Abstract: (Excerpt from introduction)
Ever since the first European colonists came to America, writers have been telling the story of the relationship between American Indians and white settlers. This report examines this history as presented by National Geographic, a popular, respected magazine. For generations, milloins of Americans have read and saved their copies of this periodical, making it one of the most influential sources of information about history and culture in the United States. In order to examine the magazine's representation of American Indians, three research questions were asked: 1) How are Indians portrayed historically? 2) Do articles and photographs emphasize a serious approach to an understanding of Indians, or do they reinforce popular stereotypes? 3) Is the native point of view presented? All articles written about American Indians since the magazine's founding in 1888 were examined with these questions in mind.