The portrayal of American Indians in US pop culture is troubling at best: Natives are often depicted as violent savages and far from human values. To counter this, Kevin Costner, being part Cherokee himself, chooses to portray a positive and realistic image of American Indians in his film Dances with Wolves. While one could argue that the film appears to validate certain stereotypes, Costner calculatedly, much like a game of chess, uses these stereotypes to connect with his viewers and ultimately forces them to checkmate without them realizing it. Dances with Wolves is an entertaining film that challenges Western misconceptions and remains sensitive to the concerns of American Indians. On the way to Fort Sedgwick, Lieutenant Dunbar and his guide Timmons encounter a decimated wagon with some human remains and arrows lying nearby. This image serves two purposes: to draw the audience into the film by playing on the stereotype that Indians kill innocent travelers, as well as foreshadowing what will happen to Timmons. After leaving Dunbar at the fort, he asks Timmons about the Indians, to which Timmons replies, “Damned Indians! Nothing but thieves and beggars!” Again, although its language is crude, this allows the audience to connect with the film by reinforcing indigenous stereotypes. Costner delivers a heaping helping of poetic justice with the Pawnee ambush of Timmons as he is leaving the fort. While on the surface this appears to reinforce the stereotypical image of violent Indians, the audience is able to sense that in some way Timmons' death may be justified. In this way, Costner begins to reverse viewers' stereotypes. Dunbar's first encounter with the local natives occurs when Sio... middle of paper... soldiers try to track him and the tribe. As a farewell, Dunbar offers Kicking Bird his peace pipe. Kicking Bird asks, "How do you smoke?" Here, Kicking Bird's use of the correct form of the auxiliary verb “do,” paired with the infinitive form of smoke, demonstrates the effort he made to learn English. In this case, Costner shows us an Indian who learned English not to communicate with traders, but rather to solidify his friendship with Dunbar. Costner's film offers a realistic portrayal of the complexities of frontier life during the 19th century. Costner successfully conveys a message of mutual respect and understanding by carefully offering, and then destroying, misconceptions audiences may have about Native people. Ultimately, the audience is able to walk away with a sense of compassion towards the Native American cause.