For my essay I watched Dances With Wolves, I picked this film because I thought it was a realistic portrayal of how the west was lost for Native American by The Policies and Procedures of the United States Government in the 20TH Century. I think Most Cowboy and Indian Films prior to Dances with Wolfs portrayed Native American as Heartless Killers, Savages and Finally Human Beings. .
In the film dances with wolves Non-natives portrayed a lot of stereotyping against Native American tribes. Throughout the movie Native American are shown scalping non-natives and celebrating for there victory. The tribes attacked the non-natives family and killed everyone that they came across, whether they were a young baby, child, mother or father. As a young child stands with fists is laying on a pile of hay with a friend when her family is attacked and killed by a Pawnee War Party, Stands with a fist watches the war party brutally murder her younger siblings, mother and father. Stands with a fist distraught runs for her life into the field and later on is found Sioux Tribe and is adopted in as one of them. I think in the beginning of the introduction of the Movie the film did not go into detail why natives had an extreme hatred for white settlers occupying their lands, I think the film did not explain why Native American were so opposed to white Settlement on their lands and portrayed the Native American as the aggressors and Heartless Killers in the wild west.
Native American were portrayed as savages in most films prior to Dances With Wolfs but captain Dunbar assigned himself to a post and while there became acquainted with the Sioux native Americans. At first he felt threatened by there arrival and hid food and weapons so that they couldn't steal his supplies. The Sioux were unhappy of this newcomer because they knew that more white men would show up. Kicking horse and another Sioux member went to the post to find out why the captain was there and whether or not he meant any harm to there people.