Trouble for Tonto in Lone Ranger

Another Native-themed episode of Lone Ranger (airdate: July 20, 1950)--the second one in a row:

Trouble for Tonto

Terry Baxter, a young white man, overpowers and kills Black Eagle, the Indian holding him captive. Black Eagle was taking Baxter to the notorious outlaw Buck Fargo. Fargo planned to blackmail Baxter's father into letting Fargo's gang rob the bank.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto arrive to see if Baxter is all right. He tells them what happened. They decide Tonto will take Black Eagle's place and escort Baxter to learn Fargo's exact plans.

At Fargo's hideout, Tonto has all the answers when Fargo questions him. He valiantly protects young Baxter from harm. Until Fargo presents Tonto with a ring from his "squaw," that is. It doesn't fit Tonto's fingers, so Fargo knows he's a fraud and subdues him.



That's about all the Native content. A few things stand out:

White Eagle = good, Black Eagle = bad. See previous episode.

The second episode in a row starts with someone killing an Indian. The circumstances were reversed; this time the good person killed the bad person. But the initial killing of an Indian may have been a cheap thrill for 1950s audiences.

I wonder if an episode ever started with a good Indian justly killing a bad white man. Somehow I doubt it.

Tonto is a quick thinker but still gets taken captive. He still serves as a "damsel in distress" for the Lone Ranger.

I wonder if an episode ever climaxed with Tonto saving a helpless Ranger. Somehow I doubt it.

At least Tonto gets a few minutes of solo time, and handles it well. Black Eagle is played by a white actor, of course. All in all, one of those mediocre episodes I mentioned in the previous posting.

You can watch the whole episode here:

Trouble for Tonto

For more on the Lone Ranger, see White Man's Magic in Lone Ranger and Review of Lone Ranger: Vendetta.

White Man's Magic in Lone Ranger

I recently started watching a TV channel with old shows, so I'm catching up on some episodes featuring Indians. Here's one from The Lone Ranger (airdate: July 13, 1950):

White Man's MagicTonto finds the body of an Indian belonging to a local tribe. The Ranger and Tonto decide foul play is involved and follow a set tracks leading back to the reservation. Independently we discover the local Indian police Sergeant Pala working with the owner of the Empire Land Company to convince the Indians to rebel and lose their land. Tonto and the Ranger discover a weapons cache left by Pala, and disable the weapons. The Chief of the tribe White Eagle is poisoned causing the expected uprising. Pala realizes Tonto knows too much and tries to kill him. The Ranger intervenes, apprehending Pala. The pair then race to where the Indians are massing for their attack. When the Indians try to attack their guns miss fire. Believing it is the spirit of White stopping the guns, the Indians decide to give upThe setup

First, let's note the episode's setup.

Chief White Eagle is a good Indian who will stay on the reservation to keep the peace. Medicine man Red Moon is a bad Indian who wants to leave the reservation and cause trouble. What kind of trouble? Killing, raping, plundering...whatever a savage does.

This is a common setup. It's similar to the setup in many Western movies of that era. Indeed, it may be the most common setup involving Indians. Good Indians stay on the rez; bad Indians try to leave.

Left unstated are the conditions that created this setup. The white man waged war on the Indians...killed or starved them into submission...locked them into an area with the promise of food and supplies...then left them to suffer and die. It was manifestly corrupt and immoral, but movies and TV shows don't mention that.

This setup is like saying, "Good prisoners stay in jail; bad prisoners try to escape." Well, who are these prisoners? Who put them there, and why? Those questions rarely get asked or answered.

White Eagle has a stereotypical warbonnet. His people live in stereotypical tipis. Red Moon has the stereotypical buffalo headpiece of medicine men. Everything about them fits a predictable pattern. White = good, red = bad. Chief = good, medicine man = bad.



Sergeant Pala is of course a half-breed, the worst kind of Indian. He wants to be a white man, but his reddish skin makes him a lowlife thug and miscreant. No matter how hard he tries, he can't wash away the taint of savagery in his blood.

As for the premise, I guess Geronimo's band of Apaches rebelled from "captivity" on a reservation. Did any others? If so, I think it was rare.

Sure, white farmers, ranchers, and miners forced Indians off their land--the Trail of Tears being the most famous example. But did white speculators trick Indians into violating their own treaty? And getting themselves expelled? I've never heard of a case.

Anyway, the premise is a little complex for a half-hour TV show, but it's reasonably plausible. It could've happened even if it didn't.

The other element not mentioned in the summary is Antonette "Toni" Carver, a white artist who's traveling alone. She sneaks onto the reservation in defiance of Army regulations to paint White Eagle. Every element of this rings false. I haven't heard of white women traveling alone and seeking Indians during the Indian Wars.

It pretty much goes without saying that Jay Silverheels is the only Native actor in the episode. The others are played by white actors with a history of "redface" (portraying Indians).

Tonto immediately launches into his stereotypical Tonto talk: "Me do this, me do that." How does he speak passable English but not understand "I" vs. "me"? As usual, he exists primarily to set up the Lone Ranger with questions: "What we do now, kemosabe?" Oh, and to get captured, so the Ranger has someone to rescue before the big finish.

The plot

The story starts with Standing Tree finding a cache of guns and Sergeant Pala killing him. He then tells Ira Boles, head of the Empire Land Company, what's happening. Pala is in charge of stirring up the bad Indians--giving the guns to Red Moon and his followers. Boles tells Pala he wants results now, not later.

The Indians love White Eagle too much to follow Red Moon, so Pala plans to poison him. Notably, Pala will blame White Eagle's death on Carver's painting of him. The Indians are a superstitious lot. They'll believe that Carver's painting stole his soul and thus killed him.

Sure enough, White Eagle sips some stew and keels over. Tonto recognizes the food as poisoned, but Pala and Red Moon blames the chief's death on the painting. Tonto tries to run, but Pala's men capture him and take him to town. They leave Carver for Red Moon to sacrifice by burning her at the stake.

This is ridiculous for several reasons. Photography is the medium that's supposed to steal souls, not painting. Judging by all the photos of Indians, I don't think many Indians believed that. Judging by all the paintings--several decades' worth before this time--I don't think any Indians believed painting was some magical rite.

And sacrificing the evil sorceress? By torching her? Holy Joan of Arc, Batman!

No doubt Indians occasionally believed white people performed "black magic." And occasionally sacrificed white people. I don't know for sure, but I'm betting it never happened for painting a portrait.

Finally, the Lone Ranger rescues Tonto and they arrive to stop the sacrifice. The Ranger previous disabled the guns, but now claims he can make them stop working with his great magic. When the guns click, the Indians believe he's a powerful spirit and surrender.

Again, superstitious nonsense. Were the Indians going to use guns without knowing how they worked? How about testing them rather than trusting a shifty white man? How about attacking the Ranger and Tonto with their backup weapons: bows and arrows, knives, or whatever?

At that point, Indians had been using guns for centuries...but they were so childishly ignorant of mechanics that the Ranger could fool them? It does not compute.

All in all, White Man's Magic is a poor representation of Indians. Worse than the usual '50s-era movie or TV show, which sometimes are mediocre or even decent. The only good point is invoking an evil land company rather than an evil rancher or Indian agent. Land theft was a joint operation by government, business, and individuals, not just the work of a few "bad apples."

Watch the whole episode here:

White Man's Magic

For more on the Lone Ranger, see Review of Lone Ranger: Vendetta and Fetching in Enter the Lone Ranger.

Results of the #NotYourTonto storm

No Oscar for redface–but is that progress?

By Adrienne KeeneLast night, when the category came up for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, I held my breath. Luckily, the award went to Dallas Buyers Club, which had an overall budget of $250 FOR THE WHOLE MAKEUP FOR THE WHOLE MOVIE (ETA: Dallas Buyers Club is not without controversy over representations as well. There are folks in the trans* community who are very unhappy about the ways their community was portrayed in the film). Not that it looked like Lone Ranger spent any more than that with JD’s day-after-halloween-slept-in-your-facepaint look. But anyway.

So does that mean anything? Hooray, a movie didn’t win an Oscar for its brilliant use of redface? Not really, but it does bring to light some bigger issues. Before and during the Oscars, a group of Native activists organized a “twitter storm” using the hashtag #NotYourTonto to focus on the ongoing issues of misrepresentation of Native peoples in Hollywood. The series of tweets from everyone last night was really powerful, and shows how in 2014, the one-sided stereotypes that represent Native peoples in mainstream film really haven’t progressed at all. In 1973 Marlon Brando famously refused his Oscar and had Sacheen Littlefeather take the stage to protest the treatment of American Indians in Hollywood, and I think this portion of the speech, which didn’t air, is incredibly pertinent:Perhaps at this moment you are saying to yourself what the hell has all this got to do with the Academy Awards? Why is this woman standing up here, ruining our evening, invading our lives with things that don’t concern us, and that we don’t care about? Wasting our time and money and intruding in our homes.

I think the answer to those unspoken questions is that the motion picture community has been as responsible as any for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character, describing his as savage, hostile and evil. It’s hard enough for children to grow up in this world. When Indian children watch television, and they watch films, and when they see their race depicted as they are in films, their minds become injured in ways we can never know.1973. Forty one years ago. And those are words I could have easily written on my blog today. Rob Schmidt from Bluecorn Comics pointed out on twitter that the image of Tonto was the only Native the entire audience would see last night.

#NotYourTonto Sparked an Internet Backlash for All the Right Reasons

By Andrea Garcia-VargasIndigenous activist and writer Jacqueline Keeler came up with hashtag #NotYourTonto to respond to the nomination. Keeler, who had also organized the hashtag #NotYourMascot to protest the Washington Redskins during the Super Bowl, teamed up with fellow indigenous activist Ethan Keller to organize a Facebook event and Twitterstorm starting the night of March 2. The National Congress of American Indians and EONM (Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry) also signed on to help promote the movement.

It seemed to work. As the Oscars got underway on Sunday, the hashtag began to really take off.

Soon, it was trending all over the U.S.

In fact, Keeler noted that by the end of the night 1.8 million people were involved.In a tweet Keeler added:@bluecorncomics @AndreaGarVar Our latest analytics say 2.5 million reached by #NotYourTonto! Thanks for all your help!What the NotYourTonto Twitter Storm Looked Like [24 Images]



For more on the subject, see Faux Indians at the 2014 Oscars and Before the #NotYourTonto Storm.

How Disney promotes the status quo

Dani Miller takes Johnny Depp and Disney to task for hurting or failing to help Indians:

Earth to Johnny Depp

By Danielle MillerSoon after word of Lone Ranger filming, a video was released of Johnny Depp announcing the Gathering of Nations Pow wow. Was this truly an act of good faith, or just a Public Relations stunt meant to assuage his role of perpetuating red face? Many critiqued the video saying the way he acted seemed contrived. Others said his demeanor was an attempt to be cautious and respectful. My deduction of his actions is that Johnny Depp is misguided in his perceptions of Native Americans, like many celebrities and Americans.

Another rumor of a PR Stunt has created buzz online and through the moccasin telegraph; the claim that Johnny Depp is looking to buy Wounded Knee. In Episode 3 of “Rez Round up” Chase Iron Eyes was effective in summing up how many Natives feel about those claims. If this rumor was started as another PR stunt to generate buzz for Lone Ranger, then that is shameful. Of course if the purchase is made it will be appreciated. But it is very frustrating to see claims published with no action.

Chase made the great suggestion to Johnny Depp that he put money towards building an interpretive center to allow tribes to tell their stories. Allowing tribes to tell their own stories is very effective in healing from historical trauma and genocide. It is also effective in decreasing current instances of stereotyping and marginalization. That historical burden of our past is inevitable, but it’s not until we own our own history that we will truly be able to heal and move forward. Historical trauma doesn’t have to keep us feeling victimized or stagnant; it is a reminder to move forward and be empowered for the future we seek. Part of owning our history and identities is also about asserting respect for ourselves and how we are represented. Stereotypes erase culture; they keep natives stagnant and frozen in time. Stereotypes lead to dehumanization which escalates from racism to larger acts of violence. NOW is the time to address these issues to ensure respect, safety and equality for future generations.

In conclusion, some Natives are fans of Johnny Depp, and that’s what made the Lone Ranger so difficult to address. Opinions vary across communities. However, one can still be a fan of Johnny Depp while fighting for respectful representations of their people. True display of respect and honor is showing that you are willing to do what you can to correct situations of injustice. It’s never too late to do the right thing.From Donald Duck to the Wooster group: Di$ney Imperialism Propaganda Hidden in Plain Sight

By Dani MillerThe study “How to Read Donald Duck” analyzed Disney comics to find the effects it had on Chilean children. The results were truly disturbing. What’s even more disturbing is how relevant much of this research still is to Disney cartoons today. Although comics are a different medium many of the individualistic and imperialist attitudes still persist in Disney films. Many critique Disney for their lack of accurate representation of people of color in their films and the absence of parents reflecting the individualistic ideologies they push.

According to NY Times “Mr. Dorfman and Mr. Mattelart concluded the comics taught Chilean children not to rebel against their country’s dependent position in the international capitalist economic system…their conclusion was upheld when the general who overthrew the Government gained support by appealing too many of the values and cultural images imbued in the Disney texts.” It also encompasses the dichotomy of the savage vs. civilization. The book was so controversial that it was banned when it was published.

Could this same concept of propaganda against resistance be occurring in American media? Perhaps this is the reason that Disney continues to push imagery which stereotypes and marginalizes Native Americans. Many Native cultures encourage the best interest of the collective community. Sense of community and kinship systems are a threat to the individualistic “American Dream” that US society and Disney pushes.

Stereotypes are perpetuated by some of the largest corporations prevalent throughout all aspects of the mainstream. Disney, the NFL, and big fashion names such as Chanel and Victoria’s Secret are a few perpetuators. Artist from multiple genres: Kesha, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Kahlifa, Miley Cyrus, and Kanye West all have profited off of stereotypical depictions. The fact that Natives have become more vocal in opposition but these stereotypes still persist shows the extent to which institutional racism towards Native Americans is engrained.Comment:  I'd add Johnny Depp to the lineup of corporate interests who don't have Indian interests at heart. Recall:

As one of the "Lone Ranger's" producers, Depp conceived or pushed the whole project.

He insisted on playing Tonto rather than hiring a Native actor and finding another role for himself.

He invented a fantasy Tonto who bore no resemblance to actual Indians.

His character was "touched in the head," so the Native "hero" was atypical and abnormal.

Tonto's role in the movie was mostly to empower the Lone Ranger to act against a railroad tycoon.

The rest of Tonto's Comanche tribe rode to their deaths against the US Army.

So the movie gives us a slightly mad "lone wolf" fighting a futile rearguard action to stop progress. Followed by the last remaining Indians vanishing into the sunset. Except for Tonto, who lives a few more decades before also vanishing into the sunset.

This is an extremely limited view of Native activism. Remember how Tecumseh rallied dozens of tribes to join a confederation that almost stopped US expansion in its tracks? Tecumseh didn't wander around looking for a white savior, he rallied thousands of Indians to his cause.



If Depp wanted to inspire Indian youth, why didn't he have Tonto do something similar?

Indeed, how is any half-crazed person supposed to be a role model for youngsters? Is Depp advising modern Indians to hit their heads, leave their tribes, and "go crazy" with solo stunts against the military-industrial complex? Uh, thanks but no thanks.

Challenging the status quo

In the modern era, Native activists occupied Alcatraz and Wounded Knee. Marlon Brando supported these Indians, and Depp supposedly admires both them and Brando. So why didn't his Tonto do something equally rebellious?

The 19th-century equivalent of a radical protest might be the Ghost Dance movement. Suppose Tonto found a magical artifact that would let him dance the white man back to Europe. Suppose a villain wanted the artifact to become ruler of America. There's a movie for you. Life-and-death consequences for the entire country--exactly what Hollywood supposedly likes.

Suppose Tonto vanquishes the villain but decides not to go through with the Ghost Dance. Or suppose he does go through with it and the white man disappears. At the end, we learn the entire 20th century was nothing but a present-day Indian's nightmare dream.

There's a movie with a pro-Indian message.

Even acting alone, in a traditional Western, Tonto could've begun a guerrilla campaign against settlers a la Geronimo. He could've gone to Washington and tried to assassinate the president. Or if you prefer a nonviolent approach, he could've gone to Congress and demanded his people's rights.

Fighting a single evildoer is nothing compared to that. It's basically accepting the reality of Euro-American conquest. Which is why critics say most entertainment products--from old Westerns to Karl May's novels to The Lone Ranger--are pro-American and anti-Indian. They don't challenge the fundamental status quo.

That status quo means exploiting the land, water, and other natural resources for profit. Which is the corporate version of the "American Dream." That's what Disney wants and Depp apparently wants. Namely, to lament the past while lining their pockets and doing little or nothing to change the present.

Except for a few scholarships, even helping Indians seems beyond Disney's and Depp's means. For instance, can they find a few million dollars to buy Wounded Knee for the Lakota, as Depp has hinted at? Apparently not.

Cartoon characters don't deserve America

Throughout its history, Disney has portrayed Indians as comical, clown-like buffoons. Most Native stereotypes--from sports mascots to hipsters in headdresses--do something similar.



Even if the portrayals are dignified--as in Disney's Pocahontas--they have two things in common. The Indians are primitive and in the past.

The message of these stereotypes is the same. It's to celebrate the American way...maintain the status quo...protect the power and privilege of the white Christian elite. Civilization won and savagery lost, and the spoils go to the victors.

Just look at Tonto or a prancing mascot or a pop star in a headdress. Should we let these weird, backward barbarians stop the march of progress and keep their land and resources? People who go around half-naked, dance and drink, and wear birds on their heads?

That would be crazy, so no. America belongs to the sober, hard-working Christians who "tamed" it, not to heathens who waste their lives partying in skins and feathers. The Disney/Depp message is that Indians were too "different" to own the country, so they had to go.

For more on the subject, see Onion's Take on Lone Ranger Fiasco and Depp and Bruckheimer Blame Critics.

Faux Indians at the 2014 Oscars

After the run-up to the Oscars:

Twitter storm planned for Oscars
Before the #NotYourTonto storm

Here's what I tweeted before and during the ceremony:

Who wants to bet that the only "Indian" we'll see at the Oscars tonight is a shot of Johnny Depp playing Tonto in redface? #NotYourTonto

Naturally, Johnny Depp as Tonto in #redface was the first (and only?) Indian or faux Indian to appear at the #Oscars. #NotYourTonto

2nd appearance of an Indian or faux Indian at the Oscars: Johnny Depp as Tonto in redface in a visual effects clip. #NotYourTonto

3rd appearance by Indians or faux Indians: the savage cannibals in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Also starring Johnny Depp. #NotYourTonto



4th and 5th appearances by Indians or faux Indians: Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack and a hint of Will Sampson in "Cuckoo's Nest." #NotYourTonto

No real Indians

My first tweet was retweeted several dozen times. And it proved to be accurate, of course.

At least The Lone Ranger didn't win for it makeup or visual effects. That's something, I guess.

If you stretched, you could claim Angelina Jolie and Jessica Biel represented Natives at the ceremony because they supposedly have a tiny amount of Native blood. But I don't count them.

Someone noted that actor August Schellenberg, who died last year, wasn't included in the "In Memorium" section. Since Russell Means wasn't included the year before, I wouldn't expect the Academy to include the lesser-known Schellenberg.

Oddly, Schellenberg is included in the longer memorium list at http://oscar.go.com. But not in a similar listhttp://www.oscars.org/academy/members/memoriam.html. I have no idea what's up with that.

For more on the subject, see Indians at Previous Oscar Ceremonies and Racism at the 2013 Oscars.

Before the #NotYourTonto storm

Native Americans Protest 'The Lone Ranger' Oscar Nomination for Redface

By bahesmamaEradicating Offensive Native Mascotry, a group of Native parents from across the country are protesting the nomination of 'The Lone Ranger' for an Academy Award in makeup, basically, for Redface. To this end, they are conducting a “Twitterstorm” under the hashtag #NotYourTonto and will try to trend the hashtag both the Saturday night before the Oscars and during the Oscar broadcast.Some of the better tweets on Saturday and Sunday before the storm, and the links they shared:Debbie Reese ‏@debreese Mar 1
#Parents! #Librarians! Reject racist toys: http://www.lego.com/en-us/theloneranger/characters/tonto #NotYourTontoThe Lone Ranger

Debbie Reese ‏@debreese Mar 1
Native film prof calls Depp's Tonto "major setback" http://www.examiner.com/article/ucla-professor-says-depp-s-tonto-reinforces-native-american-stereotypes #NotYourTontoUCLA professor says Depp's Tonto reinforces Native American stereotypesLisa Tatonetti ‏@lisatatonetti Mar 1
No one is hurt? Research shows Indigenous children shown Native stereotypes lose "self esteem" and "belief in achievement." #NotYourTonto

tara zhaabowekwe ‏@zhaabowekwe Mar 1
Talented Native actors are available, why the need for #redface? We're capable of representing ourselves onscreen. #NotYourTonto

Debbie Reese ‏@debreese Mar 1
Spinoff bk 4 kids: "He had never seen a real Comanche Indian." That wasn't a real Comanche Indian! That is Depp in redface #NotYourTonto

Jessica Deer ‏@Kanhehsiio Mar 1
Indigenous people are #NotYourTonto #NotYourPocahontas & #NotYourBigChief pic.twitter.com/wmiwP2bVrKJessica Deer ‏@Kanhehsiio Mar 1
The Lone Ranger reinforces & perpetuates the ideology that Indigenous ppl are one stereotyped monolith rooted in colonialism #NotYourTonto

Mags ‏@Creekleo Mar 1
Art and words by powerful artists @WhatTRIBE @apachesk8boards change the status quo and turn big heads #notyourtonto pic.twitter.com/KbIfCWIFn4

Frank Waln ‏@FrankWaln Mar 2
Johnny Depp is nominated for best makeup in his portrayal of a white man dressed like what white ppl think an NDN looks like #NotYourTontoMy contribution

I also contributed to the pre-Oscar fun with the following tweets:

Native movie roles (guesstimate): Lakota, Cheyenne, and other Plains Indians 70%; Navajo and Apache 30%; other tribes 10%. #NotYourTonto

"The Lone Ranger" wins a Razzie award for worst remake/rip-off or sequel. Johnny Depp is shut out. #NotYourTonto http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-movie-43-named-worst-film-of-2013-razzie-awards-20140228,0,5893779.story

'Movie 43' is named worst film of 2013 at the 34th Razzie Awards

Old white men of the Academy have an abysmal track record of honoring the work of minorities. #NotYourTonto #Oscars http://nyti.ms/1pk0H3S

The Academy and Diversity, by the Numbers

For more on the subject, see Twitter Storm Planned for Oscars and Razzie Nominations for Lone Ranger.

Twitter storm planned for Oscars

The Twitter Storm Before the OscarsI am #NotYourTonto, complementary to #NotYourMascot, references Gore Verbinski’s July 2013 movie The Lone Ranger, which has been nominated for best makeup in this year’s Academy Awards.

The hashtag will be used starting Saturday evening before the Oscars on Sunday to protest Johnny Depp’s depiction of Tonto, the Lone Ranger’s Native sidekick, as a poor example of how Hollywood is “playing Indian.”

The protest is being organized by Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry, a group that started on Facebook to campaign against inappropriate Native images in the media, film and sports.

“There is a double standard regarding Native people and this dehumanizes us to our fellow Americans and reduces their actual knowledge of who we are today,” wrote Jacqueline Keeler, one of the group's members, in an email to ICTMN. “Very few of those engaging in Redface understand we are sovereign nations and this leads to confusion regarding public policy and funding for education and healthcare in our communities and the creation of bad laws and bad judicial decisions.”Comment:  For more on a related Twitter storm, see Inside #NotYourMascot and Twitter Storm Against "Redskins."

Tonto's craziness justifies crow headdress?

Johnny Depp's Tonto supposedly is half-crazed because of a childhood trauma. Does that excuse the bird on his head and other oddities?

*** spoiler alert ***

I saw The Lone Ranger so you don’t have toI think this was the “twist” everyone kept telling me would “explain everything.” Saginaw’s character tells the LR about how, as a child, Tonto showed the bad guys where all the silver was, in exchange from a pocketwatch from “Sears and Roebuck” (a weird detail that stuck out–product placement? ha). The bad guys come back and murder his entire village to keep the location a secret–of which they show the aftermath. They show the village burnt to the ground, dead women and men everywhere, and then Tonto picks up his dead raven from the rubble and stripes his face with the soot. Saginaw tells us all this (starting with “many moons ago”–I kid you not) and that now Tonto is a “man apart (or departed? I can’t read my notes. It was dark.)” and has basically gone crazy and taken on this “Wendigo hunter” thing as a means to cope with what he did. So, I think this whole thing was supposed to excuse his crazy antics and look, because his own people don’t endorse it. But I’m pretty sure most movie audiences aren’t going to pick up on that nuance.I'm not buying the movie's excuse that Tonto isn't right in the head. Fact is, there's almost always an excuse for the uncivilized or savage Indian:

The hunter is trapped in a world of dinosaurs, so of course he's a savage Indian.

The white man killed his wife and children, so of course he's a savage Indian.

The burial ground is haunted, so of course he's a savage Indian (ghost).

The military veteran was traumatized by war, so of course he's a savage Indian.

The tribe was cursed by an evil shaman, so of course he's a savage Indian (werewolf).

What do these tropes have in common? The Native character is uncivilized or savage every time.

Sure, there's a reason, but the reason is an invention to justify the savagery. It's not historically or culturally valid. Whether they're Native or not, half-crazed people don't act out their mental problems by wearing strange headgear.

In short, we want a character who isn't a half-naked warrior in facepaint and a (crow) headdress, not another excuse for the same old stereotypes.

Commenters debate issue

A debate on this issue in the comments section of this posting:karen
In Thomas King's Inconvenient Indian he discusses the portrayal of "dead Indians" (preferred) and the avoidance of any decent, realistic representation of live, modern-day Indians. This is the reference I am making in the above comment. I stand by my comment.

RapidDescent
Why on earth would the movie have any representation of modern-day natives when the movie itself doesn't take place anywhere near present day? The framing device, that is decidedly locked in place in the 1930's fair--in a tent, no less--isn't exactly the best place to feature anything of the sort.

It is your peragotive to be offended, if you want, but I hope you realize that it's not because of the movie--it's because you're looking for excuses to be offended.

Terrie_S
And you seem to be looking for reasons to excuse the problems with the movie. You can't defend writer choices with the in-story justification, because the writers CREATED that justification. Maybe they came up with trauma reason after they decided that Tonto would speak broken English (problematic), or maybe they decided to have Tonto speak broken English because they wanted a way to show he was traumatized (not as problematic, though, psychologically, that doesn't make any sense), but either way, they made the CHOICE to have the main Indian character speak broken English when there was no objective reason to do so.

Terrie_S
Let's back up. Everything we see in a movie is a deliberate choice on the part of someone. Some choices are required by the story. If you're going to make a movie about the Lone Ranger, there are somethings that are objectively required for it to be the story of the Lone Ranger. You need the white horse. You need Tonto. You need the Ranger. You do not need a senile old guy in a fair tent. You don't need a narrator who casts himself in a supporting role. You don't need broken English. All of those are deliberate choices by the writers, the actors, the director, etc. The decision to have Tonto speak in broken English was obviously not driven by a desire for historical accuracy. Otherwise, someone (not the Comanche, but someone) if not multiple someones would speak Spanish. So you can't defend that choice by pointing to history. Nor can you defend it based on Tonto's trauma history, because 1) that history is another deliberate choice by the writers, not an objective requirement of the story and 2) it is not the only way to show a trauma history. IMO, it is a very bad way of showing such.

The fact that people who claimed they were trying to challenge stereotypes instead made a movie full of them shows the problem with these pervasive images. When this is all they see, they are unable to imagine anything else.What's the alternative to an aged Tonto narrating the story from his point of view? It would've been easy to have a modern Indian--Tonto's grandson or great-grandson--serve as the framing device. But that wouldn't have conveyed the same message about the tragic, vanishing Indians.

As Terrie S. said, having Depp play a sideshow freak in the 1930s was a choice, not a necessity. This choice "solidifies the continuing views of Native peoples as lesser, as relics of the past, as disappearing, as roadblocks to 'progress.'"

Depp's Tonto = sidekick?

The debate continued with a similar issue:Terrie_S
Since I was replying to your comments on his speech, that's why I focused on his speech. It's not my main concern, its simply the topic of the discussion. And I'd say Tonto's still a sidekick. Maybe not as low ranking, but still a sidekick. I would argue that, in some ways, this is worse, because Tonto is the one telling the story, yet is not the focus of the movie. He casts himself in the supporting role. This is not the story of how Tonto, with the help of a white guy, got justice for the slaughter of his people. It's the story of how John Reid, with the help of a crazy Indian guy with a bird on his head, became the Lone Ranger. Which would be fine, except that, again, this is apparently how Tonto himself thinks of his own story--that it's the story of someone else.

RapidDescent
No, that is not fact, that is how you want to view the story--which is simply inaccurate. Tonto tells the story exactly how it happened in his view. He is never a sidekick--he even has a big scene where he SMACKS DOWN Reid and calls him out for being a coward. He SAVES Reid not once, not twice, but three times in the story. He has his own story of vengeance come to a close because he managed to work together with a person he initially didn't want to work with.

To call him a sidekick is to knowingly tear down the character to make a point in an argument that is only created by you.

Terrie_S
He can do all those things and still be a sidekick. After all, DC gave Robin leadership of the Titans, with his own stories and moments of awesomeness but he was still Batman's sidekick. Understand, I'm looking at this from a meta, narrative level, not the level of character actions. The story starts with John Reid on a train, setting in motion the events which will result in him meeting Tonto. From a narrative perspective, this places Tonto's story subordinate to his. This is something that (again, narratively) is very hard to avoid. The movie Rush Hour is a good example of how writers might try to avoid this in the buddy movie--start with one character, but have the story take places on the other character's home territory. But that's not an option here, so one story must be given more weight than the other and the writers chose to give more weight to Reid. And, by using the framing device they did, they gave that view to Tonto. Ironically, it would have not been an issue had they dropped the framing, but they didn't make that choice, so that's simply a case of what might have been. Which leads me back to what you said.

Tonto does not tell the story as how it happened in his view, because Tonto does not exist. The writers and actors and directors made all those choices. They are the ones who made the choice to have a movie where a Native character tells a story that follows the arc of someone else. They made the choice to make Tonto, narratively, the sidekick and to combine that with the choice to make him the "narrator" of the story.

Terrie_S
My most basic problem with the movie is this: Depp talked about wanting to move Tonto and Native characters out of the role of sidekick, yet when the character of Tonto has a chance to tell the story, it's the story of... the white guy. The character casts himself as the sidekick. And we, the audience, are told this from the get-go. Most stories that use the framing device of "And it was told by X side character" reveal this at the end, which makes us relook at what we've just seen, read or heard, to reconsider that "side" character or wonder if what we've been told is reliable. But we're not given any of that, so the framing device just reinforces all the issues of the movie.To reiterate the point, you can justify anything within a movie's "logic." The black guy had to die and the woman had to be taken hostage because they were the only characters available. These things "had" to happen so the white guy could be the hero.

But again, these are choices by the creators, not immutable facts. If you look for and find an excuse to portray a savage Indian, you're not giving yourself a valid out. You're still portraying a savage Indian. And that's still stereotypical if not racist.

Sexy "Tonto" on Dancing with the Stars

Someone tweeted about this bit on Dancing with the Stars (airdate: 9/30/13), so I checked it out:



Bill Engvall Dancing With the Stars Paso Doble Video 9/30/13

By Annemarie FraserBill Engvall and professional dancer Emma Slater: dancing a Paso Doble. Bill had this to say about his dance, “Well we are back in rehearsals learning the Pasa Doble. I have no idea what that is. Wonder if it is served with rice and beans.”

Judges comments: Carrie Ann: “You nailed the Paso, you came out and all your moments were in sync.” Len: “When I was a kid and I love Lone Ranger, if you came out on his horse I would have given you a ten, it was your best dance.” Bruno: “It was like being in an opera house, I love it.”Fan favorite exits 'Dancing With the Stars'

By Ann OldenburgBill Engvall played the Lone Ranger for a paso doble with partner Emma Slater. "I am thinking about dance steps 24/7. ... It's real stressful," said Engvall, who had to keep comedy tour dates this week while also rehearsing. But, he added,. "I want to win this!" he said. His paso to the Lone Range music made for a dramatic dance that earned him raves from the audience and the judges. "Hi ho, Engvall!" said host Tom Bergeron when they finished. "You nailed the paso!" said Carrie Ann. "You must have rehearsed the poop out of that routine." Len said it was his "best dance." Bruno said, "So much attack!" Scores: 8, 8, 8 = 24.Comment:  If you didn't watch the video, Slater wore a buckskin-style mini-dress with fringe and feathers, and a headband. In other words, she was dressed as a Pocahottie.

No one made any cracks about Tonto or Indians, but Slater still was imitating a well-known Native character. On a popular network TV show, no less.

Shows like this are how most people learn about Indians. And what do they learn? That Indian women are sexy and anyone can dress up as one. That being Indian is nothing more than putting on a Halloween costume. And perhaps that real Indians don't exist anymore, since we never see them in such shows.

It's one more in an endless series of images portraying Indians as primitive people of the past.

For more on Indian women as sex objects, see Responses to Sleepless Entertainment's Cosplay and Young Native Fashion's "Squaw" Line.

Del Toro: Redface is "tradition"

The movie Jimmy P. is about to debut in the US. Indian Country Today is running interviews with the principals, including these two:

Benicio Del Toro: 'Native Americans Are the Real Americans'It's controversial when any non-Indian actor takes on the role of a Native American (as was discussed at length on this site this summer, with Johnny Depp playing Tonto). Was that an issue on your mind when you were considering Jimmy P.?

I am aware of the lack of representation of Native Americans in TV and movies, and when Arnaud Desplechin brought the idea of this movie to me, my instinctive reaction was: Why me? Because I really do believe that Native Americans could have played the part better, different… It could have been done. But there is a money issue in doing movies, and the fact that I have a career created the chance of the movie being made. That is a fact of life at this moment in time. So, when I read the story, I just felt it was a really strong story that should be out there. And, with all due respect, I dared to do it. There have been actors playing outside their groups; it is a tradition in acting. In the history of theater, even women were played by men.Yeah...the tradition of men playing women is called sexism. The tradition of whites playing blacks is called blackface, aka racism. The tradition of whites--Rock Hudson, Burt Lancaster, Charles Bronson--playing Indians is called redface, also known as racism.

Not exactly something to crow about in the year 2013.

Del Toro the next Depp?

I'm not buying the money rationale either. Is this movie gonna be a blockbuster with Del Toro in the title role? I mean, a period piece about an Indian undergoing psychotherapy? Who wouldn't want to see two guys talking about their feelings for a couple of hours?

Yeah, I imagine this movie will make five or 10 times its cost with Del Toro in the lead. Much more than a Native actor would've drawn. All those bottom-line investors can retire with the bucks they rake in.

Not.

Disney used the same thinking when it paid Johnny Depp to play Tonto. The company probably will lose around $200 million for its horrible casting decision. So tell me why someone would risk their money on Del Toro? He's not a big box-office draw. His movies usually lose money domestically and only recoup their costs in foreign markets.

Director Talks About 'Jimmy P.: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian'Did you come to make Jimmy P. because of a specific interest in Native issues?

It came from my interest in psychoanalysis, as I am a great reader of psychoanalytical books, as well as for the Native culture, which I discovered as an adolescent when I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

We have those childhood dreams—When I grow up I will be a cowboy, or an Indian. I wanted to become an Indian! Then, there is the issue of genocide, and the Native tragedy; my parents were activists, and followed the events in the media after the Alcatraz occupation. We were aware of what was going on.Comment:  For more on Jimmy P., see What's Wrong with Del Toro and Depp and Negative Reviews of Jimmy P.

NECA's Lone Ranger toys

The commercialization of Johnny Depp's Tonto continues. Apparently Disney has licensed this company NECA to make all sorts of "Lone Ranger" junk items.

Indeed, licensing may have been a major factor in convincing Disney to make the movie. A hot property can be a cash cow, enriching the studio with sales of video games, toys, costumes, action figures, jewelry, etc.

The Lone RangerNative American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.Here are some of the worst offenders among the items:

The Lone Ranger–7″ Scale Action Figure–Series 2
The Lone Ranger–1/4 Scale Figure–Tonto (Case 2)
The Lone Ranger–Head Knocker–“Tonto”
The Lone Ranger–Men’s “Tonto” Costume
The Lone Ranger–Women’s “Tonto” Costume
The Lone Ranger–Prop Replica “Tonto” Headdress

Needless to say, these items perpetuate the movie's false and stereotypical representation of Indians. And the items don't include any explanations of Tonto's character--nothing about how he's half-crazed and not a typical Indian. Buyers have no reason to believe this Tonto isn't a genuine Indian--especially if they recall the assurances from Disney, Depp, and the Comanche Nation.

For more on Johnny Depp and Tonto, see Tonto Costume at Comic-Con, Racist Car Ad Features Tonto Ripoff, and Disney Store Sells Tonto Costumes.

Silverheels started with lacrosse

A Sidekick’s Little-Known Leading Role in Lacrosse

By Jeff Z. KleinAt Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, Ontario, the home of the Six Nations Chiefs, box lacrosse champions of eastern Canada, a photograph from 1931 hangs on the wall. Gazing ahead resolutely and gripping a lacrosse stick is a handsome dark-haired Mohawk man with a bandage over his right brow.

That man was Harry J. Smith, but many years later, he became known to the world as Jay Silverheels, the actor who played Tonto in the “The Lone Ranger,” a television series that ran from 1949 to 1957. This summer, there is renewed interest in Silverheels, after Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the big-budget film “Lone Ranger.”

How Smith, a lacrosse star of the Six Nations of the Grand River, became Silverheels, an actor who despised his own portrayal of an Indian, is a story that spans a continent and an era. But few realize that what put him on the path to Hollywood was the invention of indoor lacrosse—box lacrosse, as it is called in Canada and western New York.

“He would never have been discovered, never have become Tonto, if he hadn’t been in L.A. to play box lacrosse,” said the historian Larry Power, compiler of the Internet archive Bible of Lacrosse.Comment:  For more on Tonto, see New Tonto as Racist as Old Tonto and Best of the Lone Ranger Reviewed.

Review of Lone Ranger: Vendetta

The Lone Ranger: VendettaThe Masked Man in a brand-new adventure! From out of the past comes a mysterious killer systematically murdering anyone with a connection to the Masked Rider of the Plains former identity. When all signs point to Butch Cavendish, a man long dead, The Lone Ranger finds himself trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the life of his faithful Indian companion hanging in the balance!Some reviewsThe single best Lone Ranger story ever!, May 23, 2012
This book is amazing. Simply amazing. Long-time Lone Ranger fans will appreciate that Mr. Hopkins keeps the characters intact here, while putting a more adult spin on the legend. This is what the movie should be like. Sadly, Howard is no longer with us, but this book is, arguably, his crowning achievement in his excellent body of work. I encourage anyone who loves a good Western and the character of The Lone Ranger to go purchase this book immediately!

What the new movie should be, but most assuredly won't, May 28, 2012
This book was amazing! An earlier review described the tone of this story very well, so I won't belabor the point here. Suffice it to say that the tone works extremely well. Now, die-hard fans might be bothered by the fact that Tonto doesn't speak in broken English, but I personally think I would've been more bothered if he had. It may be true to the source material, but it has such negative overtones that it would have been a distraction.But:Good, but ending was rushed, March 12, 2013
Great theme and good reading. However, after a consistent pace, the ending was way too rushed. Too mature for children.

Hi YO So So !!, March 5, 2013
In an attempt to take away some of the straight shooter, super clean heroics of the original, the character becomes somewhat pointless to the story. I found myself at the end of the story asking what the Lone Ranger really did here and the answer is not much.

A pleasant read but unsatisfying to a true fan.Rob's review

I'll have to go with the negative reviews on this one. Vendetta was mildly enjoyable but ultimately unsatisfying.

The villainness was the most interesting character. She was the kind of sociopathic serial killer we see in modern fiction, but not in Westerns. She'd sleep with anyone, then kill him (or anyone) if he looked at her wrong.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto seem two-dimensional to me, at best. At least Tonto is more or less a full partner to the Ranger, not a sidekick. Still, it's the Ranger's story, so Tonto gets less exposure, as usual.

Apparently this Tonto is the original Potawatomi version. He does have a couple of good moments.

At one point, they're sitting by a campfire at night. The Ranger asks Tonto what he sees in the flames, leading to this exchange:TONTO: I see ghosts, Kemosabe.

RANGER: Ghosts?

TONTO: The ghosts of the Bodéwadmi, the keepers of the fire. They ride with frozen thunder across the black sky forest, the way they once rode the trails and plains. Proud. Free. The world closed in on them and now they are nearly gone. I feel their isolation, their separation from the soil and the lands. They scream their silent pleas to Kichimanido.This may be the longest speech Tonto has ever uttered. It's also the first time I recall his referring to his particular culture, not a generic culture. It's noteworthy for both reasons.

Tonto's background

A posting explains that Bodéwadmi is the Indian version of the Anglicized name "Potawatomi." So Tonto is really talking like a Potawatomi, for once.

“Bode wad mi” PotawatomiThe Potawatomi “Bode wad mi” are one of the three original tribes of Michigan. The Potawatomi “Bode wad mi” along with the Odawa/Ottawa and the Ojibwa/Chippewa are known as the people of the Three Fires. They call themselves Anishinabe. The Potawatomi “Bode wad mi” are the “Keepers of the Fire.”

On August 29, 1821, the Bode wad mi, Odawa and Ojibwa ("The People of the Three Fires") held council with representatives of the United States government and signed a treaty, which left them only five reservations, and certain land grants in Michigan. Many were moved to Oklahoma and Kansas territories. Those who would not leave were driven out by military force or hid away from the government. Small bands traveled to Northeast Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Canada.

All of the Anishinabe (Bode wad mi, Ojibwa and Odawa) lived in the eastern part of North America. After various wars and migrations, the tribes moved to the Great Lakes Area. The oldest brother, Chippewa (Ojibwa), was given the responsibility of Keeper of the Faith. The middle brother, Ottawa (Odawa), was the Keeper of the Trade, and the youngest brother, Potawatomi, was responsible for keeping the Sacred Fire; hence the name, "Keeper of the Fire."

Long ago, the Potawatomi depended on nature to survive. They lived a nomadic life. They hunted, fished, grew crops and gathered food to eat. After they were forced onto reservations, they lived through years of poverty. At times during the early 1900s, they hardly had enough to eat.

The early Potawatomi people were a part of the Eastern Woodlands group of Native Americans. By many accounts, the people were fairly short with a stocky build. They were a fun-loving people who enjoyed practical jokes. Women were modest in both the clothes they wore and in their actions. The men and women both normally wore their hair long. During times of war, the men shaved their heads except for a small scalp lock on top. Women usually wore their hair in a single braid down their backs.

The Potawatomi’s love of nature and family was at the center of their way of life. This is evident throughout their early history, through their spiritual lives, and in all other areas of their village life such as their food, clothes, homes, tools, and transportation.

The Potawatomi people wore clothing that was very simple. During the summer, the men often wore clothes made out of red or blue cloth. In the winter some wore decorated buffalo robes. To keep warm during the winter, men wore leggings made of buckskin or cloth. They also wore these for special dances. When playing games like lacrosse, men wore breechcloths and deerskin moccasins.

After the hunters returned with the animals they had killed, the hides would be removed and then women would prepare the hides so that clothing could be made from them. Much of the Potawatomi clothing was made from these hides.

Women wore knee length dresses with petticoats underneath. They sometimes wore bonnets or scarves on their heads. They made their skirts and sleeveless dresses so that they draped over their shoulders and were held in place by a belt at their waist. If they needed to sew pieces together, they used thread made from plant fibers or strips of hide tied in place. These clothes were often decorated with different designs using porcupine quills or beads.

Men and women greased their hair and painted their skin for special occasions. Men tattooed their bodies with different designs.

You can see that Tonto doesn't look much like this description of Potawatomi men. But the main point is that the Potawatomi have a distinct culture that isn't Lakota, Apache, or anything else. And for the most part, the original Tonto and this Tonto aren't wildly inconsistent with Potawatomi culture.

The Great Spirit

As for Kichimanido:

Legendary Native American Figures: Gitchi ManitouTribal affiliation: Ojibwe, Algonquin, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Menominee, Kickapoo, Sauk-Fox, Mohican, Mohegan, Shawnee, Cree

Alternate spellings: Gichi Manidoo, Gchi Mnidoo, Kichi Manido, etc.

Gitchi Manitou is the great creator god of the Anishinaabe and many neighboring Algonquian tribes. The name literally means Great Spirit, a common phrase used to address God in many Native American cultures.

As in other Algonquian tribes, the Great Spirit is abstract, benevolent, does not directly interact with humans, and is rarely if ever personified in Anishinabe myths--originally, Gitchi Manitou did not even have a gender (although with the introduction of English and its gender-specific pronouns, Gitchi Manitou began to be referred to as "he.") It is Gitchi Manitou who created the world, though some details of making the world as we know it today were delegated to the culture hero Nanabozho. "Gitchi Manitou" (or one of its many variant spellings) was used as a translation for "God" in early translations of the Bible into Ojibway, and today many Ojibway people consider Gitchi Manitou and the Christian God to be one and the same.

Gitchi Manitou is the great creator god of the Anishinaabe and many neighboring Algonquian tribes. The name literally means Great Spirit, a common phrase used to address God in many Native American cultures.I'm not sure Tonto has ever referred to the "Great Spirit" or "Creator" before. I'm pretty sure he's never referred to Gitchi Manitou before. So that's another first.

There's even a partial explanation for what Tonto is doing in Texas. His people were driven into Oklahoma and from there he roamed the Southwest. None of this is in the Lone Ranger mythos, but we can imagine it.

That one paragraph is about all the culture Tonto expresses, so it isn't much. But compared to other versions of Tonto, it's a step forward.

Tonto talk

As you can see from the quote above, Tonto's speech is more or less normal. Later, he notes how he speaks "Tonto style" intentionally--to fool the white man into thinking he's dumb. That's a brilliant explanation of Tonto's speech pattern. All future creators of Lone Ranger stories should adopt it immediately if they feel the need to make Tonto sound "tonto" (Spanish for "dumb").

Unfortunately, the villainess captures Tonto and uses him to lure the Ranger. It isn't Tonto's fault; he's rescuing someone in a hotel room when she stumbles across him. But we end up in the same place as so many other Westerns--with the white man as the hero who has to save his Native friend, sidekick, or maiden.

In short, I'd give this book about a 7.0 of 10. Unless you're a Lone Ranger fan, you can safely skip it.

For more on Tonto, see Skyhawk: Depp Dishonored Indians and 33 Tonto Comic-Book Covers.

Lone Ranger ignores Comanche atrocities

The truth Johnny Depp wants to hide about the real-life Tontos: How Comanche Indians butchered babies, roasted enemies alive and would ride 1,000 miles to wipe out one family

Comanche Indians were responsible for one of the most brutal slaughters in the history of the Wild West

However, Johnny Depp wants to play Tonto in a more sympathetic light

By Jonathan ForemanS C Gwynne, author of Empire Of The Summer Moon about the rise and fall of the Comanche, says simply: ‘No tribe in the history of the Spanish, French, Mexican, Texan, and American occupations of this land had ever caused so much havoc and death. None was even a close second.’

He refers to the ‘demonic immorality’ of Comanche attacks on white settlers, the way in which torture, killings and gang-rapes were routine. ‘The logic of Comanche raids was straightforward,’ he explains.

‘All the men were killed, and any men who were captured alive were tortured; the captive women were gang raped. Babies were invariably killed.’

Not that you would know this from the new Lone Ranger movie, starring Johnny Depp as the Indian Tonto.

For reasons best know to themselves, the film-makers have changed Tonto’s tribe to Comanche—in the original TV version, he was a member of the comparatively peace-loving Potawatomi tribe.

And yet he and his fellow native Americans are presented in the film as saintly victims of a Old West where it is the white settlers—the men who built America—who represent nothing but exploitation, brutality, environmental destruction and genocide.

Depp has said he wanted to play Tonto in order to portray Native Americans in a more sympathetic light. But the Comanche never showed sympathy themselves.Foreman's conclusion:By casting the cruelest, most aggressive tribe of Indians as mere saps and victims of oppression, Johnny Depp’s Lone Ranger perpetuates the patronising and ignorant cartoon of the ‘noble savage’.

Not only is it a travesty of the truth, it does no favours to the Indians Depp is so keen to support.From what I've read, The Lone Ranger does indeed sanitize its Comanches to the point of blandness.

The movie probably is doing Indians a favor by not portraying the Comanches as "the cruelest, most aggressive tribe." We don't need the umpteenth flick featuring Indians as merciless savages.

But Depp and company had a range of options between portraying Indians as saintly victims and merciless savages. The best choice might've been to make Tonto something other than a Comanche.

"Fierce" tribes get attention

This article raises a valid point that I hadn't thought about enough. The Comanches weren't just your average tribe. They had one of the "worst" reputations for ferocity.

It's one reason I've said storytellers should stop relying on the same old tribes: the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Apache. Start showing the range of tribal cultures, not just the most warlike cases. Focusing on these tribes makes all Indians look bad, since everyone thinks all Indians were and are the same.

If you're going to pick the Comanches, make them historically accurate--atrocities and all. If you don't want a tribe guilty of atrocities, don't pick the Comanches. Whatever you do, don't portray the tribe as The Lone Ranger did: as a generic set of Plains Indians.

For more on the savage Indian stereotype, see Aide Calls Indians "Arrow Throwers" and Indians in The Lost Colony.

Below:  "Real-life: White Wolf, a Comanche Chief, pictured in the late 19th century."

Tonto costume at Comic-Con

Wrap Up: The Five Things I Learned At SDCC 2013

By Kendra James San Diego Comic Con was overwhelming and not for the faint hearted, but also one of the most unique experiences of geekdom I’ve ever had. After taking a week to recover I wanted share a few highs and lows, insights and lessons learned from a first time SDCC attendee. What do you think?

1. The children are the future.

After snapping a photo of a kid in a Tonto costume I fell into a discussion with the friends I was with over whether or not it was an appropriate costume for an eight or nine year old. They argued that you can’t blame a parent for allowing a child to dress as a character they admire. I pointed out that if it were my kid they wouldn’t have dressed as Tonto in the first place. I would have used the, “Can I dress as Tonto for Comic Con?” request as a teachable moment–-a teachable moment that would have started before we walked into the theatre. Perhaps it sounds harsh, but isn’t teaching your kids right and wrong the point of being a parent, even if you do have to simplify a bit for age? The outlook for the next generation of geeks won’t be particularly bright if parents of all races can’t begin having these conversations with their children.Comment:  As predicted, the mainstreaming of Johnny Depp's phony portrayal continues.

For more on Johnny Depp and Tonto, see Racist Car Ad Features Tonto Ripoff and Disney Store Sells Tonto Costumes.

Racist car ad features Tonto ripoff

Racist Car Ad in Texas Features Depp-Tonto RipoffCourtesy of Deadspin comes a ridiculous commercial for Charlie Clark Nissan in Brownsville, Texas. In it, an actor dressed as Johnny Depp's character Tonto in The Lone Ranger, speaks like the old caricatures we used to see in Hollywood decades ago. How offensive is it? See for yourself:
Oh, and don't think Charlie Clark is only bigoted toward American Indians. No, he's happy to drag the Japanese and Italians through the racism wringer, too.Comment:  Unfortunately for us, Charlie Clark Nissan has removed the "Tonto" video. But you can see the other videos featuring a Japanese sensei and his pupil, a la The Karate Kid, and an Italian chef.

Judging by those two videos, white man Charlie Clark plays all the ethnic characters himself. In each case, he demands a Sentra from a "Typical Dealership" for $9,999. Apparently Charlie Clark offers that price and other dealers don't.

Of course, the point is how people are (mis)using Johnny Depp's stereotypical portrayal. Thanks, Johnny, for mainstreaming racist caricatures of Indians!

Proving this isn't some one-time fluke, below is an image from this year's San Diego Comic-Con. As I've said before, Depp's Tonto may be the most common "Indian" image we see for the next few years.



For more on Johnny Depp and Tonto, see Skyhawk: Depp Dishonored Indians and Shawnee Professor Justifies Tonto's Stereotypes.

Skyhawk: Depp dishonored Indians

Sonny Skyhawk on 'The Lone Ranger': 'Heads Should Roll at Disney'

By Gale Courey ToensingYou know how they say even bad publicity is good because it creates so much buzz and sells things? Well, this movie had so much bad publicity but it’s still a flop according to the reviews and box office receipts. How do you account for that?

Well, I don’t know that there’s been bad publicity with regard to the Hollywood machine. The Hollywood machine would have you believe that this is a fantastic movie and what’s all the negativity about? That’s the unfortunate part--they don’t have a clue. They didn’t have a clue at the beginning in my talks with Disney...

You talked to them at the beginning?

...I had teleconferences with them when we discussed some of these things. I told them I thought it would go south. I expressed at the time what my feelings were and the fact that having Johnny Depp play Tonto was due for a total crash. And they said, "No, we don’t think so. We have our ducks in a row and we think that Johnny Depp is going to do great.” And I said, "Well, ok! Next point. Why don’t you try and involve the American Indian community if you’re going to shove this down their throat? I would advise that you at least try to get them on your side before you invest in trying to convince them that Johnny Depp is Indian,” and so on. And they said, “No, we have that pretty much in hand also. Johnny Depp is part Indian and we’re going to roll with that” and I said, “Well, you know, the Cherokee Nation, one of the tribes he claims to be from, has vetted his ancestry and none of them are located on their rolls.” And they said, “Well, he thinks he is and so we’re going to roll with that.” I said, “Ok! Good luck!” Those conversations were with a Disney vice president and also a lady by the name of Dawn Jackson, an American Indian who works for Disney in the merchandising department. She’s the go to Indian at Disney when they have a question, like about Pocahontas.

So, they didn’t hear you?

We’re not gloating, but we are doing an I-told-you-so, kind of thing. The problem is that we’ve (American Indians) come this far and we’re still seeing this kind of approach. We had Johnny Depp saying, “I’m going to honor you” and then we end up being dishonored again. The only thing that I can take satisfaction in is that they’re not going to make any money out it. In my experience and in my professional view the $325 million spent on it might make somewhere in the vicinity of copy25 million. So among the powers that be who forwarded this movie, heads should roll at Disney because in my best estimation they’re going to lose close to $200 million on this film.Comment:  For more of Sonny Skyhawk's take on Johnny Depp, see What's Wrong with Del Toro and Depp? and Skyhawk: Depp Is a Charlatan.

Reactions to Depp's Wounded Knee talk

Some of the many reactions to the news that Johnny Depp may buy Wounded Knee:

Johnny Depp interest in purchasing portion of Wounded Knee causes a stir

For months, questions have swirled about whether developers, activists or tribes would be willing to plunk down millions to buy a portion of the Wounded Knee National Historic Landmark. Now there's a new potential buyer in the mix: Johnny Depp.

By Kristi EatonOglala Sioux President Bryan Brewer, whose tribe lives on Pine Ridge, said he has not been contacted by anyone in Depp’s camp and was first notified of the actor’s interest when someone from England called him for reaction. Brewer said he and a group of descendants of Wounded Knee survivors are hoping to meet with Czywczynski soon.

The possibility of the celebrity purchase is generating debate in Native American communities. Some question Depp’s motives due to the timing of “The Lone Ranger” release, which debuted with a dismal $19.5 million in ticket sales on its opening weekend in early July. Depp, who plays the part of the Native American character Tonto in the film, has been accused of playing into stereotypes and misappropriating Native American culture. Tonto speaks broken English, wears a stuffed crow on his head and has a face painted with white and black stripes. Some Native Americans view the character as a parody.

Depp’s also been criticized for saying that he does have Native American ancestry, but he’s unsure if it’s Cherokee or Creek.

“People I’ve talked to think he’s in it for redemption because he’s gotten bad reviews,” said Oglala Sioux tribal member Dawn Moves Camp, 30.And:"Honestly, I don't think it would be a bad thing if Johnny Depp would purchase it with the cooperation of the tribes," he said. What's most important, he said, is that the land is preserved and an accurate account of what happened is shared with visitors through a monument.

Tribal members have disagreed over the years about how to commemorate the lives lost at Wounded Knee. While there is a small monument listing some of the names of those killed in 1890, some tribal members think a larger statue or structure is needed to educate the public.

Sonny Skyhawk, a Sicangu Lakota actor and founder of American Indians in Film and Television, said although he was not a fan of Depp playing Tonto in "The Lone Ranger," purchasing the land would be a "great opportunity" for Depp to step forward and do something for Native Americans.

"If it's from the heart, we accept it. If it's not from the heart, we'll accept it anyways because it's such a meaningful undertaking when you look at the significance of what the sacred ground next to it is," he said.Divided opinions over Johnny Depp's offer to buy Wounded Knee

By Daniel Simmons-RitchieTribal officials have repeatedly called Czywczynsk's price inflated to the point of extortion. Shannon County has appraised the combined value of the parcels at $14,000 by county appraisers.

But now Depp's offer has caused the Oglala to reassess their position.

"You see these celebrities with a lot of money and a lot of times you hear about the useless spending they do, this is something different, something that's unbelievable," said Garfield Steele, a council representative for the Wounded Knee District, who believes the tribe should take Depp's offer.

But others were less convinced. Nathan Blindman, a descendant of the survivors of the Wounded Knee massacre, said that, although Depp's offer is well-intentioned, the hearty profit that Czywczynski would make from the sale would be disrespectful to those who died.

"The bottom line is it's still selling the tragedy and violence," he said. "It's still making money off it, no matter who buys it."And:While he agreed that Depp has good intentions, Stainbrook said Depp's best approach would have been to privately offer a contribution to the Oglala and ask them how they could best use the money.

Instead of 80 acres, he said, the Oglala could use $4.9 million to buy thousands of acres of reservation land from non-natives.

"There's plenty of land not in Indian ownership that they could have used," he said.My Image is Not For Sale

By Taté WalkerDepp is offering Indian Country, especially those of us in South Dakota--the poorest communities in the entire nation (cue violins)--a wonderful gift. Is it a peace offering for that terribly offensive movie? Maybe, but I’m willing to let that go. A gift is a gift. But it’s like the generic body wash set your Christmas visitors get you (“Oh, I love the smell of strawberry passion!”); if you know anything about me, you’d know NOT to get me body wash. And there’s the rub: Johnny knows nothing about Indian Country, so much so that he based his whole Tonto look off of a painting whose creator acknowledged was NOT historically accurate. Like, at all. If Depp got to know his newly adopted brothers and sisters of the Plains, he’d realize there’s a TON that could be done with $5 million. Scholarship endowments, capital-building projects, infrastructure development…

So, yes, thank you for this gesture, Mr. Depp. But, please, look into how you can really help us. Pump some funding into programs trying to dig us out of crippling poverty and unemployment; advertise and promote ventures trying to get traditional foods back into our diets; talk to the dozens of kids who contemplate suicide every day; visit our underfunded schools and hospitals. Don’t want to get too deep too fast? That’s OK. Produce a Native-led film project. Start an arts program. Protest Big Oil with us. Be #idlenomoreHarriman: Is Johnny Depp really going to save Wounded Knee?

By Peter HarrimanDepp said he might buy Czywczynski’s land for the tribe, evidently undeterred by a price approaching $4 million.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Depp has a movie in theaters this summer in which he plays the Lone Ranger’s iconic sidekick. In interviews, Depp has said he might be a descendant of Cherokee or Creek ancestors, and in New Mexico last year, where “The Lone Ranger” was in production, Depp was adopted into the Comanche Nation.

But Depp has not traded on a tribal past until now, and his painted-face portrayal of Tonto has raised eyebrows. Is his Wounded Knee offer in the nature of appeasement?And:Depp might be entirely well motivated. But instead of spectacularly overpaying for land recent Shannon County sales suggest is worth about $300 an acre, if Depp wants to write a big check on the tribe’s behalf, he should give them a stake in the 21st century Black Hills.

Economic development at Pine Ridge is nearly impossible, in part because of its remote location. But the Black Hills are thriving. A cursory check of Rapid City realtors’ commercial listings shows a 10-building tract with an accompanying liquor license and 300 slot machines on Deadwood’s Main Street is available for $4.5 million.

There is an ice plant in Rapid City for sale for $3.2 million. A 105-room Rodeway Inn on the road to Mount Rushmore is being offered for $2.25 million. About 200 acres of development land near Sheridan Lake can be had for $1.59 million. Any or all of these would be of greater tangible benefit to the Oglala Sioux in 2013 than overpriced rangeland at Wounded Knee.Johnny Depp's Wounded Knee offer called generous, but some think it's misguided

By Leslie ReedChuck Trimble of Omaha, a Native American rights advocate and journalist who is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota nation, is among those who think Depp should do something else with his money.

“I think it's very generous of him, but there are quite a number of people who wish he wouldn't do this,” Trimble said. “If he wants to give millions, he should give it to a cause, and not pay it to a man who is holding the Wounded Knee site for a price—and it's very questionable how he got it in the first place.”And:Trimble said the pain of Wounded Knee remains fresh.

“The sore just won't heal,” he said. “Poor Johnny Depp. He's still trying to sell his Tonto role and hoping there won't be a backlash from Indian country. He's doing his best—he meant well. He still means well.”Why Johnny Depp spending anything more than a few thousand bucks for Wounded Knee would be a big mistake

And finally:

Indians to Johnny Depp: 'Keep Your Word, Buy Wounded Knee'Neither party has heard from Depp yet, but an online petition at Change.org directed at Depp and his agent seeks to push the actor to make good on his statements. Referencing Native peoples' history of disappointment at empty promises, the petition reads as follows:

"Keep your word. Promises to indigenous people are frequently made and broken. You promised to buy Wounded Knee and give it to the Sioux Nation. The owners want to sell. Keep your word. Buy Wounded Knee and gift it freely to the Sioux Nation."Comment:  The consensus seems to be that regardless of Depp's motives, buying Wounded Knee would be a good thing to do. But he could help more by donating money to other causes rather than wasting it on overpriced land.

The more cynical among us thought, "If Depp wants to purchase Wounded Knee, why doesn't he pick up the phone and do it? In fact, why didn't he do it in June, when the property went on the market? It's a mighty big coincidence that he mentioned this idea only after The Lone Ranger started tanking."

For more on Johnny Depp and Tonto, see Why The Lone Ranger Flopped and Ranger too Racist to Reboot.

33 Tonto comic-book covers

Don't Call Him a Sidekick: 33 Covers of Tonto's '50s Comic BookBy now we're all familiar with Johnny Depp's stated intentions with his performance in The Lone Ranger--one of them being to wash the "sidekick" stink off of the character of Tonto. The movie opened nationwide July 3, and audiences are now free to judge his success or failure in theaters everywhere.

But about this "sidekick" image--beginning in January 1951 and running through January 1959, Tonto had his own comic book in which he was not a sidekick at all. Published by Dell with the title The Lone Ranger's Companion Tonto (admittedly, that wording makes it sound a little sidekick-y), each issue featured two-fisted, double-barreled swashbuckling Tonto action with no interruptions by the masked man and his silver bullets. The comic book's popularity was no doubt boosted by that of the Lone Ranger television series, in which Tonto was played by Jay Silverheels, which ran from 1949 to 1957.The first issue (below):Dell Four Color #312

Description from MyComicsShop.com: Indicia title is "TONTO, No. 312." Painted cover art. Description of the Hopi Indians' Snake Dance. Laughing Dog's War Party, art by Jon Small; Tonto returns to his home village to find that hunters have been killed or wounded by rifles that blow up when fired. Tonto and the Stock Killers; Tonto helps a rancher by setting traps for a pack of wolves that is preying on his cattle. The American Cayuse; History of horses in North America, starting with their introduction into Mexico by Hernando Cortez. The Shaman, art by Jon Small; Tonto and his friends Tall Pines and Swift Otter help a white man retrieve his gold after he is robbed by three other white men. Directions for building a wigwam. Description of the construction of a batista, a giant war club used by the Arikara and Huron tribes to crush enemy's canoes.Comment:  For more on Tonto, see New Tonto as Racist as Old Tonto and Best of the Lone Ranger Reviewed.

Shawnee professor justifies Tonto's stereotypes

Here's an article that's been reprinted a few placed. Because it purports to be culturally accurate, it's worth going through line by line.

History vs. Hollywood: Does 'The Lone Ranger' Accurately Represent Native Americans?

UC Professor and Native American expert Ken Tankersley offers his take on Tonto in the new Disney movie.

By Allison StiglerThe Lone Ranger and his trusty Native American sidekick Tonto are racing across film screens this week. Starring Johnny Depp, the movie adaptation of the old TV and radio shows is a box office hit, but does the film accurately portray American Indians?

Actually, yes. Several details in the movie realistically captured Native American customs, traditions and dress, according to University of Cincinnati's Native American expert Kenneth Tankersley, a Piqua Shawnee and an anthropology professor for the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.Whatever a Piqua Shawnee is, it's not a federally recognized tribe. Not that it necessarily matters, but it makes you wonder.

Oh, here it is:

Welcome to the home of the Piqua ShawneeWelcome to the Piqua Shawnee website. Our tribe has approximately 300 members, and is a recognized tribe by the State of Alabama.So Tankersley is an Alabama "Indian" who works in Ohio? He's about as far removed from Tonto's Comanches as I am, and about as qualified to talk about them.

Back to the article:After watching the film during its opening week, he declared the movie to be a “quantum leap” over other many previous film and television depictions. “They did a really good job.”

Tankersley noted that, although not a “card carrying” member of a Native American tribe, Depp does have Native American ancestry. “He is from Kentucky and Melungeon by ancestry.

“Melungeons were Sephardic Jews and Muslims, escaping to religious freedom in the New World. When they arrived, they married into the Native American community.”Did Tankersley study Depp's family tree and find a Melungeon ancestor? Being from Kentucky doesn't necessarily mean Depp is Melungeon, much less Native.To prepare for the role, Depp immersed himself in the Native American culture. He listened to stories from descendants of Quanah Parker, a dominant figure in the Comanche tribe, and was adopted into the tribe by LA Donna Harris, a Comanche social activist.That's the first we've heard of Depp's reading about Quanah Parker. If it's true, it doesn't show in his performance, according to all the reports.

It's LaDonna, not "LA Donna." She adopted Depp into her family, not the tribe. And being adopted after the movie was done doesn't make Tonto any more authentic.With the exception of Tonto speaking pidgin English, the film employed authentic Native American details, many of which could be missed by the casual viewer, Tankersley said. Below are some he noticed. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)With the exception of perhaps the biggest flaw, Depp's portrayal isn't flawed? Wow, thanks for that unqualified endorsement.

Professor gets schooled

Let's examine Tankersley's claims one by one:Tonto drops corn on the ground and appears to feed it to the dead raven he uses as a headdress. Tankersley said this is actually a blessing, because corn is sacred.Did the movie explicitly call the act a blessing? Did it call the foodstuff corn? Because every review that mentioned the foodstuff labeled it birdseed, not corn.The raven is a symbolic messenger in both Native American culture and the film to signify impending events. Tonto’s raven headdress comes from a painting Depp saw that depicted a warrior.Weak reference to "Native American culture," not Comanche culture. Not true of many Native cultures. And the headdress came from a white man's fantasy painting, which means it's false and stereotypical.A few Native American practices were borrowed from other tribes including the windigo, an evil cannibal spirit that is the villain in the movie. The windigo comes from Algonquian mythology, rather than the Comanche tribe."Borrowed" = stupidly and wrongly misappropriated. Mixing of Native cultures = false and stereotypical because it implies all Natives are the same.

To give you an idea how far off this is, would you borrow centaurs or Medusa for a story about Norse mythology? Greek is to Norse as Algonquian is to Comanche.Tonto frequently calls the Lone Ranger "kemo sabe." The word is from the Potowatomi language and means “friend,” according to Tankersley.Actually, the origin of "kemosabe" is unknown. The best guess is that it comes from a camp's name that may or may not be a corruption of an Ojibwe word.

In the old Lone Ranger series, what did "kemosabe" mean?

And we should give the movie credit for repeating a 75-year-old concept from the original radio show? Big freakin' deal.The Spirit Horse (which the Lone Ranger rides) is white, symbolic of the Spirit of the North Wind, which provides guidance and wisdom of the ancestors.Why would the Comanche care about some northern wind thousands of miles away? Sounds like more generic Indian nonsense, at best. Since Tankersley didn't even attribute it to generic Indians this time, he may have made it up.Tonto remains in face paint through most of the film. Typically, Native Americans donned the paint only during ceremonies. Because Tonto felt threatened by the windigo through much of the movie, the paint served as a mask to protect him from the evil windigo spirits. The paint does not appear in scenes that took place after the threat was eliminated.More generic Indian nonsense. Not applicable to Tonto since he's supposed to be Comanche, not Algonquian. And did the movie state this, or is Tankersley making it up again, like the "spirit horse"?

Breastplate and feathersTonto’s costume includes a typical Comanche breastplate. Filmmakers took artistic license with its color and composition (they typically were white bone or shell, but Tonto’s is black water buffalo horn).It's a "typical Comanche breastplate" except for its color and composition? What's the typical part? And water buffalo are found only in Asia, not America.Tankersley also noted that the Comanche actors wore real eagle feathers, while the non-Native American characters donned painted turkey feathers, since only Native Americans are permitted to have eagle feathers.Again, did the movie state this? If not, how does he know?

Even if true, it's a trivial detail that no one--not even a Native reviewer--has noticed. That makes it irrelevant.Tankersley hopes the film’s portrayal of Tonto will spur more accurate depictions of Native Americans in future movies and will help Native American children take pride in their heritage.Yes, let's hope future portrayals are better than this false and stereotypical portrayal.

Every one of Tankersley's points is either wrong, misleading, unsubstantiated, or unimportant. If I were grading his review, I'd give it a C or C- at most.

For more on Johnny Depp and Tonto, see Depp Justifies Tonto's Stereotypes and Comanche Chairman Justifies Tonto's Stereotypes.