The concept of the Other, derived chiefly from postcolonial theory, denotes the process by which dominant cultures construct subordinate groups as fundamentally different and inferior to reinforce power relations. In film studies, this idea has been applied to indigenous-themed cinema, where representations of Native American, Aboriginal Australian, and other First Nations peoples frequently position them as exotic, primitive, or mystical foils to Western protagonists. This essay critically examines the appearance of the Other in such films, focusing on the tension between stereotypical portrayals and occasional assertions of agency. Drawing on postcolonial frameworks, the discussion analyses examples including Dances with Wolves (1990) and Avatar (2009) to evaluate how these representations both perpetuate and, at times, challenge colonial binaries. While the films illustrate the enduring influence of Orientalist thinking, they also reveal limitations in achieving authentic indigenous perspectives.
The Theoretical Foundations of the Other in Cinema
Edward Said’s (1978) formulation of Orientalism provides the foundational lens for understanding the Other in visual media. Said argued that Western representations of non-Western societies reduce complex cultures to simplified, often negative or romanticised traits that serve imperial interests. In film, this manifests through the binary of self and Other, where indigenous characters embody qualities such as spiritual harmony or savage violence that contrast with rational, civilised Western heroes. Ella Shohat and Robert Stam (1994) extend this analysis to cinema, noting that ethnographic and narrative films historically frame indigenous peoples as objects of spectacle rather than subjects with historical agency. Such constructions are not neutral; they reflect and sustain unequal power dynamics. However, the application of Said’s model to indigenous contexts requires caution, since Native cultures predate and differ significantly from the Orientalist focus on the Middle East and Asia. Scholars therefore adapt the concept to address specific settler-colonial histories, highlighting how cinema has long functioned as a tool of cultural erasure.
Stereotypical Representations in Mainstream Films
Mainstream indigenous-themed films frequently reproduce the Other through the noble savage archetype. In Dances with Wolves, directed by Kevin Costner, the Lakota Sioux are portrayed as noble, ecologically attuned people whose way of life is threatened by encroaching white civilisation. The narrative centres on a Union Army lieutenant who integrates with the tribe, ultimately becoming their advocate. While the film attempts sympathetic depiction by casting Native actors and using Lakota dialogue, it ultimately reinforces Otherness by filtering indigenous experience through a white protagonist’s gaze. The Lakota remain exoticised figures whose primary narrative function is to facilitate the hero’s moral awakening. Critics argue that this structure exemplifies the white saviour trope, reducing complex indigenous histories to background colour for a Euro-American story (Shohat and Stam, 1994). Similar patterns appear in Avatar, where the Na’vi of Pandora function as a technologically advanced yet spiritually pure Other. The film’s reliance on a disabled marine who leads the indigenous resistance against human colonisers recycles familiar colonial fantasies, even as it gestures toward ecological critique.
Emerging Counter-Narratives and Visual Sovereignty
Not all indigenous-themed films uncritically embrace Othering. Indigenous-directed works increasingly assert what Michelle Raheja (2010) terms “visual sovereignty,” allowing Native filmmakers to control representation and disrupt stereotypical binaries. Chris Eyre’s Smoke Signals (1998), for example, centres contemporary Native American characters whose humour and everyday struggles resist romanticisation. The film avoids positioning whiteness as the normative viewpoint, instead exploring intergenerational trauma and identity from within Coeur d’Alene communities. Such approaches challenge the Other by presenting indigenous peoples as modern subjects rather than timeless primitives. Nevertheless, these counter-narratives remain marginal within global distribution systems dominated by Hollywood. Mainstream success often requires compromise, leading to hybrid texts that contain moments of agency alongside lingering exoticism. The persistence of funding and marketing pressures therefore limits the extent to which indigenous cinema can fully escape the discursive frameworks identified by postcolonial theory.
Implications for Audience Reception and Cultural Understanding
The appearance of the Other in these films carries consequences for audience understandings of indigeneity. Stereotypical portrayals may reinforce misinformed perceptions among non-indigenous viewers, while simultaneously offering limited visibility that some indigenous audiences find preferable to complete erasure. The critical task, therefore, involves distinguishing between well-intentioned representations that nonetheless reproduce colonial logics and genuinely decolonising practices that prioritise indigenous authorship. Although films such as Dances with Wolves and Avatar demonstrate partial awareness of historical injustices, their narrative structures typically recentre white experience. In contrast, the gradual emergence of sovereign indigenous cinema suggests pathways toward more equitable representation, though these remain constrained by broader industry dynamics.
In conclusion, the concept of the Other continues to shape indigenous-themed films through persistent patterns of stereotyping and narrative marginalisation. Postcolonial theory illuminates these dynamics, yet also reveals opportunities for resistance when indigenous creators gain control. The field thus stands at a juncture where critical examination must accompany continued advocacy for diverse storytelling voices.
References
- Raheja, M. H. (2010) Reservation Reelism: Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty, and Representations of Native Americans in Film. University of Nebraska Press.
- Said, E. W. (1978) Orientalism. Routledge.
- Shohat, E. and Stam, R. (1994) Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. Routledge.
