The movie Reel Injun tells the history of representation of Aboriginal people in cinema. Stereotypes and caricatures of Indigenous people are prevalent in the media, whether it be news, Hollywood movies, children’s books, or the television.
Jennifer David, who was involved in the establishment of the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN), and recently participated in a panel discussion called Indigenous Perspectives and Representations in the media, summarizes the stereotypes of Native people in traditional media as falling into one of three categories: victims, villains, or vanquished.
Self-publishing through social media is one avenue that allows for the authentic and diverse voices of Indigenous peoples to be shared, thus challenging these stereotypes and creating new representations of Indigenous peoples in the media.