The Savage Indian: Difference between revisions

This trope has ancient forerunners as practically every culture has identified a more primitive neighbor as '"savages'", particularly when there existed a conflict of interests. It became especially common in the age of imperialism during which blatantly racist ideas were used to advance a policy of [[Mighty Whitey|European nations]] "[[Ethnic Menial Labor|civilizing]]" the rest of the world. In the United States, expanding settlers repeatedly came into conflict with the native tribes. Infrequent abhorrent acts of violence perpetrated by the natives against the intruders led to the perception that all natives were brutal savages, [[Blatant Lies|especially considering that the settlers were all saints]]. Battles against savage Indians were commonplace in Western fiction up until the modern era, putting this on the edge of becoming a [[Dead Horse Trope]]. In the era of the "Revisionist Western," (the era in which we find ourselves) fiction often attempts to provide a more diverse and historically accurate view of violence by and against Native Americans.

* This useused to be a major draw at [[Disney Theme Parks|Disneyland]], back when Westerns were popular. Aside from the Indian Village, [[Tom Sawyer]]'s Island included an eternally burning shack with arrows in the side of it. As attitudes changed, it was given [[Multiple Choice Past|several different backstories]] before it became just a shack.