Creating Native Characters

Minority characters, how many have I seen turned into dancing monkeys, stoic idiots who are all warrior, but no fight--ugh. I could go on for hours. They always end up as supporting characters, and there is nothing more frustrating than watching a movie, or reading a story that's supposed to be about Native Americans, and the main character is white. Raised by Natives, but white. Gatewood, oh sorry, it's called Geronimo, Last of the Mohicans (and they killed my favorite character), Dances With Wolves--and they're all depressing.

Do you want to see the most accurate depiction of Natives? Watch Maverick with Mel Gibson. Does the view of Natives go against all preconceived notions here? Good. Does it make fun of how Natives are depicted? Yes. And that's a good thing. Shanghai Noon is another good one.

When making Native characters, all you have to do is make them as human as yourself, and make sure they have a funny bone. That funny bone isn't being a dancing monkey. There's nothing more inaccurate than a stoic Native. Sure, most of us live in poverty on crime-infested reservations, but does that make us sad and frightened? No, we are not animals, and certainly not brainless puppy dogs. Enough of the condescension. Some bimbo on the news said she protects those who can't protect themselves, and in her case, she was talking about Native Americans. How insulting. We're helpless victims are we?

Are all of us into tradition? No. Do we all speak our Native tongue? No. Do we become outcasts for it? There are tensions concerning it, but it's not as rabid as most people want you to believe. Lots of us are mixed blood these days, and not all have a Thunderheart complex. In fact, most don't. Lots of us love all our sides. Guess who's crying about it, not us. And no, we don't run around in turquoise and beads 24/7. Yes, we have an accent. It's called being rezzed out.

Keep the BS about drugs, crime and alcohol in the background. Why? Because that doesn't define us. That mess is in every race, so don't say it's just with the Native Americans, or any minority for that matter. It says that other races are superior, which is utter bull crap.

Is it bad to write a Native American character if you're not Native American? I'll tell you when it's bad, when you can't write one as a human being. Enough of this "Natives are actually aliens" bull crap. How can you be Native if you're an alien? You're human. So go and write about a human.

Your minority character shouldn't be behind, or in front of you, but next to you.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of "Pariahs," a dark fantasy on a Native American world,
on amazon. Now available here.

In a land of monsters and soulless creatures, there is a secluded compound terrorized by a fallen demon-killer, the Grand Apwor. He's claimed its youngest occupant Vijeren as his son. The Grand Apwor can’t be killed, he can’t be escaped, and his punishments are severe and horrific. Somehow, he knows where Vijeren is at all times. When a law enforcer named Zhin appears like a living flame, a family war that's been sizzling for decades finally ignites. It drags Vijeren in, revealing secrets of a long-forgotten past and a family torn asunder in recesses of lost memories. Only Zhin knows how to kill the Grand Apwor, but the answer rests on the love between a father and son--something that Vijeren doesn’t have...