Magical Native American: Difference between revisions

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This is often a form of [[Positive Discrimination]]. Works often use this trope to promote a "positive" image of Native Americans rather than accurately portraying their culture or developing them as characters. Like [[Noble Savage]], this trope can have obvious [[Unfortunate Implications]]. It furthers stereotypes of Native Americans and gives them a mysterious "otherness" quality.

Also, one of the sources of [[Our Elves Are Better|generic fantasy elves]] of wood-loving variety, sometimes followed so close it's hard to tell differences other than lifespan and sharp ears (often [[Noble Savage]], but not necessarily so).

If this character is a superhero, see [[Captain Ethnic]]. See also [[Magical Negro]] and [[Magical Asian]].

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* Apache leader Wasserstein of ''[[Give Me Liberty]]''.

* Played with in [[Scalped]]. Nominally a crime-n-family drama, it also delves into the realm of dreams and spirit animals, and it's not certain if it's just metaphors. Certain characters (Grandma Poor Bear, for instance) have an inherent connection to this vaguely magical background.

* ''[[PS238]]'' has Roaring Cloud, who was a chief of an unknown tribe in America in the previous Age of Superpowers. He was warlike and [[Smug Super|excessively prideful]] and [[Personality Powers|fittingly]], had mastery over lightning (though he [[Swiss Army Superpower|can be creative with this]]) - enough to challenge a whole "conventional" army of another tribe (who thought his approach is not honourable). He wound up cursed and had to sit at one place as an incorporeal spirit unable to affect the material world or even remember his name until he atones, which is kind of tricky with such limitations. Eventually he was given an opportunity to participate in saving the world - possess a medium and start blasting alien invaders.

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* A humorous example is the "weird naked Indian" from ''[[Wayne's World]] 2''. That was a parody of a more straightforward example: the almost naked NA from Jim Morrison's visions in Oliver Stone's ''The Doors''.

* Mystic Native American high-steel workers in the film version of ''Wolfen''. (The mysticism aspect is not really present in the novel.)

* Subversion: ''Black Robe'' gives an extremely educated and unromanticized view of the differences between Algonquin, Huron, and Christian religious beliefs. The natives neither come off as [[Closer to Earth]] or a [[Cargo Cult]], although Mestigoit the Algonquin shaman is unabashedly hilarious.

* Subversion: ''[[Black Robe]]'' gives an extremely educated and unromanticized view of the differences between Algonquin, Huron, and Christian religious beliefs. The natives neither come off as [[Closer to Earth]] or a [[Cargo Cult]], although Mestigoit the Algonquin shaman is unabashedly hilarious.

* Subverted in the plot of the [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]-mocked film ''[[Puma Man]]''. An Aztec gives the hero a magic belt that gives him all the powers of a puma, including flying. Subverted because the actual Native American is a [[Badass Normal]] and the "magic" is alien super-technology. Despite having the belt and super-powers, the hero stays only one notch above utter coward, while his Aztec sidekick does all the work of actually defeating the bad guy.

* Randolph Johnson, the aquarium minder in ''[[Free Willy]]''.

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* ''Werewolf'' wasn't the only game in the Old World of Darkness to work the Native American motifs. ''[[Mage: The Ascension]]'' had the Dreamspeakers, a mystical Tradition made up of shamans of all types (Aborigines, Native Americans, African bushmen, even modern technoshamans) who showed a mastery over the spirit world. ''[[Changeling: The Dreaming]]'' had the Nunnehi, changelings who took after Native American myths the same way the Kithain took after European (and African) myths, and whose relationship with the Kithain ranged from "friendly, but keep your distance" to "fucking white man."

* The tribes and spiritual motifs continue in the successor game, ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'', but the Native American themes are downplayed. Furthermore, the werewolves in this game aren't so much protectors ''of'' the spirit world as they are protectors of humanity ''from'' a rapacious spirit world.

* [[Warhammer 40000]]: Necromunda has the Ratskins. Otherwise, does not have much place for this - [[Psychic Powers]] in general are more of risk than they're worth, and the Exodite Eldar (local Wood Elves stand-in) are more of dinosaur riding cowboys.

* [[Warhammer 40000|Necromunda]] has the Ratskins.

* In ''[[Witchcraft]]'', the Native Americans had just as many coven equivalents as everyone else. The reason the Natives didn't use their magical superpowers to stop the White Man was because the Combine nullified their advantages somehow.

* ~~Mother Raven (from the Superhero RPG~~ [[Silver Age Sentinels]]) is ~~a shaman~~ (~~and~~ one of the setting's major heroines) who received her powers from the actual [[Native American Mythology|Raven]].

* ''[[Silver Age Sentinels]]'': Mother Raven (one of the setting's major heroines) is a shaman who received her powers from the actual [[Native American Mythology|Raven]].

== [[Video Games]] ==

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* The Clan of the Hawk attempted to invoke this with William Ghostraven in [[The Wandering Ones]], which was why he left.

{{quote|'''William:''' "The only use the "Clan of the Hawk" had for me was to play "Wise Native Dude." Always asking me about this ceremony or that craft. In the before time, I worked in a freakin' Casino! I just wanted to scream!"}}

* Subverted in the [[Ciem Webcomic Series]]: Imaki Izuki is half-Indian (partially Navajo and partially Apache) in [[Ultimate Universe|the books]], although he is implicitly fully Japanese in the comics. He's the one who supplies Candi with her [[Magitek]] [[Teleporters and Transporters|Zeran accessories]] right before she finalizes the look of her Ciem identity with his help. Several in the village he takes her to in the books look like Magical Native American types, but don't have any actual powers. Then there's "Jackrabbit," who's a [[Biological Mashup|Phexo]] mutant given [[In a Single Bound|kangaroo legs]]. Powers, yes; but no actual magic.

* Romeo in ''[[No Songs for The Dead]]'' is native American, and inherited his magical powers due to his father being a messenger of the Primordial, an entity who is also the source of black magic. He does not wear any of the stereotypical clothing or any warpaint, though he does go around bare-chested most of the time.