Johnson, SherryD'Amata, Stephanie Anne2020-08-112020-08-112020-042020-08-11http://hdl.handle.net/10315/37713This thesis explores the representation of North American Indigenous cultures through film music of the 1990s. I use two films as case studies: a Hollywood-produced film Dances with Wolves (1990) and an independent film by an Indigenous filmmaker Smoke Signals (1998). My analysis of the films examines elements of film, such as mise-en-scne, cinematography, editing, and form, as well as musical cues, instrumentation and melodic/rhythmic motifs. The combination of these analyses allows me to consider how meanings about Indigenous cultures are communicated to viewers. I consider the following research questions: How are North American Indigenous cultures represented in film? How do Indigenous filmmakers choose to represent Indigenous culture in comparison to non-Indigenous filmmakers? What can be said about agency, representation, commercialization, and cultural expression through each filmmakers visual and musical choices? I find that music is integral to constructing meaning in films, and that representations of Indigenous cultures, through both music and visual cues, differ significantly across time and film genres.Author owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.Native American studiesElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2020-08-11IndigeneityFilm musicMusicEthnomusicologyCultural representationStereotypesIdentityFilm theoryIndigenous media studiesDances with WolvesSmoke Signals