![]() Something is always broken and degraded and stolen. The ones who live to see the end usually do not keep their dignity intact. Survival is rarely afforded to this character. If they're painted in a more sympathetic and likable way, they usually die to push the narrative of another character: the hero that does not look like you. They are in jail, in loveless relationships they are rejected and abandoned. ![]() They die by disease, suicide, or overdose. You want to be happy to see them.īut every time you see them, it's like a ticking clock: whenever this character appears in any story, it's only a matter of time before they are abused, raped, or murdered. This character represents you and you see this character often: in the movies you watch with your children, the comic books you read as a teenager, the video games you've played all your life. You have the same features, skin tone, religion, community, or culture. Imagine a scenario where you watch a new movie featuring a character who looks like you, or at the very least looks like your mother or father or your child. Does The NDN Live spirit: stallion of the cimarron spirit stallion of the cimarron Little Creek Daniel Studi native american lakota american indian ndn indigenous aboriginal dreamworks dreamworks animation animation However, Little Creek is the target of violence all throughout the film.Īlso, while Little Creek is the only human character, he still takes the backseat to the main character, who is a horse. Natives are attacked and their tipis are destroyed, but it is very brief. There is a scene where the Cavalry raids the village. For the most part the Natives are framed as sympathetic, but Little Creek is the only one with any personality and character. It acknowledges colonialism and oppression, the natives belong to an actual tribe that is named (Little Creek is Lakota) and for the most part, stereotypes are avoided. The film meets most of the minimal requirements. Little Creek (Daniel Studi) from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) iñárritu dies indigenous women native american american indian first nations ndn indigenous aboriginal women aboriginal representation matters native women revenant film Does The NDN Live the revenant grace dove wife of hugh glass hugh glass's wife alejandro g. The film is very violent: several Natives are killed throughout the film during their battles with fur traders, there are flashbacks of massacres and a raided village, and another native woman is raped on screen.Īpart from not being sexually assaulted, she doesn’t meet the other requirements of The Aila Test.Īctress Grace Dove was also not invited to the Academy Awards despite the film receiving critical acclaim for it’s direction, cinematography and Best Actor win and also for it’s “authentic” representation of Indigenous people. She was killed before the beginning of the film and is shown to us in flashbacks, dream sequences, and later as a spirit who appears in front of her husband. She is the dead wife of Hugh Glass (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and the mother of his biracial son, who is also killed in the first act of the film. Let’s begin with the fact that she doesn’t even have a name in the film and is credited as “Hugh Glass’s wife” or “The Wife of Hugh Glass.” The Wife of Hugh Glass (Grace Dove) from The Revenant (2015) However, if you are looking for a test about Indigenous people that is more lighthearted and not too heavy with the subject matter, visit my other test here: Does The NDN Live? Does The NDN Live the aila test aila test native american representation matters american indian first nations ndn indigenous aboriginal I hope to explore these themes further and open up a discussion on the matter. But when Native Americans and First Nations people see themselves represented on film, do they only see themselves die? Just because a character survives doesn’t necessarily mean the character is good or progressive. When a Native character is introduced to the story’s narrative, may it be a film, an animation, a video game, or a comic book, do they live?Īre they killed off immediately? Do they die towards the end? Do they only exist for the point of dying a violence or tragic death? This blog is currently under construction and will be running soon.īut for those who are curious, this is a very simple test used to analyze and criticize the portrayal of Native American and First Nations characters in mainstream media.
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