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 Does Tweetsie promote stereotypes? 
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I guess most of you are aware of Tweetsie, one of the most popular attractions for families in the High Country. One of the "highlights" there is to ride the train (Tweetsie) around the mountain. The Wild West setting provides a backdrop for a typical cowboy and Indian fight along the railroad route behind the mountain. After you ride the train, you can visit the souvenier shops, loaded with stereotypical Indian "toys" for children.

I have often wondered if the creators and management of Tweetsie are sensitive to how they are portraying the Native American Indian.

Has anyone been there recently?

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Rebekah Smith


Wed Mar 17, 2004 6:45 am
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i see what you are saying. i have never thought about that but im sure that it effects some people, becuase as you said it is sterotypical because all "cowboys and Indians" are not like that. I was really little whenever i went the last time but i remember not enjoying it at all becuase i was scared the whole time. Do you think that since "cowboys and Indians" are portrayed this way that it gives kids a lot of false impressions??

:wink:

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Kelly Ann Ellis


Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:33 pm
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Now that i think about it tweetsie does really promote stereotypes. The typical cowboys and indians, but lots of other things for children do too. Disney is a really big controversy. Betsy and i have been doing a project on the portrayal of women in disney films. There are a lot of shocking things that you would normally not notice. Maybe if the subject comes up in class we can talk about it some more!

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Thoughts from Emily Highsmith =)


Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:40 pm
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ive never been to tweetsie nor disney world so i cant personally know what you're talking about; however, i do see what you're saying in other regards. all i could think of when i was reading your post was that kids book The Indian in the Cupboard. i think thats what it was called but as i recall it contained a lot of steriotypical statements about the "indian". and i read this when i was like 8 or so, so it had to have made me think certain things. i think all of these types of instances definitely influence children and we should be more aware of what we subject them to.


Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:55 pm
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i too had never really noticed the way that tweetsie stereotyped native americans in a negative way. i think this is one of the major points of problem within people's ideas about native americans. what i mean is that from the time we are little kids to the present we are surrounded by stereotypical portrayals of indians, including their culture and way of life, yet usually we don't even realize it. consequently, most people don't even realize that there is a problem at all. just as white people portrayed african americans as less then human to help justify slavery, they have placed native americans in an even worse position in order to justify the many horrors that confronted them (and continue to still today). the real difference between the two groups now seems to be that african americans are beginning to finally get away from the negative, untrue characteristics that have followed them since they first came to the united states while native americans, who have been here all along, have still not been able to advance from a low position in american society. there are so many things that we could have learned from the native americans as early settlers but instead we tried to virtually distroy their existence. thinking about their horrible plight really saddens me but i find hope in the fact that there are so many things that we as teachers can personally do to help rid this slanted view of our country's first inhabitants- especially us elementary school teachers. in a way, we have the power of first impressions- we have the ability to begin a child on his journey through life with the correct ideas about our world and the many different people of it. i am so glad that this little-realized prejudice is finally coming to light in america. hopefully, the future will prove a little brighter for our nation's native american population.


Wed Mar 17, 2004 3:42 pm
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I believe Tweetsie does stereotype Native Americans, but in reality most everything I have ever encountered has stereotyped them. When most people think of Indians they think of the big headdress. In reality hardly any Native American tribes used headdresses. It is a characteristic used by the white man. At many reservations, including Cherokee headdresses are used, because it is what we as Americans expect to see.

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Ashley Bagwell


Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:21 pm
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That is a very good point Ashley. I think that i heard somewhere that the costumes at Cherokee, NC are not accurate to what the Cherokees actually wore. Does anyone know if this statement is true??

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Wed Mar 17, 2004 4:30 pm
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I dont know if its true for the cherokee or not, but the Lumbee Indians actually do go all out with their dress for their special events. Their pow waw festival the entire tribe gets dressed up in traditional costumes and celebrates. So yes indian dress has been stereotyped, but some other tribes really do dress like that.

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Jennifer Lee Chang


Thu Mar 18, 2004 3:32 am
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I think that it is very important to teach our children the difference between having fun at a place like tweetsie and how real cowboys and Indians are? It would be a great teaching tool to discuss these topics with children.

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Sherry Caudill


Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:15 am
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That is something that I have thought about before. I think it is important to talk with children and share the real facts about the Indians. This would be a good discussion to have with children; however, I think it the cowboys are stereotyped as well. It isn't just about the indians at Tweetsie.

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Melissa Call made it


Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:45 am
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I have never been to Tweetsie, but have always seen the big bilboard advertisements with the "native american" with his arm around a little boy dressed as a cowboy. The sensativity of the portrayal of the native americans and the cowboys at Tweetsie is an interesting thought. I do wonder what kids think. It is probably exactly what I was brought up to believe..a bunch of guns and bows and arrows being shot at each other, but no big deal.

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Corrie Williams


Thu Mar 18, 2004 9:07 am
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the last time i went to tweetsie, i was about 10 years old. all i really remember about the "indians" was how cheesy their costumes looked and how they just walked around with weapons, making typical hollering and chanting noises. i also remember visiting some hopi tribes in new mexico and arizona later that year, and how different and authentic all their clothes and living situations seemed. i can only hope that things have changed somewhat at tweetsie, although i really doubt it.


Thu Mar 18, 2004 12:27 pm
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I have never really thought much about Tweetsie portraying the Native Americans in a negative way, but it does. It is hard for children to sometimes distinguish between what is fact and what is not, but this could be used as a way to talk to children about what really happen to the Native Americans and make sure they understand.


Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:50 pm
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Wow! This was just a great topic Rebekah. The though had never even crossed my mind that Tweetsie was stereotyping. It is always amazing to me when things like this are just thrown in my face. Stereotyping is all around us and we are so used to it that we are virtually blind to it. I’m sure everyone has seen those statues of the little black person holding a lantern in peoples front yards or the statues of the little black boy fishing. These are images that have been around for years and create a stereotype of black people, and many of us pass right over them and don’t think twice. Teaching the truth is very important. And to answer the question of if dress at Cherokee is accurate, I know for a fact that it is not and that this is done for the appeal of visitors. It is amazing what people will do for some money.

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Andrew Voss


Tue Mar 23, 2004 5:31 pm
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