Indians In Neverland

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Indigenous cultures have often been the victims of negative stereotyping, as is clearly demonstrated by American mass media. Films that target children have been particularly guilty of reinforcing various Native American stereotypes. Films such as Pocahontas and The Indian in the Cupboard often rely on an outdated and stereotypical view of Native Americans. One of the best examples of this kind of racial stereotyping in a children’s film, though, is Disney’s Peter Pan (1953). In this paper, I will argue that the film Peter Pan represents indigenous cultures in ways that are both inaccurate and disturbing. Indians make their first appearance in the film after John, Michael, and the Lost Boys decide to go “hunting.” The Lost Boys suggest various preys that they want to seek out, including tigers and bears, before John suggests tracking down “the Aborigines.” The rest of the group readily agrees, and proceeds to march through the wilderness while singing: We’re out to fight the Injuns, The Injuns, the Injuns. We’re out to fight the Injuns, Because he told us so. When the group discovers a track that supposedly belongs to one of the Indians, John reassures the group that, while the Indians are “quite savage,” they pose no threat. According to John, they are “cunning, but not intelligent.” Despite this, the Indians manage to surround the group and take them hostage. These scenes clearly establish John, Michael, and the Lost Boys as an analog for the white colonizer. The group wishes to locate the “Injuns” for different, yet equally othering reasons. The Lost Boys wish to locate and destroy the natives because they represent a threat, albeit an imaginary threat, to the Lost Boys’ livelihood. The film even goes so far as to group the Natives with animals that the Lost Boys wish to hunt, and explicitly state that the Lost Boys wish to fight the Natives, as in the song

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