Walk on the "Wild Side"

 Brother Bear is a story of three young Inuit boys who must strive to become men through their “totem.” Kenai, the youngest of the three brothers goes to a ceremony where the shaman gives him his totem. To his dislike, “love” is the path he should take to become a man. He dismisses this notion, and says “love has nothing to do with becoming a man.” On a normal outing for the brothers, Kenai gets involved with a bear, rather clumsily, dooming his oldest brother, Sitka. Kenai believes that he must revenge his brother by killing the bear. Little does he know that the spirits have a lesson for him. Once Kenai has defeated the bear that killed his brother, he becomes a bear. The tribe’s shaman explains that he will be a bear until he learns the lesson the spirits want him to know. 

Brother Bear takes place in post-ice age North America, and Disney, rather than clumping all Natives into one “Native culture” focuses on the Inuit. Dressed in many layers of skins and furs, the natives are all fully clothed. This discounts the stereotypical half-naked-man or beautiful maiden often portrayed by Native Americans. Also, this being a Disney movie involving boys for the most part, the need for seductiveness isn’t prevalent. Kenai is a young boy who is upset by his calling, love. He dismisses love as a way to become a man, showing that he dismisses the shaman and his tribe’s spirituality. In the end, Kenai accepts his totem and understands that love really is the most important totem, but it took becoming another species for him to discover. It seems that Kenai fits the stereotype of an American teenager (dismissing family culture, thinking he knows best). 

Brother Bear does have its fair share of Native American stereotypes though. This film exemplifies mysticism, showing the Inuit’s in depth spirituality using totems, spirits, and shamans. This can be seen as the stereotype of “Stoic Indian.” Not only do the natives in the movie worship spirits and have a shaman, they are also found in the wild, which can be connected to the “In the Wild or on the Rez” stereotype. Kenai, while displaying the normal “defiant teen” stereotype, also exhibits behavior that stereotypes Native Americans. He seems to fit the “warrior” role quite well, being the strong young boy who killed the bear (even though that came back to bit him). He could most definitely be seen as bloodthirsty for this bear, even though it was to get revenge for his brother. 

While Brother Bear takes steps in the right direction, by showing the Inuit, and showing that Native American’s can fit the stereotypical American roles (know-it-all-teen), the film has downfalls that can be seen as a negative portrayal of Native Americans. This film was made in 2003, which accounts for its ability to be popular without conforming to all Native American stereotypes. If we compare this film to Stagecoach (1939), we would find that Brother Bear has much more tolerance and acceptance of Native Americans and their culture. While Brother Bear does reproduce stereotypes of natives, it brings Native Americans into the “in-group,” something that would never be done in a film 60 years ago.