Looking for the best Native American movies and films with Native American themes? This list ranks all the good Native American movies so you know what to watch first if you are looking to learn more about the culture and history of Native people. These are films that focus on American Indians and their cultures as part of the story's central theme - famous films like Dances with Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans are widely known, but this list also includes lesser-known films like Smoke Signals and Skins. Some of these rank among the best war movies ever produced while others are heartfelt dramas who also have a place with the best costume drama films. Still others are love stories and great Native American romance movies, some are even .
Once referred to as "Indians," Native Americans have an incredibly rich culture and history. While they may have originally only been used in Westerns as "the bad guys" (often played by white guys in red-face), today, Native Americans are just as often the heroes. Their braves, teepees, art, tomahawks, and skill with hunting buffalo are all veritable icons in American Indian movies. It's no small wonder then that they continue to be featured in Hollywood.
This is meant to be a list of all the greatest movies about Native Americans of all time, a few of them are even based on true stories. Vote up your favorites to see which ones become the top Native American films of all time.
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1,134270Smoke Signals
Perrey Reeves, Cynthia GearyReleased: 1998
Directed by: Chris Eyre
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1,493398The Last of the Mohicans
Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine StoweReleased: 1992
Directed by: Michael Mann
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633152Powwow Highway
A Martinez, Amanda WyssReleased: 1989
Directed by: Jonathan Wacks
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558136Dance Me Outside
Sandrine Holt, Hugh DillonReleased: 1994
Directed by: Bruce McDonald
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806186Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Anna Paquin, J.K. SimmonsReleased: 2007
Directed by: Yves Simoneau
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480119Skins
Graham Greene, Winona LaDukeReleased: 2002
Directed by: Chris Eyre
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966305Little Big Man
Dustin Hoffman, Faye DunawayReleased: 1970
Directed by: Arthur Penn
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44497Dreamkeeper
August Schellenberg, Nathaniel ArcandReleased: 2003
Directed by: Steve Barron
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36973Incident at Oglala
Norman Zigrossi, Robert SikmaReleased: 1992
Directed by: Michael Apted
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1,450493Dances with Wolves
Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnellReleased: 1990
Directed by: Kevin Costner
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34661Into the West
Keri Russell, Gary BuseyReleased: 2005
Directed by: Simon Wincer
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745223Thunderheart
Val Kilmer, David CrosbyReleased: 1992
Directed by: Michael Apted
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37297Windwalker
Trevor Howard, James RemarReleased: 1980
Directed by: Kieth Merrill
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714260Windtalkers
Nicolas Cage, Mark RuffaloReleased: 2002
Directed by: John Woo
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455141A Man Called Horse
Richard Harris, Judith AndersonReleased: 1970
Directed by: Elliot Silverstein
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24331Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee
Peter Weller, Irene BedardReleased: 1994
Directed by: Frank Pierson
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20137Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
Natar Ungalaaq, Sylvia IvaluReleased: 2001
Directed by: Zacharias Kunuk
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582242Last of the Dogmen
Tom Berenger, Barbara HersheyReleased: 1995
Directed by: Tab Murphy
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21241Clearcut
Graham Greene, Tom JacksonReleased: 1991
Directed by: Ryszard Bugajski
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20247The Cherokee Word for Water
Zahn McClarnon, Deanna DunaganReleased: 2013
Directed by: Tim Kelly, Charlie Soap
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24229Skinwalkers
Adam Beach, Wes StudiReleased: 2002
Directed by: Chris Eyre
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18249The Business of Fancydancing
Cynthia Geary, Leo RossiReleased: 2002
Directed by: Sherman Alexie
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18641The Only Good Indian
Wes Studi, Paul ButlerReleased: 2009
Directed by: Kevin Willmott
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374125Legends of the Fall
Brad Pitt, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1994
Directed by: Edward Zwick
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17023Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Irene Bedard, Dakota BrownReleased: 2015
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
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