by Howard R. Busby
When the first Europeans arrived on the shores of the land that today is called America, they had no idea that
the native people greeting them were citizens of only one of the over five hundred different nations that
existed at the time. The customs, traditions, cultures and languages of these native people were as diverse as
those of the Europeans. However, that was not the way the Spanish, French, English, and other colonizers
saw it. To them, one Indian was the same as another.
Portrayal of Native Americans in the Media
For over five hundred years, this misperception has persisted. Even today, book and film portrayals of
American Indians are based on accounts written by white people. Certainly, some of these white people are
sensitive to the culture and language of some Indian tribes. Their account of Indian history is as accurate as if
an Indian presented it. These are, however, rare exceptions.
Many non-Indian Americans still carry images of American Indians as primitive, backwards, illiterate,
alcoholic, and generally treacherous and hostile to white people. One needs to only to recall how many times
children cheered and shouted at countless Western movies, when the Cavalry came to the rescue and routed
the Indians.
Steps Toward Change
Such scenes in captioned movies have diminished, thanks in large part to the efforts of organizations like the
National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and its Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). The DCMP,
which is funded by the United States Department of Education and administered by the NAD, focuses on
diversity and on developing culturally appropriate media items.
Media items selected for captioning are targeted for K–12 audiences, and the DCMP consults with members
of the ethnic or racial groups portrayed in the media items. Thus, the DCMP has input from deaf American
Indians instead of relying exclusively on school personnel to select media items to be captioned on the basis
of the educational content.
Intertribal Deaf Council Involvement
The Intertribal Deaf Council (IDC) is the only national organization serving deaf Native Americans. In the past,
representatives from this organization screened and evaluated commercially produced media items that
were being considered for possible captioning and distribution to deaf and hard of hearing audiences
nationwide.
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Described and Captioned Media Program
VOICE 800-237-6213 | TTY 800-237-6819 | FAX 800-538-5636 | E-MAIL [email protected] | WEB http://www.dcmp.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
Revised September 2008
IDC members Howard Busby (Choctaw) and Sam Yates (Eastern Cherokee) have served as media evaluators
for the DCMP. Both have participated in the “Needs Assessment” surveys, acted as consultants for the
DCMP’s flyers on Native Americans, and exhibited for the DCMP at Native-American conferences.
Although they represent only 2 of the over 250 tribal organizations nationwide, their experience and contact
with many other deaf Native Americans help them provide a balanced view.
Media Items About Native Americans
The DCMP has already captioned media items about Native Americans. Among them are the following: The
Peyote Road: Ancient Religion in Contemporary Crisis, Come Celebrate With Me: Native American Powwow,
Family Voices, Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, How the West is Fun: American
Indian Culture, Navajo Warriors: The Great Secret, and The Woodland Indian World.
With this collaboration between the DCMP and IDC, many more timely and culturally appropriate media
items will be captioned in the future.
Further Information
For more information about the Intertribal Deaf Council (http://deafnative.com), you may contact:
Intertribal Deaf Council
PO Box 181
Clayton, Delaware 19938
E-mail address: [email protected]
Mark Azure
Interim Executive Director
Email address: [email protected]
Videophone: (503) 463 - 4067
Voice: (888) 805 - 0438 (CSDVRS)
Teresa Norris
Interim Assistant Director
E-mail address: [email protected]
Videophone: (302) 653 - 5051
Voice: (888) 889 - 6015 (CSDVRS)
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Described and Captioned Media Program
VOICE 800-237-6213 | TTY 800-237-6819 | FAX 800-538-5636 | E-MAIL [email protected] | WEB http://www.dcmp.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
Revised September 2008