Often, these films portrayed the Indians as bloodthirsty villains who preyed on whites for no reason. They were often violent, and whites almost always died at their hands. In addition, most of the "Indian" actors were actually white actors in makeup. These stereotypical ideals where what most Americans thought of when they thought of the Old West, and as this film shows, they were often very far from the truth. In truth, all Native tribes were not (and are not) violent, and many were driven to violence only after they had been attacked or pushed off their lands by the white man. The two groups in this film, the Pawnee and the Sioux, indicate this difference. Initially, the Sioux were open to negotiation, while the Pawnee were not. Engaging in these stereotypes made Hollywood movies that were popular, but they were not real. Dances With Wolves may not be totally...
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