OA

Buffalo Bill in België

Buffalo Bill in Belgium. Spectacle, Stereotypes, and the Shadow of Wounded Knee

The ‘cowboys and Indians’ game is a deeply rooted cultural trope that has shaped generations through comics, television, film, literature, and sports. A major catalyst in shaping this imagery were the Wild West mass spectacles of William Frederick Cody, which gained immense popularity around 1900 in both the United States and Europe. This study examines how Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows in Belgium functioned not only as entertainment, but also as an international propaganda tool that distorted and simplified the conflict between the U.S. government and Native Americans. Through an analysis of program brochures, press reports, and scholarly literature, the study deconstructs the dialectic of the stereotypical ‘savage warriors’ versus ‘white saviors’. At the same time, it investigates how these stereotypical representations shaped Belgian perceptions when the Wild West shows visited Belgian cities in 1891 and 1906 and how it continues to influence contemporary forms of ‘playing Indian’ in Belgium. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that these representations, depending on context and performer identity, could signify both dehumanization and cultural survival.