They Don’t Look Like Indians To Me offers a bold, satirical response to exclusionary attitudes faced by immigrant communities and non-native English speakers in America. Through lively and witty lyrics, the teachers of Roosevelt Junior High School, led by Ms. Simon, challenge the contradictions and hypocrisy of those who claim “America for the Americans” while overlooking their own immigrant roots. The scene finds the teachers in a cantankerous mood, grousing at exclusionist sentiments as they join in a spontaneous, theatrical Native American-inspired song-and-dance number, poking fun at the idea of American heritage being solely Anglo-Saxon. In doing so, they highlight a critical irony: those preaching exclusion today likely descended from settlers themselves, who displaced Native American tribes centuries ago.
The lyrics playfully juxtapose the realities of the original inhabitants who lived here for thousands of years with those who pushed them off their land and now push for restrictive immigration policies. They point out the absurdity of the “English Only” stance taken by a few narrow-minded school districts across the country. Ms. Simon’s line, “They don’t look like Indians to me,” echoes sentiments often used to exclude newcomers, but here, it’s turned on its head, emphasizing that today’s self-proclaimed “real Americans” do not resemble the original Native American inhabitants of the land who ethnocentrically are the “real Americans.”
As the teachers begin an exaggerated Indian-inspired dance (as they were not exactly born to it), the energy and theatricality serve as both a celebration of diversity and a humorous critique of the historical narratives commonly taught to non-native people on the subject of Native Americans in America.
Ms. Simon’s references to Cherokee and Narragansett Indian languages underscore the argument that if America were truly reserved for the original occupants, today’s national language might have been one of these indigenous languages, not English. By invoking well-known Native American symbols and figures, she illustrates the irony of contemporary authority now attempting to shut its doors on new arrivals.
MS. SIMON
NICE, YOU GAVE GERONIMO A CADILLAC
BUT MAYBE WHILE YOU’RE AT IT
YOU COULD GIVE HIM SOME LAND BACK
Lyrics such as these express the frustration felt by Native Americans who receive only token gestures while energy companies continue to frack, drill, strip mine and otherwise destroy Indian lands through lawyered and layered means of land exploitation while rates of Indian poverty, alcoholism, substance abuse, infant mortality and suicide remain the highest in the nation.
Although initially hesitant, Principal White joins the dance, his involvement signaling a softening of bureaucratic boundaries within the school itself. The song culminates in a collective refrain of “Peace and harmony, earth and sky, don’t you think it’s worth a try?” calling for unity and understanding. This politically charged scene satirically reflects a positive multicultural merging of Native Americanism with the American frontier.
They Don’t Look Like Indians To Me suggests an anthem for tolerance and progress that additionally captures teachers’ unbending support of their students, regardless of their circumstances. Through music, dance, and humor, the song reminds us that many of the Indian lands to which we lay claim today, on which in some parts of the country only one language is tolerated, were once inhabited by many peoples and tribes who lived here and spoke hundreds of languages before the arrival of Columbus and the Conquistadors. To compound that tragedy, it is worth noting that once they seized power, the conquerors forbade the speaking of the languages the Native Americans had spoken for thousands of years, driving many of these languages, their cultures, and peoples to extinction.