Great post. I have a friend who works with highly educated “Native Americans” as part of her job. A more self-absorbed, easily-insulted group of men and women you could not imagine. When she showed them a little drum she had bought on a reservation somewhere in the West, they wanted her fired. She had - in some oblique, unknown way - insulted them yet again!
The little drum sits over her fireplace. Every time we see it my husband, her husband and I take the mickey out of her.
As a former fed gov contractor, I knew that dealing with the Natives would always be a challenge. I was a white devil, not to be trusted. I just treated them with respect, but little patience. Then, one day, while directing a major film documentary in Alabama, I had some 20 mixed tribe natives as actor extras, there to re-enact a Creek battle of 1812. The cameras rolled as they lined a barracade, in full attack mode. Their performance was more appropriate of a zombie movie (which is how they typically were in my presence). After unsuccessfully motivating them to become fearsome and aggressive for the scene, I got sick of their little act. As cameras rolled, I yelled in the megaphone "YOU ALL LOOK LIKE PUSSIES!! LOUDER!! NO WONDER YOU LOST TO JACKSON!! MEANER!!!" I saw dozens of eyes fixed on me as I taunted them in to anger. My script supervisor was mortified at my attempted "psychology". Suddenly, the strangest thing happened. As they tried to get angry and wave their prop stone head clubs at the barricade...they all started cracking up! I screamed "NO!! WE NEED FURY!! WE NEED...(Giggle) BRUTALITY!!!! WE---". I started to crack up, too. The scene was killed. Suddenly, they got off their 'act' and I got off mine. The whole dynamic of the day changed as we set aside each other's pre-judgements. Patience, is what I learned.
To this day, you can see the film at the visitors center at Horseshoe Bend, Alamaba...and still catch at least one smirking Creek Warrior at the barricade.