In a famous tv ad campaign from 1971 for the public service group, Keep America Beautiful, an actor named Iron Eyes Cody portrayed a Native American who travels through a befouled landscape and then turns to the camera to reveal a single tear coming down his cheek. Please research the ad campaign and Cody’s background in order to discuss this mass marketed, pop culture representation of Native Americans. How does this material help us understand Alexie’s work and his own representation of Native Americans?
