Eclipse Fails To Block Out Native Stereotypes
As the blockbuster Twilight film series continues its box office dominance with the summer release of Eclipse, it’s worth taking a break from the hype to examine how Native Americans are portrayed in this franchise. The general storyline is familiar to many at this point: vampires living near Forks, Washington have a volatile coexistence with shape-shifting wolf-people of the local Quileute Tribe, with the teenage protagonist Bella Swan as the center around which they all revolve. Previous articles regarding Eclipse predecessors Twilight and New Moon have noted the ill-informed but all too common stereotypes of Native people reflected in the films. Unfortunately, the latest installment does little to reverse this trend.
Eclipse offers a central role to the character Jacob Black, a teenage Quileute member who was revealed in the previous movie as embodying the wolf transformation gene. In the current film, his fiery but unrequited love for Bella takes front stage. Keeping with the stereotypical tendency toward domestic violence that was proffered in New Moon, Jacob’s affectionate advances to Bella are physically forceful and anything but tender, resulting in a punch from Bella that breaks her hand. Naturally, Bella cannot reciprocate Jacob’s love, for she has pledged her heart to the whiter-than-white vampire Edward Cullen – “It’s always been him.” She will, however, continue to lead Jacob on with a seductive kiss in order to keep his mind right for the upcoming battle to protect her. Jacob is thus consigned to the old-Hollywood role of the “noble savage” – good enough to fight, kill, and die for the white female, but beyond that they can be nothing more than “friends”.
Numerous tired stereotypes of Indigenous people appear throughout the film, some more subtle than others. Quileutes are repeatedly referred to by vampires as smelling like wet dogs – indeed, so powerful is their pungent odor that vampires cannot locate luscious Bella if she’s being carried by a wolf-member. When Jacob is injured in battle, his life must be saved by the vampire doctor Carlisle Cullen – because of course Western medicine is far superior to Native healing practices that have sustained Indigenous communities for thousands of years. Jacob’s single-minded focus on Bella causes him to pass up opportunities for leadership among his fellow wolf-protectors, and he cedes his “Alpha” position in the clan so as to have more time to pursue and protect his fair-skinned obsession.
One aspect of Eclipse actually rings true from an historical perspective – white settlers enlisting Native people to fight their battles for them. In Eclipse, when the Cullen clan is threatened by a army of rogue vampires from the mean streets of Seattle, they turn to the Quileute wolves to rescue them. The climactic battle scene shows the vampire army being decimated by the ferocious Quileute attack, for which the interlopers were singularly unprepared. This premise has in fact played itself out innumerable times in the history of North America. Whether French versus British, British versus colonial Americans, or American forces versus other Tribes, settlers from abroad have long sought to employ Indigenous fighters’ skills, courage, and tactical experience as a decisive weapon of war. The other common pattern, both in Eclipse and real history: the reward to Native warriors for their bravery and sacrifice on behalf of occupying powers is rather difficult to discern.
The Twilight saga has a final installment, Breaking Dawn, that will be presented as two separate films over the next two years. For the series’ producers, this represents two more chances to break free from stereotypes and embrace a dignified portrayal of Native people and culture.
...and this is why nobody wants to do movies with Native American characters. More crazy psycho babble by other Native "critics". I am a registered Native American and I enjoyed Twilight and this is the one of the few times we are in old western movies about Plains tribes. This was a modern day movie with strong Native representation. And we wonder why Hollywood doesn't want to make any movies with Native American characters, story lines or actors...because of people like you. We need MORE movies like this and not old Plains tribe movies back in the 1850s.
People like you are the reason there are no modern day NDN movies.
Actually Del, it's articles like this that have produced the somewhat-improved portrayals of Native Americans in film we have today.
If you're familiar with the history of American cinema, you know that for most of the 20th Century Native people were portrayed as either violent savages to be feared, or drunk/pathetic "injuns" to be pitied. The ignorance behind these stereotypes has been an endemic problem for Native Americans for centuries, and the mass appeal of films helped perpetuate the negative images.
It's only been since the 1970s that at least some portrayals of Native people in film have become more positive/accurate. That did not happen by accident -- it's the result of people, both Native and non-Native, calling out the problem and demanding better from the film industry. There's simply no reason for us to settle for half-baked representations, or to just be glad that Native people are presented in films at all. Native history and culture are amazing wellsprings of stories and inspiration, and bringing the real truth to the screen would be at least as powerful and appealing as the half-truths we see too often.
The fact is that for many people, seeing the characters in the "Twilight" series is as close as they will get to knowing Native people and culture. It's a shame, and it also underscores the importance of watching out for stereotypes and working to ensure accurate portrayals. I'm glad people are still attuned to this problem and take the time to make the points raised in ths article. I personally enjoy the "Twilight" series too, but I don't accept everything it presents at face value.
In the Twilight series, stereotypes are prevalent throughout and demonstrate the complicated ways that power dynamics reflect the inaccuracies of frequent historical portrayals. Of these past notions, race and gender roles, and the particular relationships to domestic violence, are repeated with a heavy hand throughout the third and most recent film Eclipse. Bella is resigned to an all too common role for female protagonists, and though she seemingly resists being protected, her need for independence is treated as naïvety by Jacob and stubbornness by Edward. When confessing his love for Bella, Jacob states that he knows better than Bella what is right for her, and claims that Edward has brainwashed her. Through these proclamations, Jacob demonstrates the notion that the male character knows his beloved better than she knows herself by exclaiming that he is “perfect” for her. Though Bella is seemingly blinded to this reality and cannot reciprocate Jacob’s love, Bella’s wavering feelings reflect the typical female portrayal that “No” sometimes means “Yes.” Similarly, Edward’s vacillating reactions to Jacob and Jacob’s undying persistence for Bella’s love suggest differing types of masculinity—the ubermacho Jacob who can’t seem to keep a shirt on, and the pale, thin Edward who at times relinquishes his role as protector to Jacob. Bella continuously hopes for reconciliation between Edward and Jacob, and this is momentarily achieved while Bella is sleeping and the two confess a mutual respect for one another. Of course, this scene cannot sustain itself, suggesting that the race and gender roles are much too embedded and entangled to allow for anything outside of the typical power relationships.
these types of movies (including Avatar) fuel racism. racism is alive and active in movies....but heaven forbid anyone name racist movie producers who make the movies to make money.