The Portrayal of Native Americans in Twilight

The protagonist of the movie Twilight, Bella Swan recently moves to Forks, Washington with her dad where she befriends Jacob Black and Edward Cullen who she soon discovers they both hold secrets. Since Jacob is a werewolf and Edward is a vampire they do not see eye-to-eye especially since their ancestors were at war with each other and they are fighting for the attention of Bella. She is torn between the two because she is close with them and doesn’t want to lose either. Jacob’s character has Native American ancestry and he is part of the Quileute tribe. At the beginning he has long dark hair, dark colored skin, and medium built but later in the second movie he gains more muscle, cuts his hair, and gets a tattoo.

Throughout the movie Jacob and his wolf pack were usually shirtless since they destroy their clothes after they transform and thus only wear shorts. Jacob’s father Billy could be seen as the wise man who tells stories at the bonfire and persuades Jacob to tell Bella to break up with Edward seeing that as being the best solution for their unconventional relationship. The films portray the Native Americans as being savages because of their behavior. They do not have good manners, they eat plenty of food, and they turn into wolves when they get angry. They are also accustomed to being outdoors and are constantly playfully arguing which can lead to real fighting within one another. The leader of the pack, Sam, could not control his anger and accidentally transformed into a wolf and in the process scarred his fiancé's face. Although Jacob loves Bella and wants to be with her and does everything in his power to keep her safe, she chooses to be with Edward instead. Therefore even if he tried to be her warrior, he was never able to win her over and lost his battle. Sam imprinted on Emily and she now has taken on the role of a squaw who cares for the members of the wolf pack. The members do not choose to be a part of the tribe but it happens to them regardless of what they want. Imprinting is also something that happens to them. Jacob imprints on Bella’s daughter and by doing so he becomes her protector.

This representation of Native Americans in this movie is very stereotypical of what you’d expect to see Indians as. They are seen as fighters who are going to defend their territory and during their pastime they sit around telling stories of their ancestors. These representations marginalize Native Americans because they don’t give them much importance. In general the vampires are who are in charge while the wolf pack can be seen as a sidekick especially when they need to fight the rest of the vampires. They are not a big part of the movie and are contacted when they need assistance. They are seen as a group of people who are secluded from others outside of their tribe. Unlike the Cullens who are wealthy, the Native Americans do not have as much money. There are few older characters while the rest are adolescents who are suppose to obey their elders. This film uses the stereotypes of Native Americans to their advantage and uses them as a storyline instead of trying to disprove them. It’s very rare to see a certain race not be portrayed accurately in the media. If they do not stop portraying them the same way the cycle will not end. Twilight is not the only movie that shows Native Americans in this manner and most likely will not be the last.