View One: Native Americans Used for Branding

1992-1994

Why use a Native American for branding? Many companies in the United States used Native Americans in their branding in order to elicit a connection to the country that seems more genuine. The Native American woman on the first packages of Land-O-Lakes were depicted with a much lighter skin than the later packages. The woman is kneeling and offering up the product to those looking at the box. Native American women are depicted in the media in a very specific light. They typically are not shown with agency and they lose their true identity and an image is fabricated. This can be seen in Pocahontas, Sacagawea and many of the other Native Women who were married to white travelers.