Lego's Tribal Hunter minifigure

Adrienne Keene of the Native Appropriations blog reports on this Lego figure:

Tribal Hunter“Nature is both beautiful and very ticklish.”

The Tribal Hunter is a skilled, wise and noble tracker who is at one with the wilderness. He lives off the land, his only possessions a hand-made bow and quiver (though some say he also has an MP3 player hidden somewhere, and that he’s secretly a great dancer). There is no better hunter alive, but he does not hunt to eat–instead, he prefers to prove his skill in a most unusual way.

If an animal is famous for being difficult to sneak up on, you can bet that the Tribal Hunter can be found creeping silently toward it, his bare feet making not a sound on the dry autumn leaves, until he suddenly jumps out to surprise the unsuspecting creature with a friendly poke. Fortunately, he is also a very fast runner, because most of the time he ends up getting chased by something with very big teeth and a very short temper. But that’s all just part of being the best hunter around!Adrienne comments:I think this serves as a great example of how a "Noble Savage" stereotype can be just as damaging as a fierce-scalping-war-like character. So let's see. "Tribal Hunter" is skilled, wise, and lives off the land--playing into the stereotypes of Natives being mystically connected to the land and nature. He has a bow and arrow and is the best hunter around--because he creeps silently through the leaves (like every "Indian scout" in every movie ever). But to make sure you still remember he's "modern" he's rumored to have a mp3 player, and *gasp* is a good dancer. Though it's not confirmed. Thanks?

But don't worry all you helicopter parents concerned about the amount of violence to which your child is exposed! This "hunter" doesn't hunt/kill to eat animals (god forbid). He tickles them. If that isn't infantilizing Natives, I don't know what is. I just picture this clown-like Indian jumping out of the bushes with a lopsided grin and poking a buffalo with a maniacal laugh.

If you go to the Lego page, you can see along the side the other "characters"--there are some occupations, like deep sea diver and nurse, but most are things like Ninja, Caveman, Robot, Zombie, etc. Just like I mentioned in my post about headdresses at Yale Class Day, Indians are placed as a fantasy character, pretend, not a real group of people.Blogger Stephen Bridenstine adds:I always like to make the comparison to pirates, ninjas, and cowboys. All of these are rooted in history but have become so twisted and stereotyped thanks mostly to popular culture--literature, films, TV, etc.

But as I remind everyone, when you got that questionnaire from the government a few months ago, tell me, was there a box to check off with the word pirate next to it? How about ninja or cowboy?

Well, there is a box on the U.S. Census for American Indian. That's the difference!Comment:  Except for the "Caveman" and the "Forestman," all the figures are set in the present or future. In contrast, the Indian is set in the past. Again, there's zero recognition that an Indian could be a spaceman, nurse, or cowboy.

Note also that he's wearing warpaint even though he's only hunting. It couldn't be clearer that people aren't trying to replicate or "honor" actual Native traditions. What they're doing is treating Indians as a collection of superficial costume elements--just like the circus clown.

Someone else makes another good point:Also, it gets better: I checked out the Lego page, and the only 2 females (out of 16) are, you guessed it, the cheerleader and nurse! Is it just me, or are kids' toys getting even MORE stereotypical?In other words, Lego's "thinking" is purely stereotypical. These toys are like something out of the 1950s. A "Chinaman" in a coolie costume, an Arab on a flying carpet in a turban, and a woman in a cocktail dress and pearls would just about complete the set.

A "defense" of Lego

Correspondent Michael Cooke offered a predictable defense of Lego: that all the figures are stupid and stereotypical, so why single out the Indian?Yeah, and the wrestler is a Mexican, the White guy is a dumb cowboy and the spaceman is stupid and has no skills. But that's not worth mentioning?My response:

You almost had me worried that you might have a valid point, Mike. But as usual, you don't.

All the characters are yellow-skinned, so there's no white guy or Mexican. The wrestler is specifically not labeled a Mexican or Latino, so you're flatly wrong there. The only figure that has a clear ethnic identity is the Tribal Hunter (Indian).

The Cowboy has a notable set of skills and the Spaceman has an array of high-tech equipment. In contrast, the Indian supposedly tickles his quarry into submission. In short, the only reason to comment on the other figures would be to emphasize how much more stereotypical the Indian is.

For more on Native-themed toys, see Mormon Action Figures and Indian Toys and Games. For more on Indians as fantasy figures, see Natives = "Pirates" and "Outlaws" and Indians, Smurfs, and Fairies.