limited casting line
up. In my younger days it was the Lone Ranger and Tonto, and a host of
White men dressed up like Indians; today it's Mel Gibson and Danny Glover
followed by a host of Black men side kick's to White men actors. Hollywood
has always had a problem portraying Indians as the good guys.

When given a chance Native Americans like Russell Means, Cher, Valerie
Red-Horse, Rodney Grant, Wes Study, Burt Reynolds and Mr. Las Vegas himself
-Wayne Newton not only became big stars in America, they archived worldly
fame. Elvis Presley was called a White man, said to sing like a Black man
even though Elvis had Cherokee Indian heritage. Elvis made it a point in
his film career to show his Indian heritage pride. The national media made
it a point not to cover Elvis' Indian heritage. This was back in the days
of when it was not cool to be Indian or go around telling people you had
Indian heritage thanks to you know who - Hollywood.

For whatever reason, today it seems everyone is trying to claim their
Indian heritage "Ah-choo" Casino Money. Hollywood though, is still not
willing to bite the bullet or ready to bury the hatchet by casting Native
Americans throughout its entertainment industries. To date, there has never
been an all-Indian cast TV show. When it comes to television commercial
casting, the closest thing related to Native Americans is a Jeep Cherokee
commercial.

It's time for the Hollywood corporate heads to start including Native
Americans in their casting calls. America is all about Native Americans;
from the main land to Alaska and Hawaii they are there in living color.
Hollywood is making its unwritten policy of racial exclusion plain for the
entire world to see.

Actor Marlon Brando was a strong supporter of Hollywood bringing Native
Americans into the film and television Industries. Marlon Brando's most
public appeal for Indian rights came in 1973 when he won the Academy Award
for best actor in The Godfather. Instead of appearing himself at the
awards, he sent Sasheen Littlefeather to reject the Oscar and voice his
anger over Hollywood's portrayal of Indians in films. In 1992, Brando
called for his name to be removed from the credits for the film Christopher
Columbus: The Discovery. Brando, who played Grand Inquisitor Torquemada
said the finished film did not show the explorer's role in the "genocide
obliteration" of Indians.

The last big TV show to film in Hawaii was Magnum PI, which included a main
cast of three White men and one African American man, not to be confused
with Three White men and a baby. Magnum PI aired for the better part of a
decade and never added a Native Hawaiian actor to the main cast. Hollywood
repeatedly shows that it only wants Native Americans portrayed in ancillary
roles or as background props to create atmosphere in a western or tropical
setting.

In 2005 FOX, NBC and ABC went to Hawaii to film new television series. Of
all the main characters between the three shows, only one Native Hawaiian
was cast. Each year the national television networks say they are committed
to diversity in their programming. One would think that out of three new
shows being filmed in Hawaii, the networks would include more than one
Native Hawaiian actor in their main cast. United Native America called for
a boycott over the issue. Two of the shows ended up being canceled. ABC's
TV show Lost made the cut without any Native Hawaiian actors, so much for
the word Aloha.

It's past time for the movie industries and TV networks to stop their
stereo profiling and racial exclusion. It’s time to include Native
Americans in casting line-ups and begin to portray them in everyday life as
it is in our society today. The American public is more than willing to see
Native Americans in leading roles. It's time for the networks to step up to
the plate and clean up their racial attitude toward Native Americans. The
Sundance Cable Network not withstanding; what can the film industry
possibly gain by taking such a biased position against Native cultures?
Whether deliberate, ignorant or indifferent, the out come of Hollywood's
decisions are still the same: misrepresentation, exclusion, and degradation
for Native peoples.

United Native America has an online petition calling for a national holiday
for Native Americans and for an end to racial exclusion of Native Americans
in movies and television leading roles. Please support these issues by
signing the petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/indian/petition.html

Web sites of Interest:

http://www.firstamericans.org/

http://www.nativecelebs.com/

www.NativeAmericanMusicAwards.com

Mike Graham, citizen Oklahoma Cherokee Nation

Founder United Native America

www.UnitedNativeAmerica.com