The ‘stage Indian’ in early American theatre culture

Abstract

The article deals with the early development of the ‘stage Indian’ as a character in early American drama and theatre. It studies ‘stage Indian’ characters, which reflect historical theatrical conventions rather than being historically accurate representations. It explores early plays depicting Native Americans as the ‘exotic other’. It considers plays involving the myth of the noble savage on the one hand and some parodying of this myth on the other. Finally, it describes various performances involving Native American performers in the United States in the 1890s. These examples show the diversity of the ‘stage Indian’ as a literary and performative construct.