Paint Chip Indians

Abstract

This essay is a follow up to a previous article “How to Be an Authentic Indian” published in November of 2014 in the California Law Review Circuit. (M. Alexander Pearl, How to Be an Authentic Indian, 5 Cal. L. Rev. Circuit 392 (November 2014). This essay continues the satiric tone of my previous article and focuses on a single nationally relevant issue. With the current media emphasis on the controversy over recent representations of Indians in television and film (such as Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the Adam Sandler written/directed Ridiculous Six), the essay is topical and examines the critiques and sources themselves. Finally, this essay is intentionally irreverent and critical of mainstream media representations of Indians. It presents a satirical view of mainstream cultural understandings of Indians. In no way does it mock Native communities or culture, instead it presents a critique of majoritarian views of Indians. In addition, the essay questions the internal dialogue in tribal communities regarding the authenticity of Indian identity.

Keywords: Native American, Race, Federal Indian Law, Critical Race Theory