Reservation Reelism: Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty, and Representations of Native Americans in Film

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This book would not have been possible without the generosity, encouragement, good humor, and support of a legion of colleagues , friends, and family. I have been truly blessed to bring this project to completion under the guidance of such wonderful people and I am eternally grateful. I am indebted to so many that it is difficult to single out individuals and I apologize to those whose names I have not included. I am fortunate to be a member of a collegial and supportive academic department. The English department at the University of California, Riverside (ucr) has consistently and unflaggingly challenged and encouraged this project. Sincere and humble thanks to Katherine Kinney—who served as a steadfast, skillful, and compassionate chair—and to Susan Brown, Kathleen Carter, Tina Feldman, Linda Nellany, and Cindy Redfield, staff members who make good things happen . ucr has been an intellectually rigorous and inspiring place from which to write this book. Special thanks to my wonderful and exceptional mentors, colleagues, and friends at ucr, many of whom graciously read chapters of this book and who all provided inspiration, support, and sagacity: Geoff Cohen, Stephen Cullenberg, Jennifer Doyle, Lan Duong, Erica Edwards, Keith Harris, Katherine Kinney, Monte Kugel, Molly McGarry, Dylan Rodríguez, Freya Schiwy, Andrea Smith, Cliff Trafzer, and Jonathan Walton. My most appreciative thanks to the brilliant members of my writing groups, who generously read and commented on versions of this book and encouraged me to continue when my enthusiasm for this project flagged: Amalia Cabezas, Tammy Ho, Jodi Kim, Tiffany Lopez, Vorris Nunley, Jacqueline Shea Murphy, Setsu Shigematsu, and Traise Yamamoto. To Lindon Barrett, whose laughter, intelligence, and subversiveness I miss terribly. I am fortunate, also, to work with so many wonderful and engaged students in the English department and with members of the Native American Student Program at ucr who constantly encourage me to be a better scholar and person. I would also like to extend my appreciation to many friends and colleagues who graciously read draft chapters, fielded frantic questions, helped refine my arguments, and produced the work that served as inspiration for this book. This list could stretch on endlessly but includes: Chad Allen, Berta Benally, Susan Bernardin, Blackfire (Clayson, Jeneda, and Klee Benally), Bill Brown, Dorothy Christian, Charlotte Cote, Denise Cummings, Thirza Cuthand, Philip Deloria, Anna Everett, Chris Eyre, Peter X. Feng, Christie Firtha, Stephanie Fitzgerald, Sandy Franks, Faye Ginsburg, Rayna Green, Alex Halkin, Sabine Haenni, Joanna Hearne, LeAnne Howe, Shari Huhndorf, Igloolik Isuma Productions , Jim Kreines, Daphne Lamothe, Shannon Leonard, Diana Linden, Carolyn Linn, James Luna, Joe Mancha, Elise Marubbio, David Martinez, Bunny McBride, Kathleen McHugh, Melinda Micco, Muriel Miguel, Rick Monture, Deborah Nelson, Shelley Niro, Chon Noriega, Eve Oishi, Michelle Olson, Kim Orlijan, Patricia Ploesch, Yeidy Rivero, Juana Rodriguez, Jeff Rhyne, Rob Schmidt, Audra Simpson, Jacqueline Stewart, Theresa Tensuan Eli, Jennifer Tilton, Gerald Vizenor, Robert Allen Warrior, Missy Whiteman, and Pamela Wilson. Michael Tsosie deserves a special note of thanks for hours logged as a brilliant interlocutor and best friend. He gave me the gift of laughter with his irreverent and acerbic wit when I needed it most. Thanks, too, to the hundreds of people who generously reached out to my family with support, love, prayers, and advice in November 2008 when collective local concerns about Thanksgiving costumes became national news. This book owes its existence to the courageous Native American filmmakers and actors who participated in films from the silent xvi Acknowledgments era to the present and to their descendants. Thanks, especially, to Steve Smith, Heather Chorre Garcia, Shari Holland, Jean Archambaud Moore, Galina Mala Liss, Ted Mala Jr., and Ted Mala Sr. for generously sharing stories about and images of their relatives. My gratitude is also extended to the present and future producers of Indigenous media who continue to challenge and shape representations of Native people. Gary Dunham deserves heartfelt thanks for believing in this project from its onset. I have been blessed with an astute and dedicated editor at the University of Nebraska Press, Matthew Bokovoy, who was encouraging and honest, thoughtful and rigorous . His unflagging support of the project and expertise is very much appreciated, as has been the assistance of Elisabeth Chretien and Ann Baker at the University of Nebraska Press. Ann Harrington, the press copyeditor assigned to this project, was also patient and thorough in her attention to this book. Thanks, too, to the anonymous press readers who reviewed...