By Aura Bogado <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lone Ranger\u201d debuts in theaters in time for the July 4 holiday, and while Johnny Depp\u2019s decision to play Tonto\u2014a fictional Native sidekick to the white cowboy\u2014has drawn attention and criticism, the film\u2019s release means that all things Native are unusually relevant\u2014and marketable. And that can be a good, bad, and very ugly thing, all at once.<\/p>\n
Tonto action figures are already being sold as \u201cNative American warrior spirit\u201d caricatures. The Lego Corporation is pushing its \u201cComanche Camp\u201d toys. And Subway is hawking plastic soft drink containers with Tonto snapshots that guarantee the image, which is offensive to so many Natives and non-Natives alike, will live on in consumers\u2019 kitchens for years to come. While \u201cThe Lone Ranger\u201d film will come and go in theaters, and perhaps to be revived on DVD and in film awards, corporate promo deals will sustain the Tonto image for years to come\u2014and will make millions off of retailing Native stereotypes while doing so.<\/p>\n