Through a Native Lens
Through a Native Lens is a column from film critic and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Shea Vassar, who will dive into the nuance of cinema’s best and worst cases of Indigenous representation.
Explore the entire Through a Native Lens archive below
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Revisiting The Sopranos’ Columbus Day Episode
The Sopranos is great at showing how ignorant mobsters can be.
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‘The Revenant’ and the Dark History of Scalping
Sure, everyone scalped. But there were those who were compensated for the bloody act and those who have to carry the stereotypical legacy.
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“Hey, Standing Rock” and the Anti-Native Harm of ‘The New Mutants’
The film’s racist dialogue is the result of lazy writing. Still, it minimizes one of the biggest cultural movements for Native Americans in the last few decades.
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Chief’s Dynamic Change in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
Nurse Ratched and R.P. McMurphy are the more famous characters, but Chief is the most important.
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Digging Up the Indian Burial Ground Trope
“An ancient Indian WHAT?” – Homer SImpson
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‘Rhymes for Young Ghouls’ and the Legacy of Residential Schools
Tough topics can be educational and empowering when handled appropriately.
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The Harsh Reality Behind ‘Wind River’
In order to understand ‘Wind River,’ the history and understanding of the modern threat to Native women must be understood first.
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‘The Searchers’ Makes a Joke of Native Women
We take a look at the so-called comedic relief in the classic western film.
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John Dunbar’s Mystical Transformation in ‘Dances with Wolves’
What do John J. Dunbar and every sad white guy in romantic dramedies have in common?