Dr Nicole Perry’s seminar on Native American representation in German films and how appropriation can often be construed as appreciation really sparked an interest in me.
ah yes, winnetou, my favourite native american. so accurately portraying the identity of all native americans in german media.
The portrayal of Native Americans in German films became central to German identity, but it falls short of an accurate depiction of Native American peoples and instead is used as a vessel to display German identity. While, at face value, these films seem to be placing Native American people in a place of pride and a celebration of this culture, as soon as you look a bit deeper you are confronted with this appropriative display. These often ‘positive’ portrayals actively disregard almost anything remotely Native American; for example the generalisation of the multitudes of tribes into one ‘all-encompassing’ representation, as well as only depicting the “wild west” period of American history. For example, Winnetou, essentially the ‘face’ of Germanised Native American media, is described as an “empty cliche,” who was outwardly depicted as Native American but void of any identity. These films do nothing to break down stereotypes that American films exhibited, and instead use them to entrench the German view of indigenous peoples – a view clouded by European colonialism.
To me, this topic is an early representation of cultural appropriation that has been mistaken for appreciation – something that is rife in today’s society. It illustrates how cultural appropriation isn’t limited to within the countries of these marginalised groups and that it can be found and produced anywhere there is a ‘need’ for it.
