Classic Sesame Street - Animation about indians

[TheJediCharles]

In a P.C. world, kids won't role play at all but hand out pamphlets about the latest liberal guilt.

[masmotors]

why not show it now seems good

[headbangerbunny]

lol im and indian and i thought that it was cute.

[Pocockable]

This should have been on the Old School or the 40 Year of Sunny Days DVD sets.

[Peenut2k7]

Racist.

[Smartboy8877]

@Peenut2k7

What do you find racist about this cartoon? I though it made a very good point.

[funkmike]

Me likum this video! Givum big whooping thumbs up!

[ayame316]

He should've said he was a NATIVE AMERICAN but oops...guess it was too early for that.

[fosterslover]

@ayame316

Most tribes actually prefer to be called American Indians.

[cscentrlTV]

@fosterslover = I thought it was Native Americans? :)

[xPegasusSeiya]

@fosterslover No actually I hate when people call me that, you people should learn to call us what we call ourselves if it's Cree, Apache, Navajo or any other tribe.

[gishwashquay]

@xPegasusSeiya what people dont understand is that each tribe is different from one another like you do not call a spaniard a englishman... if the truth were put in our history books, people would freak and then understand why we are still healing as a people from all the past doings and undoings.

[Vraya]

They're like whoops, that was awkward.

[67nairb]

Those kids look alot like the characters from KID POWER, the politically correct Saturday morning cartoon from the early Seventies. Though I must confess I've never seen KID POWER. This SESAME STREET cartoon was probably from the mid-late Seventies.

[Pocockable]

@67nairb

This sketch is from 1975, from Sesame Street's 7th season.

[67nairb]

@Pocockable I knew it was from somewhere in the mid 70s. Where did you find that information?

[Pocockable]

@67nairb

On Muppet Wikipedia.

[67nairb]

@Pocockable Oh.

[67nairb]

That's political-correctness.

[butkicker75]

apparently big bird offended parents do they changed him to yellow bird. haha! same with cookie monster-kids were following him and getting bloated. sesame park is the new name. why did they listen to some paraniode parents?

[choxie630]

lol, i totally remember seeing this when i was soo little... this really taught me a lot

[deanster57]

i'm native american-tori

[eyepatchinc]

the dark skinned kid is supposed to be an Indian, from india i guess... the blond kid is supposed to be acting like a native american me thinks...

[briansky10]

I'm very familiar with this segment. A simple message to children about respecting each other. I love this.

[FancyShawl99]

cool vid they need to show it to the people at the school i went to!

[paramorefans97]

this is good> when I was inn kinder garden, I told people I was an indian, and theyre all like, no ur not!, indians died! I got so ticked off

[windowzombie]

@paramorefans97 Wow, that really shows the ignorance of some people :/

[CorinthianAndi]

They don't make shorts like these as they use to

[CorinthianAndi]

hahaha.Man,I'm 18 yrs old and I cannot believe I still remember the words to this skit.brings back so many memories:)miss the iold Seasame street

[elcid1984]

Yes, awktually EEndians tak vith a vedy deeferent accent.

[gigantibyte]

What's cool about this clip, is that the 3rd boy could also be an Indian from India.

[pirateofthecarabiner]

@curatrix2008 Violent warring people? Not like the civilized Europeans who never fought wars, and came to conquer the Americas. As for blood scalps, that was a European invention as well. They were paying "Indians" to bring back scalps, and wanted to be certain they were from dead people.

[Lucailey]

As a clutural anthropologist with a focus on Native Americans, I have to say - I LOVE IT!

[lyposucker]

easy kids

[olneymike]

How. This is heep good cartoon. Watch for many moons.

[bluenotes1981]

This is what I HATE about youtube. You watch a simple video and people try to be intellects and turn it all out of proportion rather than taking the video for what it is. I'm sure their english wasn't perfect. They spoke like that on the back then, not in modern times. That's what its trying to teach, geeez

[Centennialite]

Simply "our" idea of how Indians might have spoken back in the frontier days if they didn't know much English yet. Kind of silly with the "ugs" and so on but not a big deal. Having said that, I always liked this one and use it on my spouse sometimes when he starts doing the same thing (imitating Indians), only my answer is, "Because I'm part Indian." Not as much of a kicker, but hey...

[67nairb]

@Centennialite If you are half Indian would you be offended by the character Tonto from the LONE RANGER series.

[67nairb]

@Centennialite Excuse I was asking a question; should have asked ended sentence with a question mark.

[informationsocietyii]

I only ask of the Government to be treated as all other men are treated. If I cannot go to my own home, let me have a home in a country where my people will not die so fast. I would like to go to Bitter Root Valley. There my people would be happy; where they are now they are dying. Three have died since I left my camp to come to Washington. - Chief Joseph (does this sound broken?)

[barringtonbank]

I always turned the volume down when the cartoons were on, but turned the volume up again when the muppets came on.

[DiAnno13]

"Hey, Indians don't talk like that!"

"So Sioux me."

[eviltman]

david duke needs to watch this.

[WavyG]

They're playing "cowboys and Indians," a motif of the "Western" genre, which is obviously based on an era when the white man first moved West, so obviously American Indians wouldn't speak fluent English, for they had just began learning it. That Indian kid (actually, he should say "Native American") doesn't know what he's talking about.

[bluenotes1981]

Geez must we read so far into the cartoon? The Native American kid just squashed the stereotype.

[WavyG]

...An invalid assessment of a (probably pretty accurate) stereotype, based on modern ideals, as I have already pointed out. That's just modern white America again, making a big thing out of nothing.

It reminds me of the old Native American proverb: "Injun makum small fire, standum close up. Paleface makum big fire, standum WAAAY back."

[ColBloodNDN]

How is it an invalid assesment explain???

[xpander2k]

Yes, it was perfectly done. Nothing else needs to be said. The simplicity of it speak louder than any possible debate on the matter. Case closed.

[Smartboy8877]

@bluenotes1981

Yes her certainly did!

[ColBloodNDN]

There were plenty of indians who could speak english fluently at that time. That kid knows exactly what he is talking about. A motif is a pattern not an ideal. And superficial when it comes to depicting constant changes in life

[WavyG]

I'm talking about the "ideals" of modern political correctness--trying to rewrite history because something's become a stereotype (and further, offensive). I'm not saying it's right to make generalisations, I'm just saying that the Native Americans probably talked in broken English at the time because it was a new language to them. Nothing really hard to figure out, people.

[ColBloodNDN]

And I will say that some Native Americans had spoken in Broken English, but I am saying not all, so it seems your making a generalization with your comment. And your saying, it is alright for something to be a stereotype and offensive as long as you don't rewrite history, right?

[WavyG]

Not all? Who were all these Native Americans who instantly adapted to the English language upon hearing it spoken by the white man ("paleface") the first time?

[DiAnno13]

There was an Indian sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a hotel because he didn't have a reservation.

[DiAnno13]

The Next to the Last of the Mohicans.

[jbl1975]

Well that kid surely looked like an INDIA Indian as well.

[jalabi99]

He did, didn't he? :)

[Asar82]

I guess this was made before the term native was widely used instead of "indian"

[jalabi99]

Yes, it definitely was made before the PC term "Native American" took precedence over the term "American Indian". But it also is just one more example of what a great show Sesame Street was, and is.

[Asar82]

Yeah, i figured that was the deal but i totally agree with you i simply adore Sesame street. Hell i remember watching it as a kid as well!

[DiAnno13]

Don't believe everything you see on TV.

[moatguy]

Yeah! A lot of people do which makes other people upset(Like kangaroos on the side of the road which I hated on the Simpsons.)

[andirons]

'I bet I can make you say an Indian word.'

'How?'

[mhairi2006]

Well actually the clip is to demonstrate to children that using racial stereotypes is not clever but the clip is very much so. I always did find Sesame Street quite progressive as a child as you had kids of all races playing and getting along. They even had little kids in wheelchairs being included like everyone else. So there!

[ProductionX]

Seemed like when I was 5, hardly anywhere was handicap accessible than it is now in my town.

[StoogeAtHeart]

Actually, when Indians were first learning English after the arrival of white men they probably did talk just like that. As the 1700s and 1800s came, Indians probably learned their native tounge first, then English as a second language. Therefore there were probably Indians talking like that until the 1900s. So those first 2 kids were right, right? Nice clip though.

[ian7796]

It wasn't about being factually correct though, it was (like Mhairi said) about trying to stop four and five year olds from using racial stereotypes.

[DiAnno13]

They're lucky he didn't give 'em an indian burn.

[cocobliss30]

Dang I remember this word for word!! One of my faves!

[baccarati]

"Yes, I can understand your reservations."

im not going to, but someone might...

[gramgirl]

This is great! I am an Indian child welfare worker, for a very large tribe, and I know this is what birth mothers of babies eligible for enrollment in our tribe are thinking. This is the type of thing that we have to explain to them DAILY. I love this! It really hits home! Thanks for posting it!

[darthdiver]

"indian child welfare worker"?

Why not just "child welfare worker"?

Would you only look out for indian children?

Or perhaps you are an indian child that works for welfare?

[lappischen]

vegemate!!

[moatguy]

Thanks mate! It was nice to find out the truth.

[jim92021]

Actually, I was responding to Toledo1837.

[moatguy]

Sorry mate! I did not know!

[jim92021]

No worries, mate. Toledo said that he grew up in Ohio, so I took the opportunity to make a bad joke with the "Cleveland Indians", and another with "reservations". Sorry for the confusion! :-)

Cheers, jim92021

[StormyCat]

This clip is one I love very much. Being a native myself...I don't like stereotypes about my race. Racial stereotypes are bad. Not all white people are bad or stupid, and that is the same for all the races. lol ....and I do say "ugh" when disgusted *giggle* but not in normal speech ;)

[moatguy]

That is okay! People get things wrong about other lands lots of times! I once saw on the Simpsons that Bart and his family went to Australia where I live! They got alot of things wrong! Like people speeking like Kiwis(People from New Zealand) and kangaroos living on the streets! Yep! You would have a bit gone(silly thought for a place if all you knew of it came from T.V. I feel a bit like you mate!

[moatguy]

I also remember on Finding Nemo mate that they got some things wrong in Australia too! Like when they put Nigel the brown pelican in! The pelicans in Australia are black and white! Sydney has more lights at night then in the movie! Lots of things wrong about Australians just as lots of things wrong about indians. See ya later mate!

[jim92021]

Yes, I can understand your reservations.

[moatguy]

Thank you mate!

[MikeRS562]

I remember this, we weren't allowed to discuss it in my kindergarten class for reasons never said, but playing cowboys and injins was okay...

[metaloco]

Good Point

[KatieWagnerFan]

I remember this one. Great skit

[MaureenJ0812]

It's been a looooong time since I've seen that one. I think it was a great lesson about stereotyping people.

[Toledo1837]

Too bad I grew up in Ohio and hardly ever saw any of 'em!

[jim92021]

Not even the Cleveland Indians?

[moatguy]

If StormyCat says it then he means it!

[Naresay]

I remember seeing this way back. Heh, serves them both right.

[Hailey2006]

Tee hee, take that whitie!

[MVillani1985]

Gotta bash the Whtie man, hmmm?

[Hailey2006]

It's a joke!

[AnnainCA]

Oh, my goodness! Thank you so much for posting this. I have not seen this cartoon since I was a very young child, but it made a huge impression on my 5-year-old mind. What an incredible blast from the past!