Popular Culture Review Vol. 4, No. 1, January 1993 | Page 55

The Menace of the Wild West Shows

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Yet the conquering of the West had ramifications other than the
bolstering of American pride and individuality. As an examination of
Buffalo Bill's Exhibition so vividly highlights, the process of
gaining the land could only be accomplished by the necessary
removal, or subjugation, of the Indians. The act of mass extermination
was calmly accepted and even actively cheered by the majority.
Audience members showed overwhelming approval of the soldiers,
settlers and cowboys of the Wild West; Indians, including the great
Chief Sitting Bull, were hissed and booed during their moments on
the stage. Without a word being spx>ken between the adversaries, it
was clear to the audience who the "good guys" and the "bad guys"
were.
Many stories and legends surround Buffalo Bill’s relationships
with the Indians, and most of them indicate a feeling of mutual
respect between the two. Many sources contend that had Cody been
allowed to complete his mission to speak with Sitting Bull, the chief
might not have been shot and the Battle of Wounded Knee could have
been avoided. Luther Standing Bear, the Indian interpreter for some
of Cody's European tours, writes with the highest respect and
admiration for "the Colonel."^ Even Black Elk, who was accidently
abandoned in England as the rest of the show left for home, felt no
rancor that some attempt had not been made to locate him before the
company set sail.^ Many Buffalo Bill historians point out that Cody
allowed the Indians to show their war dances and tribal rituals
without distortion, and that Sitting Bull was allowed several
moments alone on stage in "heroic posture." And, perhaps the most
persuasive evidence of all, there was never any shortage of Indians
willing to appear in one of Buffalo Bill's "shows."
Nevertheless, no matter how many indications there are
regarding Buffalo Bill’s friendship for the Indian and their regard
for him, there is no denying the fact that the Wild West Exhibition
did little, if anything, towards raising the image of the Indian in the
public's esteem. Every scene involving them ended in their defeat at
the white man's hands, usually justified because the Indian attack
was clearly "unprovoked." Even in the portrayal of Custer's Last
Stand, in which the Indians overcome the white man, their victory is
sullied by the clear understanding that they did not play fairly. The
message of Custer is that if the Indians are allowed to outnumber the
white man, he will be rendered defenseless. Cody carefully avoided