The Indian identity, in "Playing Indian", is interestingly represented through two antonyms: Noble and savage. Unlike many other minorities, Indians were not necessarily seen as a race that had to be expelled from the United States. "White" America recognized many redeemable qualities and believed that they could be assimilated. Thomas Jefferson believed that white and Indian Americans carried the same level of intelligence.
This idea of noble savagery challenged the people of America to make a decision between helping them assimilate or to try to expel them from the country. As stated on page 4, "If one emphasizes the noble aspect, as Rousseau did, pure and natural Indians serve to critique Western society. Putting more weight on savagery justifies (and perhaps requires) a campaign to eliminated barbarism." In addition, the identity of Indians was often simplified to the material cultural items such as headdresses, feather, and blankets. This idea of stereotyping the Indian culture into souvenirs around one's household is still prevalent. In addition, the Washington Redskins, a football team, use a logo that accentuates the feathers of the Indian (on top of the word "Redskin" being extremely derogatory).
There was the notion that there were "good and bad" Indians. However, in the case of African Americans, for example, we see that even the drop of African American blood is a sign of savagery. In addition, Indians became an "us". The Indian identity was becoming merged with the American identity. Part of this national identity was tied to the idea of sharing a common enemy that threatened the same land: The British. I found this extremely intriguing given the notion that America was concerned with keeping the "melting pot".
This idea of noble savagery challenged the people of America to make a decision between helping them assimilate or to try to expel them from the country. As stated on page 4, "If one emphasizes the noble aspect, as Rousseau did, pure and natural Indians serve to critique Western society. Putting more weight on savagery justifies (and perhaps requires) a campaign to eliminated barbarism." In addition, the identity of Indians was often simplified to the material cultural items such as headdresses, feather, and blankets. This idea of stereotyping the Indian culture into souvenirs around one's household is still prevalent. In addition, the Washington Redskins, a football team, use a logo that accentuates the feathers of the Indian (on top of the word "Redskin" being extremely derogatory).
There was the notion that there were "good and bad" Indians. However, in the case of African Americans, for example, we see that even the drop of African American blood is a sign of savagery. In addition, Indians became an "us". The Indian identity was becoming merged with the American identity. Part of this national identity was tied to the idea of sharing a common enemy that threatened the same land: The British. I found this extremely intriguing given the notion that America was concerned with keeping the "melting pot".