Conflicts on the FrontierDespite the successful expansion and development of The Frontier, a more serious cultural clash arose from this migration west. Specifically, new conflicts between the thousands of Native Americans who called this area home and the settlers who were invading it plagued the West throughout the 19th century. These events would permanently alter life for Native Americans in the United States even up to the present day. Although the The Frontier was usually characterized by excitement and adventure, it is conflicts such as these that have marred our perception of the history of The West.
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Image source: Wikimedia Commons
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"White audiences began flocking to see Plains warriors perform as popular entertainers. The shows reinforced Indian stereotypes, but they also allowed Native horsemen to demonstrate their prowess in mock battles, earn money, gain skills, and meet potential supporters".
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This source, taken from a National Mall exhibit, addresses Native American discrimination and stereotypes. Specifically, how whites used Native Americans and their traditions as entertainment in shows and performances in the early days of The West. It was conflicts such as these that darkened The West's legacy and our impression of the events today. The development of these negative stereotypes about Native Americans that began almost 200 years ago is still an issue in our country today (Source 1).
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Painted by Frederic S. Remington, this portrayal of a U.S. cavalry unit retreating into the woods from the ensuing Apache Indians. As one of the most famous paintings from this specific area and time period, this depicts a classic "Cowboys versus Indians" scene. The cowboys are depicted wielding modern firearms while the pack of Native Americans are waving swords and wooden weaponry. It is artwork like this that has long survived The West and influences and molds our impression of what The Frontier was really like (2).
This recent article, by The Atlantic, talks about the forgotten or ignored detils about Native American resentment during the movement west. Oftentimes, United States Army soldiers would intentionally slaughter buffalo and try to bootleg buffalo to the markets for pocket change – effectively starving the Indians of one of their primary sources of food. It was speculated that if there were no longer any buffalo to hunt the Native Indians would be forced to modernize and farm like the rest of the nation. The resulting tensions are still felt in America today in the form of segregation on reservations and the generally poor quality of living for most Native Americans (3).
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"In 1870, a bull hide sold for $3.50...Then in 1873 an economic depression hit the country, and what easier way was there to make money than to chase down these ungainly beasts? Thousands of buffalo runners came, sometimes averaging 50 kills a day. They sliced their humps, skinned off the hides, tore out their tongues, and left the rest on the prairies to rot".
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This film clip from the famous "Old West" movie The Magnificent Seven, illustrates how Hollywood enforces the common, clichéd stereotypes about the Frontier in recent years. Cowboys with large-brimmed hats, six-shooter pistols thrust into their holsters, and men riding horse back to a cemetery shootout with cigarettes in hand. Based on what Hollywood has always portrayed life in The West as, one would might mistake this scene to be a regular day in the life of a settler. Not to mention, the movie is laced with obviously discriminative Native American stereotypes throughout. It is films and television shows like these that have permeated the American mind with a skewed version of Western history (4).
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This article, written by The Atlantic, is yet another example of how Hollywood distorts the view of what the Wild West really was. The recent movie, The Lone Ranger, is a mixed bag of action and stereotypes about what the West was like. Not to mention, the movie is action packed with Indian slaughtering, yet again perpetuating the racial disparity that existed already in America and the West then and now. Similar to The Magnificent 7, The Lone Ranger takes the misconceptions about The Frontier and stretches them even further our of proportion; the main character is a white actor playing a Native American character with magical powers (5).
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#1: Lakota, Oglala. "Wild West Shows." A Song for the Horse Nations, Smithsonian, 9
Oct. 2011, nmai.si.edu/static/exhibitions/horsenation/wildwest.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2016. #2: Remington, Frederic S. A Dash for the Timber. 1889, Library of Benilde-St. Margaret's. #3: Phippen, J. Weston. "Kill Every Buffalo You Can! Every Buffalo Dead Is an Indian Gone." The Atlantic, 13 May 2016, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/ 05/the-buffalo-killers/482349/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. |
#4: "The Magnificent Seven Movie CLIP - Standoff at the Cemetery." Youtube, uploaded
by Movieclips, Movieclips, 30 July 2013, www.youtube.com/ watch?v=yjEcOkwV2MU. Accessed 26 Oct. 2016. #5: Lawson, Richard. "The Lone Ranger: How the West Was Lost." The Atlantic, 2 July 2013, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/07/ the-lone-ranger-review/313703/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2016. |