Since its debut in 1971, an anti-pollution ad showing a man in Native American garb shedding a single tear as smokestacks and trash take over a once pristine landscape has become an indelible piece of television pop culture.
It was referenced in the following decades on shows like “The Simpsons” and “South Park” and in Internet memes. But now, a Native American advocacy group that was granted the rights to the much-parodied public service announcement is withdrawing it, saying it was always inappropriate.
The so-called “Crying Indian”, with his scalp and long tresses, made the late Iron Eye actor Cody a recognizable face in households across the country. But for many Native Americans, the public service announcement was a painful reminder of the enduring stereotypes they face.
The nonprofit that originally commissioned the ad, Keep America Beautiful, has long considered pulling the ad and announced this week that it will do so by transferring ownership to the National Congress of American Indians.
“Keep America Beautiful wanted to be careful and deliberate about how we communicated this flagship/public service announcement to the appropriate owners,” Noah Ullman, a spokesman for the nonprofit, said in an email. “We spoke with several indigenous peoples’ organizations and were pleased to identify the National Congress of American Indians as a potential custodian.”
NCAI intends to cease the use of advertising and pursue any unauthorized use.
“NCAI is proud to take on the role of monitoring the use of this advertisement and ensuring that it is only used for historical context; this ad was inappropriate then and remains inappropriate today,” said NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. “NCAI looks forward to putting this ad to bed for good.”
When it premiered in the 1970s, the ad was a sensation. He brought in Iron Eyes Cody to film three back-to-back PSAs. He spent more than 25 years making public appearances and touring schools on behalf of the anti-litter campaign, according to an Associated Press obituary.
From there, Cody, who was Italian-American but claimed Cherokee heritage through his father, was cast as a Native American character, appearing in over 80 films. Most often his persona was simply “Indian”, “Indian Chief” or “Indian Joe”.
His films from the 1950s to the 1980s include “Sitting Bull,” The Great Massacre of the Sioux, Nevada Smith, “A Man Called Horse” and “Ernest Goes to Camp.” On television, he appeared in “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke” and “Rawhide,” among others. He was also a technical advisor for Native American issues on set.
Dr. Jennifer J. Folsom, professor of journalism and media communication at Colorado State University and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, remembers watching the public service announcement as a child.
“At that time, every person who appeared in braids and camel skin, on television or anywhere in the movies, I thought about it because it was such a rare thing to see,” said Folsom, whose fields of study include Native Americans. pop culture. “I’ve seen how people are scattered and I’ve seen how streams and rivers are polluted.”
But as he got older, Folsom noticed how little media coverage was given to Native American environmental activists.
“There is no agency for the so-called sad Indian who sits in a canoe and cries,” Folsom said. “I think it has influenced public perception and support for Native people doing things to protect the land and protect the environment.”
He applauded Keep America Beautiful’s decision as an “appropriate move.” It will mean a trusted group can help verify the narrative the ad has been pushing for more than 50 years, he said.
The power of advertising has likely faded as Native and Indigenous youth come of age with a heightened awareness of stereotypes and cultural appropriation. TikTok has many examples of parody or native advertising, Folsom said.
Robert “Tree” Cody, Iron Eyes Cody’s adopted son, said the announcement was “well-intentioned and heartfelt.”
“It was one of the first 100 listings,” said Robert Cody, an enrolled member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona.
And it reminded him of the time he spent with his father, said Cody, who lives in Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico.
“I remember a lot, even when he went to a movie set to finish his movies and stuff,” Cody said. “I remember going to Universal (Studios), Disney, places like that.”
His wife, Rachel Kee-Cody, can’t help but feel a little sad that an announcement that means so much to their family will be cancelled. But she is resigned to the decision.
“You know, times change too. Keep going, no matter how much it changes,” she said. “Disappointment. … It will pass.”
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