discussion concerns the issues of Creating Images:

discussion concerns the issues of Creating Images: Recognizing Stereotypes & Considering Authenticity. Our two videos address Indian mascots and controversy surrounding their use and motion pictures and Native Americans and controversy View Full Description Unit 12 Video Discussion Questions In Whose Honor 48 min (2007) Creating Images: Recognizing Stereotypes & Considering Authenticity In In Whose Honor?, filmmaker Jay Rosenstein focuses on the story of Charlene Teters, a Spokane Indian whose campaign against Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois' beloved team mascot, turned a college town upside down and made many people rethink the larger issues of culture and identity. In Whose Honor? traces the history of Chief Illiniwek at the University of Illinois, and other popular depictions of Native Americans in school athletics and professional sports franchises across the country. The film follows Teters' evolution from mother and student into a leading national voice against the merchandising of Native American symbols and shows the lengths fans will go to preserve their mascots. It also draws connections to other historical examples of stereotyped imagery such as . (Source: http://www.pbs.org/pov/inwhosehonor/film_description.php) Charlene Teters, a Spokane Indian, is a focal point of this film. She reluctantly assumes the role of spokesperson in her opposition of the depiction of University of Illinois mascot, Chief Illiniwek while attending a basketball game there with her two small children. Based on both Teter’s recollection of the first encounter with the matter and that of fans and alumni, what did you see as the basic issues involved in the use of Indian mascots and imagery in college and professional sports? Why do you feel that this is such an emotional issue on both sides, and why do fans have such a different perception of the issue? (Thinking specifically about the university officials and alumni.) As the film progresses and we gain a better understanding of the involvement of other Native Americans activists and national organizations, as well as sports media, major newspapers, and politicians. With all these ‘stakeholders’ involved, did it seem to you that progress had been made (at least during the span of the production and release of this documentary)? What positive and negative outcomes resulted in active involvement in the issue of the use of sports mascots? Did this change your own attitude concerning the use of mascots at all levels of sports, both amateur and professional? In what way if any was your attitude affected and what did you learn about the perspective on both sides of this issue? Imagining Indians 60 min, (1992) RE: Creating Images: Recognizing Stereotypes & Considering Authenticity With an all-Indian crew, Victor Masayesva visited tribal communities in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington and the Amazon to produce this film. Masayesva says, "Coming from a village which became embroiled in the filming of Darkwind, a Hollywood production on the Hopi Reservation, I felt a keen responsibility as a community member, not an individual, to address these impositions on our tribal lives. (Source: http://www.der.org/films/imagining-indians.html Victor Masayesva, the filmmaker, uses a variety of devices to create a context from which he examines the involvement of Native American people and communities in the production of Native American films—sometimes with music, images, voiceovers, and quotes. The mixed media make it difficult at times to fully realize how Masayesva wishes for us to perceive the situation. Discuss your own understanding of why he presents the story in this manner—the dentist’s office, the radio playing over the scene, jumping to other scenes… What are we looking at and why are we seeing it in this way? The movie Dances with Wolves plays prominently in the first part of the film and we hear from Marvin Clifford as he recounts his experience playing an extra in the film. A group of Indian women later discuss the film’s heroine and her portrayal as well. Several other Indian men also recollect their work as extras on older Hollywood films. Considering the themes of authenticity and images, what did you conclude concerning the larger back story of both the treatment of Indian actors and methods used to achieve the desired effect in film-making? Can we rely on Hollywood to represent Native Americans and their culture accurately? How does this portrayal, based on what we see here, affect our perception of Native people and culture? Several Indian people, who are more involved in film production than in acting working as consultants, discuss authenticity, film locations, and more sacred matters concerning what Hollywood producers and directors (Robert Redford, Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, and Cecil B. DeMille, among others) and the depiction of events like the Ghost Dance and the Okeepa ceremonies. What do you see as some of the concerns that Native people have in the production of films and the use of real locations? Does it appear that those who make these films are considering the wishes of Native people and are correctly and respectfully effectively addressing these concerns? Why or why not?