Description
Fluffs and Feathers: An Exhibit on the Symbols of Indianness - A Resource Guide offers an important introduction to the way First Nations and Native Americans are portrayed in popular culture. Written by Mohawk scholar Deborah Doxtator, Fluffs and Feathers details the ways in which Native People have been categorized, displayed, portrayed, and exploited by Western culture and advertising. Fluffs and Feathers offers a sample of the range of images used to portray Indians in historical and contemporary North American society. The ideas of Indianness, the use of Indians as a cultural resource, the portrayal of Indians in movies and literature, and the depiction of Indians in history texts are all areas for analysis. The use and impact of these symbols on contemporary Native and non-native cultures are detailed. The Woodland Cultural Centre, a Native-owned museum in Ontario, first issued this important work in 1983. Museum staff developed the Fluffs and Feathers exhibition as a way to explore the ideas of the Indian from a First Nation's perspective. The book contains an extensive bibliography about stereotyping. Fluffs and Feathers is recommended for high school and university/college Native Studies courses and anyone interested in understanding stereotypes and racism. Suggested resource for Grade 10 Aboriginal Peoples in Canada course, Ontario Ministry of Education Course Profile.