Vanishing Indian

The Vanishing Indian or Vanishing Indian Myth is a stereotype regarding the depiction of Indigenous people, generally in the Americas, although the concept is found elsewhere as well, that they either are extinct or are destined to go extinct. This belief is so pervasive that in a survey done in 2018, around 40 percent of participants responded that they did not think Native Americans still existed.[1]

Not to be confused with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
For other uses, see Vanishing Indian (disambiguation).
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Common forms

A common expression in everyday speech is a form of "you can't be Indian, Indians are extinct".[1] Another form is in the discussion of disappearance as inevitable, beginning this narrative in the early days of colonization.[2] It is a common theme in the arts and media as well, that dates back to early colonial times.[3][2]

Relationship to 'paper genocide'

A paper genocide occurs when members of a group are removed from all records, thereby validating the belief that the group is extinct and causing harm to further generations.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. Connolly, Cynthia (March 14, 2019). ""You can't be Indian! Indians are extinct!" by Cynthia Connolly". YWCA of Cleveland.
  2. Dippie, Brian W. (October 25, 1991). The Vanishing American: White Attitudes and U.S. Indian Policy. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 9780700605071.
  3. Fling, Sarah. "The Myth of the Vanishing Indian: Art in the White House Collection". The White House Historical Association. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  4. Sutton, Victoria (July 17, 2020). "Guest Post: Native American Exclusion as a Form of Paper Genocide". LSSSE. Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
  5. Estevez, Jorge Baracutei (October 14, 2019). "Meet the Survivors of a 'Paper Genocide'" (online). National Geographic. Retrieved September 17, 2023.

Further reading
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