The docudrama Nanook of the North shows clearly the stereotype of the simple, noble savage that has been popularized in western culture. That film was shot in 1922, but have societies changed their view much since then? Of course we would like to think so, but is that true? In a study of the portrayal of Aboriginal peoples in film and television, the media literacy charity Media Smarts conducted a study of this subject to see how much depictions have changed over the years. The most common problems uncovered can be best classified as mis-representation. They usually are: Romanticization, Historical Inaccuracies, Stereotyping by Omission, and Simplistic Characterizations. These flaws in the depictions of Indigenous peoples have the affect of skewing the portrayal of these groups in an manner which does not dispel myths and stereotypes but may actually increase them by providing confusing and improperly researched information to audiences. This article is very good at identifying the most significant issues on this subject.

http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/common-portrayals-aboriginal-people