The “American Indian” theme spread throughout Parasite is intentionally placed in the story by the filmmaker. Bong said in an interview that “for the son and the mother they’re just fancy decorations — very surface-level decorations.” Basically, Natives aren’t an actual group of people to the Park family but exist as more of American folklore that can be recreated with plastic imitations purchased off Amazon. Bong also stated that the use of stereotypical Native pieces that have been imported from the United States is symbolic, further explaining the Park family’s ignorance as they reduce the long and complicated history of all the different Native American communities to something trendy, a sad reality for many elements from underrepresented cultures that have been featured on a mannequin in a fast-fashion display window.

The common stereotype of the “American Indian” is based on what has been seen in movies, like the classics belonging to the Western genre. These cartoonish figures that saturated movie theaters in the 1940s and beyond are complete with a war bonnet, loincloth, and a peace pipe or flute.

Though clever in the execution, this element only works if the audience, from any cultural background including Korean or American, are educated on the historical oppression and legal genocide that has occurred in the United States. When looking at the United States specifically, it is evident that the general population isn’t taught about Native American history beyond the whitewashed history books that are still actively distributed to classrooms across this country.

The common stereotype of the “American Indian” is based on what has been seen in movies, like the classics belonging to the Western genre. These cartoonish figures that saturated movie theaters in the 1940s and beyond are complete with a war bonnet, loincloth, and a peace pipe or flute. Most of these plots have the Native characters as the antagonist, the enemy, who invade and kill families including women and children. Instead of being seen as diverse, we are reduced to a scary villain or a make-believe trope—furthering the narrative that Native Americans are unable to exist in humanity.

The United States was founded on land that was already occupied and the original residents were a diverse tapestry of people, varying in cultures and traditions with their own languages, rituals, and beliefs. The ancestors of those same people exist today and make up more than 570 tribes, each one having their own individual customs and culture that is different from their neighboring cousins. Not only was our land stolen but our ancestors were forced into assimilation through sinister techniques which have left many languages at risk of extinction in the next decade. What remains of each and every tribe’s rituals today is an element left behind by our resilient ancestors. We thank them for their tenacity and mourn those who are less represented or totally forgotten due to acts of colonization.

This is an abbreviated summary of the complicated history Bong is referring to in his interviews but the brutality against Native Americans is far from over. According to a study published in 2018, 62% of Americans that live outside of Indian Country (the land in or around a recognized reservation or jurisdiction) reported being unacquainted with Native Americans. Since we make up about 1% of the population, this is somewhat understandable on one level but definitely not excusable in the modern age in which we live. Plus, despite our small numbers Native youth have the highest rate of suicide among all ethnic groups in the United States and the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited crisis is hurting all Native communities, including the 71% of urban Indians who dwell within various metropolises. Even with new investigations and studies that are evidence in documenting the reality of being a Native American in this country, two-thirds of United States citizens think Natives do not receive any extreme racial discrimination or mistreatment. Numbers and statistics can only say so much for a diverse group of individual cultures that struggle to survive every day.