Critical Reflection #1: Master Narrative

In class we discussed the article “Cowboys and Indians: Toys of Genocide, Icons of American Colonialism” by Yellow Bird. He discusses the roles of narrative in society.  Yellow Bird says that identity making are through stories that are constructed by series of events.  He believes in what he calls the “Master Narrative”. 

            “The everyday discourse of people in my community was also highly supportive of the master narrative” (Yellow Bird, pg 41).  According to Yellow Bird everyone use to call one other ‘cowboy’ or ‘Indian Cowboy’.  Master Narrative is a way of self identifying yourself or one another.  The whites would be called the ‘cowboys’ and the Indians would be called the ‘Indian Cowboys’.  Master Narrative has taught us that Indians are inferior to whites.  Whites are the dominant ones in society. 

            “The master narrative confirmed Indians were inferior to whites by way of a seemingly inexhaustible supply of western movies and TV programs that showed huge numbers of Indians could be easily defeated by a few cowboys with large, shiny, phallic-shaped pistols and an endless reserve of bullets” (Yellow Bird, pg 40).  As shown, movies and TV programs are portraying what is called self identity.  In movies if the Indians can be defeated by a few cowboys with large weapons it can be said that the cowboys are the dominant ones and also the one with more power.  Also in the TV programs Yellow Bird discusses that along with the master narrative the fighting scene would always have music.  The cowboys would always have the nice, sweet sounding music and the Indians would always have the defeating or dehumanizing tunes.  Also the Indians were always looked as if they were savages. 

            In conclusion the supposed dominant culture, white, heterosexual, upper class males are the individuals who control the legal system as Yellow Bird described them, they were known as the ‘cowboys’.  Being racialized can be created by these dominant white, male, individuals who control the society to which they create conceived space.  They can also be created by society to perform a role in society.