Native American or American Indian stereotypes?

I'll write some possible stereotypes below. I've seen the movie several times. But I want to say first that Smoke Signals is an all Native movie. It has an all Native cast and was written and produced by Natives. It isn't offensive in any way that I can think of. If there are stereotypes in the movie they are more Indian Humor than anything else.

Stereotypes (Mostly from Indian Humor):

1. Car Driving Backwards: This comes from the stereotype of a Rez. car which is a broke down car. It assumes that cars on the Reservation are broken down.

2. The Empty Road & Poor Indians: This comes from the stereotype that Native tribes are poor and desolate. In fact some Native tribes are booming enterprises.

3. Drunk Indians: Stereotype that most Natives are Drunks

4. Thomas: Stereotype of the Indian Story Teller. He is stereotypical in many ways. With his stories, with his long hair in braids, with his accent.

5. Stoic Indian: That Natives are stoic when in fact this is just a stereotype.

Well thats the top 5 I can think of. Hope it helps!

Smoke Signals is an Excellent Movie.

Stereotype: All Native Americans have black hair, tawney skin, brown eyes.

Fact: Natives for the majority have dark brown hair, there hair can also be dirty blonde/light brown/medium brown/black/auburn. They can be very light complected and very dark depending where they are from. And they can have brown, hazel, green and grey eyes.

Stereotype: All Natives have big noses.

Fact: Natives have broad or straight noses.

Stereotype: All Natives cannot grow facial or body hair.

Fact: Many Natives indeed can and do grow facial hair and some can grow body hair, again it depends on what tribes and where they are located.

Stereotype: Native men don't go bald.

Fact: Native men like men of every race do experience male pattern baldness, realize when the last time you seen a photo of the back of a Native's head. Look up Black Elk, in the photos of him as an old man, you can see he went bald.

Stereotype: All Natives live in tipis.

Fact: Many Native tribes prior to the arrival of White people have permanent housing, except for tribes who were nomadic, they lived in tipis. However, the nomadic tribes have lived in houses since the 1800s.

Stereotype: White people taught Natives how to cook.

Fact: Natives have been cooking their food since they developed the skill of making fire. By the way, if it weren't for Natives, the White colonists would not have made it through their first winter here.

Stereotype: All Natives are earth loving peaceful people.

Fact: While Natives respected the earth and lived in a spiritual way, they too were warrior societies. They fought rival tribes over food rights and territory. And many of these Warriors took great pride in being Warriors.

Stereotype: Natives have red skin.

Fact: Natives do not and never had red skin. The term red skin came from when the Pilgrims came to this continent, they met a tribe known as the Pequot, who would paint their skin red.

Stereotype: Native Americans originally came from Siberia, China, etc.

Fact: Native Americans have been here prior to 20,000 BC, which is before any known country in the Asian continent was formed, at that time there were NO known countries or Kingdoms.. This is a falisy, a theory created by people who could not comprehend that Native Americans did and could have originated here. But then again, when Natives tell people this, Natives are always dismissed and being told they are wrong. Don't you think Natives would know better than anyone where they came from? The Native American oral history is more accurate than any history written by Whites.

These tend to be the most common stereotypes I have heard since I was a child. If I think of anymore, I will post some more.

THAT MOVIE ROCKS.

Well, one could be when they are on the bus, and he tells Victor not to smile, that they have to look stoic (sp?) and warrior like.

And wow Wakiƞyaƞ Iśnala, I've never heard any of those stereo types. The only one I've heard is that American Indians hate the white people.

Which you haven't done so well to debunk.

That they always have to have dream catchers.

they have no concept of time and are habitually late to events.