The preceding pages have presented visual evidence of the portrayals of American Indians in media set during the American Revolution and my analysis of those materials. All of these depictions utilize and propagate stereotypes of American Indians. Although still a problematic representation, Assassin’s Creed III presents the most positive message regarding American Indians in visual media set in the American Revolution. To see why, I will return to the framework detailed earlier:
- Is the character a protagonist or antagonist?
- Does this status change over the course of the story?
- If yes, what is the significance of this change?
- Does this status change over the course of the story?
- Is it a major or minor character to the plot?
- Is the character two dimensional or three dimensional?
- Does the character embody stereotypes of Native Americans?
- Is the story set in the past or the present day?
- What is the overall relationship of the character to the message of the medium?
Ratonhnhaké:ton is the protagonist of Assassin’s Creed III, and this is significant due to how the player perceives the character throughout the game. Protagonists are the heroes and heroines, the “good guys” of their stories. This status of protagonist contains an implication that the player is intended to like the character, and view their actions as positive.
He is a major character in the story, and he is definitely three dimensional, with a developed character that includes fears, flaws, his own agenda, and strengths. This narrative status enables Ratonhnhaké:ton to drive the plot forward himself, with his own ambitions and concerns. He is not the white hero’s sidekick, he is not an accessory for the white hero to wear; he is the hero.
Ratonhnhaké:ton does embody violent stereotypes of American Indians, and the story is set in the past. Both of these are hindrances to fully portraying Native Americans respectfully. A near-supernaturally talented mass-murderer, even if inhabiting the role of the hero of the story, does still tap into the “bloodthirsty savage” stereotype used against American Indians. Regarding the setting of the past, Native American authors such as Beverly Singer assert that the historical focus on American Indians in the past as opposed to portraying Native people in the present day helps to support the old, untrue ideas that Native Americans are going to disappear or go extinct.11 Striving for more authentic and respectful depictions of American Indians means creating portrayals in the modern day that exclude stereotypes.
In spite of those drawbacks, Ratonhnhaké:ton in Assassin’s Creed III still embodies a positive place in the message of the game. The game’s main theme of a struggle for freedom against oppression and tyranny matches up with classic narratives of the American Revolution, but players are still confronted with the fact that this story does not end well for Ratonhnhaké:ton, his people, or any other Native American tribe. The game’s closing sequence includes the discovery that his people’s land has been sold out from underneath them by Congress to raise money to pay for the war, and that as the people of the United States celebrate what they perceive as their new freedom, Africans are still being sold as slaves.
Ratonhnhaké:ton therefore opens a window onto United States history that usually is not readily available. The foregrounding of unjust actions taken against Native Americans and anti-freedom actions taken against African Americans invites the viewer to consider that the United States promise of “liberty and justice for all” sounds quite good, but the reality and the history is far more complicated. Ratonhnhaké:ton’s place as a major, three-dimensional protagonist, partially stereotypical Native American character set in the past is both flawed and very important.
Ubisoft could have done more for ACIII to portray American Indians respectfully. Rather than putting a Native American man in a position to experience the standard European American narrative of the Revolutionary War, they could have explored the American Indian perspective of the events of the era and foregrounded Native agendas and issues.
Another way to strengthen the experience of ACIII would be utilizing one of the greatest strengths of historical video games. This strength is the ability to entertain events as they could have been rather than as they actually turned out. Counterfactual history explores what could have happened if different historical actors had exercised their agency in different ways. This mode of working with history can help viewers and players understand that history is being made right now, contingent upon decisions made by today’s historical actors. Neither the past nor the future were set in stone ahead of time. We can affect the future with our efforts.
The United States needs more stories told in visual media that place American Indians in roles that do not allow centuries-old stereotypes to color their characterizations. Our nation, despite being a relatively young country, has a long history to examine. Visual explorations of United States history can be very powerful with their emotional cues of human speech and allowing the viewer to observe acts in “real time” when compared with text on a page. Visual, digital history helps to make the past come alive for the people of the present, and it needs to be produced with respect and authenticity in mind for all of the participants, especially often maligned Native Americans.
11. Singer, 2.