The Native Americans have a plethora of simplifications that were created out of ignorance and fear that stemmed from the same social structure that paved the way for most, if not all, stereotypes. Along with every other race, gender and even age group, American Indians were defined by a set of generalities that were meant to negatively affect their social standings. This type of slandering, as common with most modern groups, finds a way to carry on. In this time of media superiority, the masses are subjected to a litany of oversimplifications that are now thought to be factual no matter how implausible they may be.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in a new world, only to discover that it was already inhabited. Thinking that he had landed in India, he dubbed these new natives as Indians. As time progressed, the Europeans began to colonize this new land, with one drawback, the native people had already laid claim to most of this area. This lead to a campaign that, by design, would give the indigenous people an extremely damaging connotation that is even used today. By doing this, the “Indians” would be de-humanized and considered barbaric by nature, thus giving the settlers a moral obligation to “tame the beast”.
Being that these platitudes carry on through the generations, the fictional slights developed a more convincing physical attribute. Some so much that they will seem to stop the evolution of a set of people. The modern Native American is almost indiscernible, from a social standing, from any other group. They hold jobs, drive cars and dress like most other Americans. When asked to draw an American Indian, most people portray them wearing the traditional headdress, half naked wielding a bow and arrow. This interpretation has become such a social norm that even Native American children depict themselves in the same manner.
A very familiar stereotype belonging to the Native Americans is that they are “a bunch of drunkards” or that they are drug...