The National tribune., 1911-02-23
Moving Picture Indian.

funny things that has happened in many
a day is the protest of real Indians
against moving picture Indians. dele
CATION appeared before the Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs and later before
the President one day last week. and
made strenuous speeches against Carl
caturing of themselves in this style in
moving pictures.
+ The noble redman has his thinker on
straight in this matter. OF all the silly.
ridiculous, outrageous and degrading
things that go to make up the moving
picture shows the moving picture con-
ception of the Indian is absolutely the
siliiest and most absurd. In the first
place, the moving-picture Indians all
wear war bonnets. There would not be
an eagle left in the United States by
now If the Indians wore war bOnnetS as
depicted by the nickellodeon entertain
ers. The various kinds Of blankets that
these Indians wear are another absurd
ity. It does not make any difference
whether it happens to be batltrobe,
doormat or piece of discarded carpet
when the moving-picture makers start
out TO make up an Indian film. Their
bow-Iegged snnb-nosed and turned-up-
nose actors robe their almost senile
forms in the garments picked up from
some rag dealer, put on war bonnets
made of a feather buster, fold their
arms and look as stern as curly locks
ana SnuD noses VIII let tneIH LOOK, anu
appear as Observation-Disclosures
MAN. fraid- of his-wife" and Sunny
browed Sorrow" and the moving pic
rture is manufactured.
The moving picture shows the women
all wear beads. bracelets without end,
fingers ringed to the knuckles, fringed
petticoats to the knee. beaded mecca
sins, belts and wear guns; in fact. The
full paraphernalia of a cowboy upstart.
Some of them have been even put into
pictures wearing the divided riding
skirt These pictures are screamingly
funny.
Now, as a matter of fact the women
wear Rightly few Jewels. If they wear
anything at all on their heads, 1t is a
red handkerchief and tied around the
head tightly to keep the hair out of
their eyes. And be it known that an
Indians hair is as straight as a cast
iron poker. 1t is usually matty, always
unkempt and absolutely filthy-so filthy,
in fact, thar the only way in the world
to rid it of the vernin is plaster of
mud and water in which the hair is in
cased and left for week or two until
the vermin is killed. Indian women
wear plain moccasins, leggings made of
wrappings of antelope hide, and usually
a calico kimona for a waist and a petit
coat made Of an old army blanket,
which is twisted around their bodies
and fastened with sort of an iron
bodkin. There are mighty few of !hem
pretty. and they are all of them dirty
and filthy. This refers to what is called
the blanket Indian; that is. the Indian
boy or girl, man or woman, who has
never had his savagery infringed upon
by civilization The Indian woman in
the savage tribe and among the no.
madic Indians-yes, and among the vii
bodybuilding Indians-is practically
beast of burden. She hews the wood
and hauls the water and hauls every
thing else that can be piled on the ira
vols. of which she is the motive power.
by band tied around her forehead and
attached to the drag 1t is her lordly
husband who wears the chains and
bracelets but very few of them wear
rings. File also wears the beaded moe
casins and sometimes leather breeches
with fringe down the sides. As for the
war bonnets there are probably not a
half dozen Of them owned by any one
tribe in existence to-day. These are
made from certain feathers of the eagle
and not from buZZard or turkey feath-
ers. as in the moving picture show. and
are very cleVery made and handed
down from chieftain to his son who sue
ceeds him, and are just as much heir
looms an,onG the Indians as brooches
and medallionS are among white peo-
pie. The Indian is generally we'll
formed animal. His flesh is smooth,
limbs rounded. tho lean. without an
ounce of superf1uous flesh. and they
look the runner, rider and the all
around athlete. When the real Indian
starts out for business he doesn't rig
himself up like an advertisement for a
ribbon counter. He usually wears moe
casins, breechclout. q blanket. and car
ries a gun. and when he goes into ac
ton he throws off the blanket. The
Indians of the plains of even to-day
would scorn to wear one of the cheap.
'imsy. gaudy blankets such as the NOV
g-picture shows insist upon idealizing
him in.
The absurd dancing of the moving
picture show would make an Indian
dog laugh. 1t is not to be wondered
that Eves-tall. Chief Red Bird. All
bow-e-shig. Scot Big Buck. Bird Chief,
Selpur Lone Wolf. Big Chief. Kay-dug
e-gwon-ay-oush. Big Ben, Big Buck.
Magoosh, Saucy Calf. John Washie.
Rucher-bocker and Indians with char
acterstic names like these should pro-
test against the degrading representa-
ton of the mselves in moving-pieture
shows. Nu-a-sud. a half-breed Indian,
writing to the Indian Department of the
huniliating pictures. says:
The Indian Department, and, in fact,
the Christian people. as we'll as all 9TH
ers having the welfare of the Indian at
heart, should rise up with one accord
and pronounce a curse upon the pres
ent-day SO-called Indian productions