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An undated publicity photo from Disney/Bruckheimer Films, shows actors, Johnny Depp, left, as Tonto, a spirit warrior on a personal quest, who joins forces in a fight for justice with Armie Hammer, as John Reid, a lawman who has become a masked avenger. In New Mexico, where some of the movie was filmed, the Navajo presented Depp, his co-star Hammer, director Gore Verbinski and producer Bruckheimer with Pendleton blankets to welcome them to their land. Elsewhere, the Comanche people of Oklahoma made Depp, an honorary member. The film releases summer 2013. (AP Photo/Disney/Bruckheimer Films, Peter Mountain)
Seattle Gyasi Ross grew up decades after the "Lone Ranger" aired on TV, but his friends would still call him "Tonto" when they teased him.
"Everybody understands who Tonto is, even if we hadnt seen the show, and we understood it wasnt a good thing," said Ross, a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana who lives and has family in the Suquamish Tribe, outside Seattle. "Why else would you tease someone with that?"
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The making of a new "Lone Ranger" Disney movie, and the announcement that Johnny Depp is playing sidekick Tonto, have reawakened feelings about a character that has drawn much criticism over the years as being a Hollywood creation guilty of spreading stereotypes.
The film is still in production, but Indian Country has been abuzz about it for months, with many sharing opinions online and a national Native publication running an occasional series on the topic.
Some American Indians welcome the new movie, slated for release next summer. Parts were filmed on the Navajo Nation with the tribes support, and an Oklahoma tribe recently made Depp an honorary member.
But for others, the "Lone Ranger" represents a lingering sore spot one that goes back to the 1950s television version of Tonto, who spoke in broken English, wore buckskin and lacked any real cultural traits.
Depps role attracted particular attention in April when producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted a picture of the actor in his Tonto costume. He had on black and white face paint, an intense gaze, a black bird attached to his head and plenty of decorative feathers.
"The moment it hit my Facebook newsfeed, the updates from my friends went nutso," wrote Natanya Ann Pulley, a doctorate stu! dent at University of Utah, in an essay for the online magazine McSweeneys.
For Pulley and her friends, the portrayal of American Indians in Western movies is getting old.
"Im worried about the Tonto figure becoming a parody or a commercialized figure that doesnt have any dimension or depth. Or consideration for contemporary context of Native Americans," she said.
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But American Indians are far from a monolithic group, and many are opening their arms to the new movie. Some are just excited to see Depp take the role.
In New Mexico, where some of the movie was filmed, the Navajo presented Depp, his co-star Armie Hammer, director Gore Verbinski and Bruckheimer with Pendleton blankets to welcome them to their land. Elsewhere, the Comanche people of Oklahoma made Depp, one of Hollywoods most bankable stars, an honorary member.
"In my nieces mind, I met Jack Sparrow," said Emerald Dahozy, spokeswoman for Navajo President Ben Shelly and a member of the Navajo group who met with Depp. "My personal view, I like him playing in a character which he can embody well."
Dahozy said the "Lone Ranger" production brought something more palpable to the reservation: money. The actors and the large crew lived on Navajo land, eating at local restaurants and staying in towns that rely heavily on tourism.
Disney representatives declined to comment, but Depp has said the film will be a "sort of rock n roll version of the Lone Ranger" with his Tonto offering a different take from the 1950s show.
Cheyenne and Arapaho filmmaker Chris Eyre is willing to give the actor a chance.
"Based on Johnny Depp as an artist, and him going all the way and making this film happen, in my book [he] deserves some credit," Eyre told Indian Country Today for its occasional "Tonto Files" series. "He wants to change the view of Tonto, and he put his reputation and his career on the line."
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