Disney’s [com]modification of The Indian

For many of us, Walt Disney cartoon movies have been one of the dominant experiences of childhood. Many children have enjoyed Dumbo, 101 Dalmations and Lady and the Tramp. But cartoon treatment of the American Indian has not been kind. The portrayal of Indians in 1953’s Peter Pan is hardly complimentary, and 1995’s Pocahontas is not much better. Surprisingly, the Native Peoples are shown to have a connection with the land and the White Man is seen as shown inept and clueless invaders. While this may be palatable to some, the character of Pocahontas still places herself in the power of the very white John Smith – a symbolic surrender of one people to another. This traditional connection to the land (see Marker, Michael, Teaching History from an Indigenous Perspective: Four Winding Paths up the Mountain) ” is “Disneyfied” and given the Western “mystical Indian” treatment with some cute little animal friends and an ancient grandmother tree that carries on conversations with our Indian Princess. Disney based this on true historical events, but the reality of this story is much less kind, with a 12 or 13 year old Pocahontas captured by the British, held in the boat for a year, and then transported back to England. But that wouldn’t have made as good a movie…