The White Man's Indian by Robert Berkhofer

Despite their widely diverse cultures, in The White Man's Indian Robert F. Berkhofer (7) argues that white euro-Americans (i.e. white Americans) tended to homogenize Indian tribal groups into images of "The Indian," and along a dichotomy of good/bad that existed since Amerigo Vespucci first described them in these two categories. The wholly constructed image of "The Indian" by white Americans ranged from the classic images of either noble savage or bloodthirsty savage. Whatever image was constructed, Berkhofer argues they always served the needs, both intellectually and materially, of white Americans. This analysis will reflect on the persistence of these ethnocentrically constructed images of "The Indian" and how they play out in popular culture and artistic expression.

We see ample evidence of Berkhofer's contention that images of "The Indian" still play out in popular culture and artistic expression. In Oregon, the noble savage Indian is portrayed in commercials describing how his reservation's casino profits are benefitting the environment. A similar separation is

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Category: History - T