Original subtitles

in 1915 filmmaking Pioneer DW Griffith

released The Birth of a Nation a piece

of disturbingly racist Cinema that

presented African-Americans as

animalistic monsters which in short

order became a classic of the era

that film has become the quintessential

example of racism in early Cinema but 6

years prior to the release of that

monstrosity grith created an 8-minute

short film in which every character was

a Native American in doing so Griffith

gave us some insight into how he and the

rest of America viewed those

peoples if The Birth of a Nation

reflected unnerving contemporary ideas

about African-Americans and the role of

the KKK in American history then this

earlier short called amended loot

provides us with a valuable Glimpse

about how Native Americans were seen in

stereotypes at this

time we should remember that when this

film was made in 1909 that the wounded

KNE Massacre had occurred less than 20

years

before at the time of the mended loots

release the Indians were routinely

viewed as Savages but what Griffith

shows us is the Nuance contained within

that view in this peace savagely existed

in two distinct forms the noble and the

ignoble one could be a noble savage a

person who lived in a state close to

nature but who was personally perhaps

even spiritually enriched by the

experience in contrast pure savagery or

ignoble savagery was the model most

commonly used to justify the recent and

historic atrocities suffered by Native

America in the mended loot Griffith

helps to illuminate how white Americans

view the Indians and the competing and

often contradictory ideas that sat at

the heart of that racial

view Griffith may have only set out to

create a short romantic adventure but

what he provides us with in this film is

an opportunity to consider the specific

type of racism that was directed at

Native Americans in the early 20th

century this was a study on the nature

of savry

the ignoble versus the noble

savage this is Rising Moon played by

Florence lawence one of the earliest

film

stars the shot of the village is Native

America as Escapist

fantasy a place where the texture of

life feels disconnected from the world

inhabited by the audience the shot is

framed to Balan teps with the

surrounding Woodlands to emphasize the

importance of the surrounding Wilderness

it remind Rems the audience of

Griffith's view of this people of their

perceived relationship to the Natural

World here Rising wind's father the

chief glimpsed earlier rejects her

choice of husband in favor of Standing

Rock whose Representatives appear to be

purchasing favor with a stock of

coats fantasy M this scene has devolved

into an auction with Rising Moon going

to the highest

bidder the fantasy of the outdoors is

thrown into sharp relief by Griffith

stereotypes an idolic Life marred by the

slave likee sale of one's daughter for

CTS standing rocking his cohorts mock

Little Bear they laugh in his face to

contrast the nobility of the few with

the ignorability of the

many we're now beginning to get a strong

sense about what the racial substructure

of this film is the Indians can be Noble

Griffith concedes but he argues they

tend not to

welcome to the American West in

1909 the physicality of little be is

scen as almost Messianic it speaks to

the audience of spirituality on the one

hand while sending a clear signal about

intentions and righteousness on the

other this is yet another vision of

Griff's noble

savage consider the body language of

this character's rival seen in the

preceding scene he hunches over Rising

Moon his shoulders is arching so that he

wraps himself about her blocking her

path to

escape here Rising Moon exits her prison

apparently she has so much to fear that

she almost re-enters

[Music]

[Music]

it if the last scene of little bear

reflected the idea of the noble savage

this scene with Standing Rock

accomplishes the opposite this is a

Native American depicted as an

unqualified Savage a man overcome by his

own lust and willingness to resort to

violence as we briefly cut back to

Rising Moon Griffith contrasts his

opposing views of the Indians the noble

with the

ignoble the body language of little bear

once again contrast with that of his

rival his back is broad straight his

gestures are large and classical and he

envelops his love in a close embrace the

type of which we can hardly imagine

Standing Rock

mimicking important gestures and silent

film again we contrast little Bear's

nobility to standing rocks

ignobility backs are bent faces aimed

towards the ground in an almost anim

istic display plus the close pack likee

nature of the Indians helped to

reinforce that condescending

naturalistic

idea of course the audience can't forget

what it is that Standing Rock is seeking

for he's on No Love quest and surely

cannot expect Mutual affection or

perhaps even consent from his new

wife the animal versus the noble

Standing Rock versus Little Bear these

two contrasting figures speak of of the

extremes that often dictated Native

American stereotypes in popular

culture the canoe Chase is the action

centerpiece of this film The Action here

is frantic with a loaded kinetic energy

that strips it of any seeming

[Music]

forethought Standing Rock and his

compatriots act almost instinctively the

murder of little Bear's accomplice

becoming yet another example of the

antagonist's ignoble nature whilst the

speed with which they move on seemingly

untroubled by the ACT suggests a

complete lack of personal impact perhaps

a lack of conscience

[Music]

even as standing rocks canoe comes into

shot we see the balance between nobility

and ignobility as Griffith saw it laid

bare on the screen a young couple in

love are making their escape but they're

pursued it seems by a much greater

number the balance of power is by far a

waited in standing Rock's

favor the shot of canoe after canoe

reinforces the

point wave after wave after wave of

enemy canoes loaded with racial ideas

Glide past the camera

the water gets visibly choppier

suggesting increased

danger and

then nothing Fade to Black end of

narrative no resolution did Little Bear

and Rising Moon make their escape

perhaps the audience will ask itself

that question or perhaps they will ask

themselves what might have happened if

they were

captured would little we have been put

to death and what of Rising Moon being

made to Mari Standing

Rock by failing to provide a narrative

resolution to this film Griffith instead

invites the audience to make their own

was hinting at the futility of such an

effort in the world he crafted in these

eight short minutes Griffith has already

shown that in his view the balance

between savagery and Noble savagery is

wai heavily in favor of the

former so what of little bear and Rising

Moon escaped it makes no odds because

the world Griffith had constructed would

continue to be a place in the wilderness

where true nobility was a rare trait it

existed surrounded by its polar

opposite this was the image of Native

America that Griffith helped to

cultivate and this is the image that

this movie helped to reinforce

thanks for watching this special

presentation by the American studies and

History podcast for more please visit my

website at

www.d darreh his.

co.uk or follow me on Twitter at that

historian thanks for watching