Analysis Of Drew Hayden Taylor's Searching For Winnetou

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The beloved character of Winnetou is an acclaimed figure in the German film industry and Indigenous culture for nearly a century. Drew Hayden Taylor is a Canadian Ojibwe investigating the central events of Winnetou, the fictional character developed by Karl May, and the significance it holds in Germany. In Taylor's documentary, “Searching for Winnetou”, he presents his insights on the difficulties of Native American appreciation and appropriation. Further discussions proceed in relation to Winnetou and the depiction set of stereotypes of Indigenous peoples perpetrated by the figure, Winnetou, and such influence it recalls to Germany. The following paragraphs discuss the slight representation of Indigenous culture and its accuracy, as well as …show more content…

Nearly over a thousand years ago, Germans gathered once a year, known as “Indian Week,” to celebrate the cultures of Indians. However, Germans admire the nineteenth-century lifestyle excessively. Thus, the event has drawn in a large number of hobbyists to participate. Red Haircrow relatively speaks upon his set prepositions and the skeptical appropriateness found throughout the hobbyists' scenes of Indian Week. Essentially, non-Natives dressing up as another culture is disrespectful unless you are granted the right to wear special attire. Red exclaims, “I’ve been marginalized; I know what it means to be copied and, in a way, mocked in that way. So I wouldn’t do it” (Searching for Winnetou 12 34:44–34:54| CBC Docs POV | CBC Gem). Individuals such as white people play a tremendous role in the colonization of Indigenous culture in form of hobbyism. Their methods are quite unnecessary, as they are a small part of a greater problem of appropriation and white supremacy that has overtaken society. Hobbyists have greatly taken advantage, and German Indians are quite adaptive to the society in which colonialism took over the satisfaction. Additionally, Drew comments, "I feel like thousands of fans here cheering for white people dressed as Apache warriors see this as good family fun" (Searching for Winnetou 12 8:19–8:27 | CBC Docs POV | CBC Gem). White individuals are impersonating Indigenous people's lifestyle and presence. These spectators are applauding folks who are adopting Native American attire solely to amuse others for a display. Indigenous cultures are disrespected by this certain behavior, which reduces the principles to costumes for entertainment. It is important to recognize the origins of cultural practices instead of adopting them for trendy