From around 1950 to 1970, the American movie-going public was conditioned to see Native Americans in one light: savages with n insatiable appetite for white scalps and white women. There was no use taming the reds; the only solution was a Winchester rifle. In John Ford’s classic western The Searchers, John Wayne’s Ethan would rather shoot his own daughter than allow her to play house with the hated Comanche. This abuse carried over into real life too. For years, filmmakers made a cost-effective habit of transporting natives from their reservations to use as extras, paying them in alcohol and tobacco.
It wasn’t until revisionist westerns like Little Big Man and Soldier Blue came along that Natives graduated up to “not that bad.” They were still portrayed in a negative manner, certainly, but now the Anglos shared some of that sinful spotlight. Later on, Hollywood started making films intended to invoke heavy sympathy for Native Americans including Last of the Mohicans and Academy Award rapist, Dances With Wolves.
Somewhere in the grey area between the noble savage and the savage-savage lies the Redsploitation film. These gems of schlock cinema feature Natives getting off their knees and kicking white ass all over the West. The majority of these films follow a rigid formula: one hour of abusing the Native protagonist, and one hour of the Native protagonist murdering every white person who appears on screen. And like all great exploitation films, they’re ridiculous in the best sense of the word. Apply your warpaint and ready the horses… it’s time to unbury the hatchet
Full story: WHAT IS REDSPLOITATION? – Viceland Today