"What Made the Red Man Red?" is a song from the 1953 Disney animated film Peter Pan, in which "the natives tell their story through stereotypical dance while singing". Contemporary audiences may consider it racist and "offensive" due to its "exaggerated stereotypes". Although a similar depiction was displayed within J M Barrie's original play, later adaptions have reimagined the "Indians," while the Disney version—and this song in particular—were said to have "doubled-down on racial stereotypes".
Contents
It has been compared to the song "Savages" from the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas, which also contains negative lyrics regarding Native Americans. Though in the case of "Savages", the offensive lyrics were being sung by the villain of the movie to illustrate the message that racism is wrong.
Production
Jonathan "Candy" Candido, who played the role of the Chief in Peter Pan, said the following about the song in an interview with MousePlanet:
"When I recorded [the song], I sang it with 10 bass singers from around Los Angeles. And if you hear the song, you'll notice my bass voice is almost twice as low as theirs ... You know, when you see the Indian chief, he's fat. I'm not fat. And he's real tall, and I'm kind of short. But you notice he looks like me. Also, he has the same dark eyebrows, and he plays with his hands like I do when I perform ... Ward Kimball's animation of the chief is full of the little visual gags that he always threw into his work, oftentimes just to keep himself amused. I especially love seeing how wildly exaggerated the chief's mouth shapes become, yet always manage to work well within the frame of his face."
Context
Peter Pan and Wendy come across the Indians (who refer to themselves as "Injuns") once arriving in Neverland. Wishing to learn more about them, The Lost Boys ask the Indians three questions: "What Makes the Red Man Red?", "When Did He First Say 'Ugg'?" and "Why Does He Ask You 'How?'". This song is performed by "the big-nosed, guttural Chief character" accompanied by his tribesmen. The Indians pass the peace pipe to the children as they tell their tale, the implication being that "they used to be normal and white but just blushed".
In reality, Hau is Lakota for "Hello" and the skin colour of Native American people is due to genetics, among other untruths featured in the song.
Composition
Writer Kim McLarin of NPR described it as a "bouncy, drum-heavy song", while the Best of Disney called it a "labored routine".
Contemporary reception
Complex notes that in the 21st century, "you can't just ask people 'What Makes the Red Man Red?'", and commented on the Lost Boys' musical number around this very question: "Jeez, you racist little monsters, no wonder you're orphans." Althouse said the song has "obvious political correctness problems". AllDay notes that "the one time they break into song" is the only time the Native Americans do not speak in broken English throughout the film. In an article named Caught on Film: The Racist Ghosts of Disney's Past, DivineCaroline wrote "The best part of the song is when the singers say that their version is the right one, 'no matter what's been written or said.'" Bustle deemed the song a "big ol' pile of racism". MediaDiversed said the "horror that was the song" served to reinforce stereotypes and racist attitudes. The site Great Indian Moments From Pop Culture deemed the "insipid tune" the "worst" of the "troublesome Native stereotypes" in Disney's 1953 film Peter Pan. It noted "the chorus, with its 'nonsense' words, simply reduces indigenous languages (and semantics) to sheer gibberish".
The Guardian wrote that the song is "exactly as alarming to modern eyes and ears as its title suggests". Minnesota Playlist argued that this "infamous" number "upped the racist ante". RantLifestyle notes "the chief...is a walking stereotype", and summed up their view of the song by saying "Oh dear". David Martinez, author of American Indians and Film wrote "My jaw hit the ground when I heard this song and saw these 'redskins' hopping around and making fools of themselves. Granted it was only a cartoon, but it was one in which the animators took the liberty of demeaning an entire race in the name of entertainment." The Narcycist referenced the song in an article about the use of subtle racism in film. The Hollywood Reporter deemed the song "infamous". Sasha Houston Brown, Santee Sioux tribe member and adviser to the American Indian Success Program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, said upon seeing the scene: "I remember seeing it and not having the skills to understand why it made me feel embarrassed. What does that do to a child's formation of identity, even if it's subliminal and subconscious? The message is, 'You're not human. You're a trend. You're something that can be commodified and bought and sold.'" An Opinion article written at The Daily Revelle notes the problem of depicting Native Americans in this way: "Disney has always been there to teach proper morals"...from an early start, Americans are fed these ideas, and the topic is never properly taught to correct them"; they continued "If you’re teaching American history, put the time and effort into respectfully educating others on the extraordinary people that were here first."
TOR argued the "cartoon war dance" and song goes even further than Barrie's play by "stat[ing] that the Indians are not just savages, but sexist savages, who force Wendy to go fetch firewood while the other boys have fun". Wired said the "really awkward scene" features a "thoroughly appalling song, arguably more racist than anything in the notorious Song of the South". The blog Racial Stereotyping notes "Not only does this video stereotype Native Americans but it also stereotypes women". Banon's Roar wrote "Watching now its cringe inducing. Every line is some kind of gag about how their skin is red and they make weird noises. Compare it even to the Crows from Dumbo. They were timely caricatures as well, but their jokes were not aimed at humiliating themselves." LeapToad said "If any other ethnic group were treated this way, this film would have quietly disappeared, much like Song of the South has." Though Hollywood.com listed the 1952 film version as the third best Peter Pan adaption, it recommend that viewers "forget that whole “What Made the Red Man Red?” part, for obvious reasons". MouseTracksOnline said the song " veers precariously into politically incorrect territory"
Legacy
When the film has been syndicated on television, the native scene has often been removed.
In the 1954 stage musical, the issue of including the controversial depiction of Native Americans was avoided altogether by casting a blond actress named Sondra Lee to perform 'Ugg-a-Wugg', "a drum number of caricatured dance moves and lyrics of inarticulate babble".
Because of the perceived racial insensitivity of the characters and this song in particular by the time the film Return to Never Land was released in theatres in 2002, The Indians were not featured as characters in that movie.
During production of the 2015 Warner Bros. live-action film Pan, the film's developers made a deliberate choice to distance the character of Tiger Lily and her people from Native American heritage and reimagine them as lacking any particular ethnicity, in order to "avoid the racial insensitivities of...Disney's 1953 animated film, which infamously featured the song 'What Made the Red Man Red?'".