The Indian - the real Native American

Inevitably, over the lengthy history of the genre, the Western has changed, though not necessarily in a straightforward line of development. For example, back in the early silent days stories of Indians were highly popular, many of them set at a time or in a place where whites are absent. Such stories, owing much to literary origins such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Hiawatha (1855), offered a sympathetic if idealised and at times condescending portrayal of Indian life. But these stories had fallen from favour by the 1920s, and it was not until the 1950s, perhaps as a result of campaigns over civil rights, possibly because of shifting perceptions of race in the light of World War II, that films favourable to the Indian began once again to appear in significant numbers.

Excerpts from BFI Screen Guide: 100 Westerns by Edward Buscombe

Originally there were over 120 different Native American tribes throughout the USA, most of whom were peace-loving. Unfortunately, the Western focused on the Comanche and Apache, thus giving audiences the idea that all Indians were extremely hostile. A revisionist attitude began in 1964 with Ford's Cheyenne Autumn.

Nigel Arthur, bfi Stills Curator