Since the discussion topic was about stereotypes, I researched Indigenous peoples and stereotypes a little further. I found some amusing stereotypes, but many negative one too that were not funny at all. I assume (or hope) that non-Indigenous people would not entirely believe them, but the negative stereotypes are deep-rooted and may affect how Indigenous people are viewed in some respects.

Native Appropriations is a forum that discusses representations of Native peoples, including stereotypes and cultural appropriation. In a recent post they discussed racist Halloween costumes. I totally understand that wearing Indian costumes can be perceived as racist but racism may not be always the reason for choosing Indian costumes; sometimes people dress for something they love and respect, so one cannot over generalize. If children want to choose a costume simply because s/he likes it, how should adults react?

Creative Spirits, the website that introduces contemporary Aboriginal culture in Australia, discusses many stereotypes and prejudices about ‘Aboriginal Australia’. At the same time, they introduce ‘good’ stereotypes as well as typical ones; for example, the Tourism Australia website uses the common stereotype of ‘Australia = friendly Aboriginal people’ to promote the tourism in Australia. It is important for students to learn about the negative aspects of Aboriginal history, but at the same time, teachers should focus on Indigenous peoples’ strength and beliefs to reveal their positive aspects. It may not be the best solution for rooting out negative stereotypes, but perhaps positive stereotypes can help overcome negative ones.

Recently I have seen a few documentaries about Indigenous peoples both on TV and in the theater. One is called Kind Hearted Woman, about a native woman in North Dakota who struggles with poverty, career, drug and alcohol abuse, and her own identity. It was very powerful and I had so many questions such as “what prevents her from leaving the community?” or “why is it so hard for her to overcome her problems?” because of my ignorance about Indigenous peoples and, probably, my stereotypes about them. Then I watched Nanook of the North last week and now I curiously started searching for more Indigenous films.

First Nations Films was created in 1998 and distributes award-winning educational documentary films for, by and about Indigenous peoples in Canada. Many movies are listed in their catalogue with trailers. Movies feature various topics, such as native women, suicide in the community, Indigenous peoples’ historical relationship with the Provincial and Canadian governments in settling the land question in Canada, etc. National Film Board of Canada features many Indigenous documentaries and animations on its website as well. The best feature of this website is that we can watch many full-length feature films about Aboriginal Peoples.

Coincidentally, imagineNATIVE, Toronto’s 14th annual showcase of the latest work by indigenous filmmakers and artists, will be held October 16th through 20th. Every fall imagineNATIVE presents a selection of distinctive Indigenous works from around the world in conjunction with a variety of cultural & social events. Because we are apt to have incorrect impressions or stereotypes about Indigenous peoples, it is helpful for us to see films and documentaries on them to dispel stereotypical notions about them. Through diverse media presentations we can arrive at a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples and cultures.

When I was a student in Japan, there was little taught about the Indigenous peoples of Japan in any school. I believe that the situation has not changed much, unfortunately. Since I still don’t know much about them, I began researching to obtain basic knowledge about one of the two Indigenous peoples, the Ainu. The Ainu live mainly in Hokkaido, a northern region of Japan, and in part of Russia. There are about 25,000 Ainu living in Japan according to official population estimates (the unofficial number is upwards of 200,000 people).

In the mid-to-late 19th century Japanese settlers took over the indigenous land. The Ainu were forced to assimilate under pressure from various laws and the Japanese government banned their cultural traditions. The government’s assimilation policy resulted in many Ainu being ignorant of their own culture and history. For that reason the Ainu language is now considered endangered. The Ainu people also hope their living and educational standards can be upgraded. According to the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, 38.3 percent of the Ainu in Hokkaido are on welfare, compared with the local average of 24.6 percent. Moreover, only 17.4 percent of the Ainu receive a college education while 38.5 percent of the locals do.

Surprisingly, the Japanese government did not recognize the ethnic Ainu as Japan’s indigenous people until 2008; it must have been a major challenge for a country long proud of being ethnically homogeneous.

Probably because of this recognition, the description of the Ainu has significantly increased in the textbooks used for primary schools in 2010. Needless to say it was a big step forward since school education about them is important to raising awareness of the Ainu among the population at large. However, teacher knowledge is essential to teaching the contents of the textbook properly and the improvement of teacher training is crucial.

In 2010, the documentary film TOKYO Ainu was released. I believe there were few documentaries featuring the Ainu made before this one. This film features the Ainu living in Tokyo and its surrounding areas actively promoting their traditional culture. The promotional footage is available here on YouTube. For more information about the Ainu, the Ainu Museum website is also a useful resource for learning about Ainu history and culture.