In James Luna’s piece, I’ve Always Wanted to be an American
He responds to the position played by the Indian stereotype in the creativeness of the United States. He addresses some of the white stereotypes from the old days and the hopes for an envisaged native life. For long, white Americans have depicted an infatuation with personifying and even playing Indian in methods that are greatly uninformed and even worse, insensitive culturally too. However, for Luna, his lived experience appears to differ from the stereotypes. He knows who he is and makes an effort thru art to demystifying the stereotypes that people preserve about Indians.
Based on the reading, Luna’s art looks like photography
Apart from photography, it looks like Luna is also a performance artist. The pages of the reading are interspersed with excellent photographs. The photos appear two or three on almost each page show some of the residents of the reservation and some of its buildings. His great article offers both the psychical and even physical interventions in both compelling and challenging ways.
Luna’s work is just one among many other works that raise issues around race, history and identity
Other works that have raised similar issues include the films Little Big Man and Dances with the Wolves. Little Big Man is a 1970 adventure and drama action film directed by Arthur Penn which does an excellent job in dispelling the stereotypes and prejudices about Indians that had grown since the 1920s. On the other hand, Dances with the Wolves is a 1990 film directed, starred and produced by Kevin Costner which does an excellent job in changing the ways in which Indians are portrayed in films.
