History Main / MagicalNativeAmerican

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Thanksgiving episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E8Pangs Pangs]]", Buffy faces a Native American vengeance spirit who can shapeshift, and summon ghostly Native American warriors. Of course, magic is hardly limited to Native Americans in [[TheVerse the Buffyverse]], and this trope is sort of examined - Willow feels sympathetic to the spirit since it's avenging legitimate wrongs, while everyone else points out that, you know, it's still a ''murderous vengeance spirit'' that kills people and [[{{Squick}} gave Xander magical syphilis]]. They wind up destroying it at the end.
* While following a magic wolf in Magic School in an episode of ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'', Phoebe, ran into a shaman student who sent her on a vision quest.

* The episode of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' called "Bugs" featured a curse of "Death By Bug-Inflicted Murder" on the builders/residents of a housing community unwittingly built on an IndianBurialGround.

** Chakotay of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' was an [[RecycledInSpace In Space]] example complete with a mystical tattoo and vision quests that seemed to do the trick when the [[AppliedPhlebotinum navigational deflected transponder]] [[TechnoBabble isolinear emmitter]] broke down. One episode revealed that aliens had long ago visited Earth and inspired the creation of the culture and traditions of Chakotay's tribe. Subverted in later seasons, when Chakotay speaks about his culture in a more matter-of-fact way, and is knowledgeable in several human cultures due to being an amateur anthropologist.
*** {{Discussed|Trope}} by Tom Paris in the pilot episode when the two are trying to escape from the Ocampan underground:

*** On the other hand, "Basics Part II" reveals his deficiencies in other areas.

** Then there was the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Journey's End", in which Wesley meets Lakanta, a member of a tribe that actually came from the Americas to the planet Dorvan V and settled there in soon-to-be-again Cardassian space. Near the end of the episode, the man [[spoiler:freezes time and reveals himself to be The Traveler, whom he'd met in "Where No One Has Gone Before"]]. (This tribe, by the way, was intended to be the origin of the aforementioned Chakotay, according to the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (in turn, according to ''Memory Alpha'', the Star Trek wiki).)

** Mulder gets brought back to life by a Native American ritual after getting gassed in a boxcar full of dead alien hybrids, and later on fights a reanimated South American Shaman. The plot thread with the alien boxcar is subverted a bit, however, when Skinner has the idea to work with some Navajo World War II vets who were in the Codetalker program to "store" an account of what happened. Making it not a case of Native American Magic saving the day, but language.
** Another episode has a monstrous wolf attacking ranches. Molder suspects that a Native American is shape shifting but it turns out to be a subversion.
** Played With (Lamshaded?) in The Rain King:

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-> Daryl Mootz: And I am 1/64th Cherokee, and I can summon up my ancestors to bring water to this thirsty land!

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Joseph Listens-to-Wind, also known as Injun Joe,[[note]]He jokingly says if one was to be politically correct, unlike his peer Ebenezer [=McCoy=], he insists on being called "Native American" Joe[[/note]] genuine Illinois medicine man, senior member of the White Council and, by extension, one of the most powerful wizards in the world. He's described as having a great sense of empathy for animals and even has a pet raccoon. He's also [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld well over two (possibly three) centuries old]], so he's one who remembers the better part of their history with the White Man. All in all, Listens-To-Wind is probably the least strained and most badass version of this trope. Ever.

A specific type of EthnicMagician, centered around indigenous peoples (for example, Native Americans, Canadian First Nations, and Australian Aborigines) and fantasy races [[FantasyCounterpartCulture based around them]]. Natives that fall under this trope have magical powers coming from innate [[ReligionIsMagic spirituality]] or [[InHarmonyWithNature closeness to nature]] that "civilized" races don't have. Such powers usually involve influence over nature or animals, or other spirit powers. Quite often, the Native in question will be [[BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins dressed very "traditionally"]] even in modern settings. May sometimes speak-um TontoTalk. [[MagicKnight Overlap]] with BadassNative is far from uncommon.

* Most of the Native American characters in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse have ended up either using magic or going on a VisionQuest at some point. A particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} example lies in Forge, a dyed-in-the-wool hard-core technology builder, who was studying to be a shaman before his mutant powers manifested (and later ended up using magic against a mystically-charged adversary).

** In ''ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}'', Amka Aliyak / Snowguard is introduced as a regular teen who just happens to be Inuit. Later on, she gets the power to shape-shift as a gift from Sila, the spirit of Northern Canada. So she is magical and she is Native American, but neither is necessarily related to the other.
** Australian Aborigines in the Marvel U are similarly portrayed. A 'magical bullroarer' and the ability to teleport through Dream Time are the powers of two completely separate characters -- Talisman (no relation to Elizabeth Twoyoungmen, above) from ComicBook/ContestOfChampions1982'' and Gateway from ''ComicBook/XMen''.

*** Averted by two Native American members of the Marauders, minions of Mister Sinister and opponents of the X-Men. Neither one ever did anything magical. Scalphunter was a technology-builder and Harpoon was able to charge things with explosive energy.

** Michael Twoyoungmen, aka Shaman of ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'', is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a magical shaman.]] His daughter Elizabeth inherited magical powers as well and became the super heroine Talisman.

* ''VideoGame/{{Elvira}}: One shows up in the second game as the janitor for the studio. After [[UnwinnableByDesign making friends]] [[GuideDangIt with him]], you have to retrieve his medicine bag, tomahawk, and spear which have been stolen from him. Once doing so, be uses his tribe's magic to empower the weapons to destroy Cerberus in the final battle of the game.

* In ''Literature/TheCaliforniaVoodooGame'', Black Elk is the Army team's principal spell-caster, and his Magic-user/Cleric character is [[InvokedTrope patterned on his Native American heritage]]. ''Outside'' the Game, he's [[SubvertedTrope just an ordinary mid-21st-century military man]].
* In ''Literature/ChanceAndChoicesAdventures'' main character Noah Swift Hawk is one of these, as are most other Native American mystery men. Usually it's [[ClarkesThirdLaw real medicines and scientific principles being presented as magic potions and spells]], but [[ReligionIsMagic not always]].

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-992 SCP-992 ("Gaia's Emissary")]]. SCP-992 is a male Australian Aborigine who claims to be 57-71 years old but hasn't aged in the 65 years that he's been contained by the Foundation. He appears to be able to control the weather and talk to plants.

* In the 60s, DC had ''ComicBook/{{Prez}}'', a short lived comic about Prez Rickard, the First Teen President. Prez's longstanding friend, companion and FBI head was Eagle Free, a Native American who continually dressed the part and was surrounded by a group of animals.

*** Nanaki[[note]]Red XIII's real name[[/note]]'s people are fire-tailed, talking red mountain lion who lives for centuries [[spoiler:as the ending cinematic shows]]. Their [[PlanetOfHats role]] is safeguarding Cosmo Canyon, the holy ground of the Study of Planet Life. The Cosmo Canyon has an [[TheThemeParkVersion overtly]] Native American theme. Nanaki's WeaponOfChoice are 'combs', feathers that adorn the headdress of a Native chief.

* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'' is a parody of this character type. He seems to fit most of the traits associated with the trope at first (including mystical music playing when he speaks), but his "wisdom" is actually [[IceCreamKoan utter nonsense that only makes sense to him]], and his attempts to help people always result in disaster.

* Played with in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII''. Connor is a half Native American who does possess superhuman Eagle Vision, [[spoiler:but it is inherited from his European father rather than his mundane Native mother, and a genetic trait common to all assassins, having a direct lineage to the precursor civilization]].

*** In the second episode of the alternate storyline, Connor takes another swig of the tea and gains the power of the eagle. This one is even more magical than the first one. Connor is able to literally [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turn into an eagle]] and fly to any ledge/branch in the vicinity. He can even perform "eagle assassinations". Sneaking around and assassinating people becomes ridiculously easy and even freerunning is no longer a necessity when you can just fly from rooftop to rooftop. It's still CastFromHitPoints but only takes a small part of the life meter.
*** It's worth noting that the Sky Journeys he undertakes seem very similar to the other [[LostTechnology Pieces of Eden]] and its [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity effect]] on him is more or less the same. What's more, [[spoiler:the entire thing was a scenario made by an Apple to tempt Washington and Connor with power]], strongly implying that the "magic" is just First Civilization technology.

* Literature/MercyThompson is herself an example as a half-Native coyote shapeshifter, although she subverts it in part by having a job (auto mechanic) that's about as far from CloserToEarth as you can get. Her powers area also eventually revealed to have come not from her being half-Native American, but because [[spoiler: her Native American father was actually [[Myth/NativeAmericanMythology Coyote]], because the offspring of such unions are always Walkers]]. The series itself has featured this trope in the backstory of Bran's son, Charles, whose mother was a Native shaman's daughter and practiced real magic, some of which Charles has inherited along with his father's lycanthropy.

** The ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' has a version of this trope with the Hawkbrothers, who are almost magical, though there may be some subversion of it in their cousins, the Shin'a'in, who shun the use of magic completely (except when their ultra-magical goddess gets involved). There are actually good reasons for this, revealed over the course of the series. Shin'a'in who are found to be magically inclined are either trained as Shamans, or sent to the Hawkbrothers. But then again, magic use is represented heavily across all cultures in the Valdemar series; Lackey uses the stereotype but it's far from out of place in-universe. Doesn't stop the Hawkbrothers from being portrayed as probably the most magically powerful society in the series and a StrawUtopia to boot.

* Discussed in ''Series/WhatWeDoInTheShadows''. Nadja asks the FiveTokenBand werewolf pack if they're Indian, referencing ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' where the wolf shifters were Quileute. They decry it as a racist portrayal. One of them ''is'' Native American, but his werewolf-ness is "not an ethnic thing". Another is Indian, in that one of his parents was from India.

Works often use this trope to promote a "positive" image of indigenous peoples rather than accurately portraying their culture or developing them as characters. Like NobleSavage, this trope can have obvious UnfortunateImplications. While this trope does render indigenous peoples badass in their own right, it also furthers stereotypes of them as exotic outsiders, and often trivialises deep spiritual traditions as mere fantastical magic in a manner that many real indigenous people view as disrespectful (compare how HollywoodVoodoo treats the similarly real religion UsefulNotes/{{Voudoun}}).

-->-- ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Caretaker"

* Taylor in ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide''.

%%* Taylor in ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide''.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The Marshal is clearly meant to be a Native American. He has long gray hair, wearing tribal style ornamentation on his clothing with a cowboy hat and dark leather jacket fitting how many modern Native men dress. As a ScarilyCompetentTracker, he manages to find Nicte and Scylla, undoing their disguises using a spell he activates by whistling. Of course, given this show has a nearly ''all'' witch cast it's not as unusual. He is the first Native American on the show however.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The Marshal is clearly meant to be a Native American. He has long gray hair, wearing tribal style ornamentation on his clothing with a comboy hat and dark leather jacket fitting how many modern native men dress. As a ScarilyCompetentTracker, he manages to find Nicte and Scylla, undoing their disguises using a spell he activates by whistling. Of course, given this show has a nearly ''all'' witch cast it's not as unusual. He is the first Native American on the show however.

* A few episodes of ''Series/LawAndOrderSoecialVictimsUnit'' featured Native American NYPD detective Chester Lake who, despite not otherwise fitting the stereotypes, claimed to be able to sense the mood of the city in a way that on occasion seemed to border on PsychicPowers. He attributed his pseudo-mystical connection to the city to coming from a long line of Native ironworkers who literally built most of modern New York.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1655268339042208600 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

A subtrope of EthnicMagician. Native Americans (or a race meant to be an {{expy}} of them) who possess powers because of their ethnicity. Often this involves stating that their power comes from innate [[ReligionIsMagic spirituality]] or [[InHarmonyWithNature closeness to nature]] that "civilized" races don't have. Usually involves influence over nature or animals, or other spirit powers. Quite often, the Native in question will be [[BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins dressed very "traditionally"]] even in modern settings. May sometimes speak-um TontoTalk. [[MagicKnight Overlap]] with BadassNative is far from uncommon.

If the Native American magic comes from beyond the grave, see IndianBurialGround.

This is often a form of PositiveDiscrimination. Works often use this trope to promote a "positive" image of Native Americans rather than accurately portraying their culture or developing them as characters. Like NobleSavage, this trope can have obvious UnfortunateImplications. While this trope does render Native Americans badass in their own right, it also furthers stereotypes of them as exotic outsiders, and often trivialises deep spiritual traditions as mere fantastical magic in a manner that many real Native people view as disrespectful (compare how HollywoodVoodoo treats the similarly real religion UsefulNotes/{{Voudoun}}).

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/AlphaFlight https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/af_shaman_5.png]]]]

* Luke’s mother Adelaide, from ''Anime/GAROVanishingLine'' was a Makai Alchemist and a [[MageMarksman Magic Gunwoman]] who fought with magical GunsAkimbo, the very ones Luke [[AncestralWeapon now carries]].

* Directly averted in the ''Series/{{JAG}}'' episode “The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse” where a Navajo medicine woman refuses to believe that the remains of a WWII code talker are the right ones, despite a conclusive DNA analysis.

* The ''Podcast/TwilightHistories'' miniepisode “Lakota Thunder” takes place in a world where the Ghost Dance proves far more effective than it did in our world.