The Image of Indians

Re Ray Loynd’s Oct. 9 review of the American Native Theatre Company’s “Mystic Voices,” at the Southwest Museum:

Loynd implies the program stereotypes Indians. Actually, his review is a legacy of the stereotyping of Indians. I’ll bet he expected a little more out of this show, something a little more mystical or noble , or perhaps hauntingly beautiful . Well, contrary to the image portrayed in movies, of which Loynd’s image appears to be a refinement, an Indian generally likes to laugh as much as the next person.

I have known Indians to indulge in knee-slapping, hammy humor. In fact, humor is a dominant theme of most North American Indian cultures, the clown being held in high (even religious) esteem.

The review held up the dead remnants of a battered culture housed in the Southwest Museum as “rich treasures” and ignored the fact that the very spirit of these people was being displayed in “Mystic Voices.” The Native Americans, their heart and humor, these are the real treasures, treasures that our society has all but annihilated.

DON FLEISCHMAN, La Canada Flintridge