The Golden Globe Awards took place on January 10 and with it came a big night in fashion, drama, celebrities, and of course movies and television. While many deserving actors and actresses walked away with their own small statue, the biggest wins of the night had to be Leonardo DiCaprio winning best actor in a drama for “The Revenant”, and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu winning best movie for the same film. This marks an incredible victory for Native Americans everywhere because when creating the movie one of the main goals was to portray the Natives as accurately as possible.

“They were here first,” said junior Sheri Donahue, “they deserve to be shown in a good way to a large audience.”

Accurate representation of a race shouldn’t be a reason to have jaws drop, but sadly in the world we’re in, it’s very uncommon. Native Americans deserve more protection and land than they’re given. While they suffer and risk erasure in the world we all share, we benefit from the blood of their ancestors that was spilt in the name of Manifest Destiny. Movies like “The Revenant” and even all the movies from The Twilight Saga that use real Native Americans as actors and respect their heritage and culture help eliminate the harmful stereotypes that make them seem like fools and “savages.”

The film’s co-writer, Mark L. Smith, had this to say; “We wanted to show how these invaders were coming into [the Native Americans’] world and their culture and changing it forever.” Many movies in the past including Adam Sandler’s “The Ridiculous Six” have blatantly disrespected Native American culture by giving the characters offensive names like “No-Bra” and “Beaver’s Breath” and writing racist “joke” scenes all in the name of comedy.

“Comedy shouldn’t have to offend an entire community of people to entertain the viewers,” said sophomore Penny Kibbe.

DiCaprio also dedicated his award and acceptance speech to indigenous people and their fight. DiCaprio said, “It is time that we recognize your history and that we protect your indigenous lands from corporate interests and people that are out there to exploit them.”

Making movies and staying close to the truth is possible as long as incredible actors, directors, and writers like DiCaprio, Iñárritu, and Smith continue to push for equality and positive representation in our society.

Sources: 

msnbc.com.

ssninsider.com.