Tonto Revisited stereotype exhibit

Tonto Revisited:  Native American StereotypesWhat do Land ’o Lakes, Argo Cornstarch and Syracuse minor league baseball have in common? Stereotyped images of Native Americans. This exhibit is curated by Tom Huff, a Seneca/Cayuga artist living on the Onondaga Nation. It exposes the cultural mythology surrounding Native Americans. The images and objects associated with “Indians” are dictated and defined by the dominant non-Indian culture. Many of the resulting representations are culturally and socially incorrect, even racist, with exaggerated misrepresentations of Native Americans.

Huff’s collection of portrayals of menacing warriors wielding tomahawks, knives and bows and arrows found in posters, advertisements, toys, sports logos and more will be on display. He has been collecting “Indian Kitsch” for over 25 years. While many may not think of them individually as destructive, this exhibit helps to illustrate how these pervasive negative preconceptions trivialize the tragedy wrought on indigenous peoples everywhere. We hope to both dispel the myths surrounding Native Americans and to encourage a new understanding of native peoples.Comment:  Sounds good...like what I'm doing on my website.

Key point:While many may not think of them individually as destructive, this exhibit helps to illustrate how these pervasive negative preconceptions trivialize the tragedy wrought on indigenous peoples everywhere.Right. They may not be individually destructive, but they're collectively destructive. And there are millions of them throughout our culture. Not hidden away like racist images of blacks and other minorities. Instead, out in the open, everywhere.

For more on the subject, see Indigenous Imagery in Corporate Logos, Indian Toys and Games, and Indian Kitsch in Wisconsin Dells.