History Main / NobleSavage

* Queequeg in ''Literature/MobyDick'', although he's also somewhat sinister in his exoticness.

Frequently overlaps with the ProudWarriorRaceGuy, in which case the questions of ''who'' these "noble warriors" actually went to war ''with'' before the white people came along and ''why'' they fought will usually be left conveniently unanswered. Easily leads to UnfortunateImplications, a major one being that any problems a Noble Savage faces is a problem of not living up to an idealized character rather than the simple social implications of the world they live in. Another is that taking this view also tends to distort the actual reality of the Noble Savage in favor of the idealized image. This trope is at the very least a big old problem and frequently really goddamn racist. The "noble" part often comes from an anti-modern stance while the "savage" part comes from an openly race-supremacist stance, and those two combined are at least 40% of what drives fascism. In short, this is a trope that can invoke a shit-ton of YMMV associations. Cautious editing should abound.

Examples of this trope that are OlderThanFeudalism exist outside the Americas: Tacitus wrote of the noble Germanic and Caledonian tribes to contrast with his view of Roman society as decadent and corrupt, and even [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade wrote eloquent Roman-style speeches about liberty and honor for "his versions" of Calgacus and Arminius]]. The trope has gone in and out of fashion over time, usually contrasting a decadent distrustful "city life" that a thinker feels has tarnished the essentially good nature of humanity. At different times, and in different hands, it has appeared in two main forms. One is that the life is strenuous and therefore the savage is nobly brave, hard-working, and honorable. The other is that the savage is not {{greed}}y and does not have a taste for luxury and is content when he has what he actually ''needs'', and so the life is ultimately easy and pleasant, without all the striving after more. (Still, [[BewareTheNiceOnes do not get on their bad side.]]) As such, expect the NobleSavage to treat materials traditionally considered valuable by greedy outsiders, usually gold, as {{worthless|YellowRocks}}.

Frequently overlaps with the ProudWarriorRaceGuy, in which case the questions of ''who'' these "noble warriors" actually went to war ''with'' before the white people came along and ''why'' they fought will usually be left conveniently unanswered. Easily leads to UnfortunateImplications, a major one being that any problems a Noble Savage faces is a problem of not living up to an idealized character rather than the simple social implications of the world they live in. Another is that taking this view also tends to distort the actual reality of the Noble Savage in favor of the idealized image.

* In ''Film/DeadLands'' Lawrence Makaore's character is a combination of this trope and the MagicalNative American.

* ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this. The Fremen are a nasty lot. [[FateWorseThanDeath They leave their enemies wishing they were dead]]. They just suck them dry of their water. And by the time of the second book, they've become the shock troops of Paul's new empire and have carried out the worst slaughter in the history of TheEmpire's existence.

* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'' had this tendency towards the norsemen, especially in season 1 and 2. While the show makes little attempts to white wash that vikings lived on RapePillageAndBurn, their society is shown to be more free and enjoying life more than the christians. And the more "civilized" people they encountered are being shown as engaged in incest and SM (the Franks), cannibalism (the Muslims) and genocide (the English and the Rus) while the norse have free love and equal rights for women, it's not hard to realize which culture we are supposed to identify with. And in season 6 when the norse encounter an even less "civilized" people, [[spoiler: native Americans]], the later are shown as the most friendly and peaceful people in the show by far.

* ''Literature/{{Oroonoko}}'': African nobles Oroonoko and Imoinda's physical and mental attributes are romanticized. Compared to everyone else in the story (mostly white Europeans), they come off as more honorable and noble than the people around them.

Examples of this trope that are OlderThanFeudalism exist outside the Americas: Tacitus wrote of the noble Germanic and Caledonian tribes to contrast with his view of Roman society as decadent and corrupt, and even [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade wrote eloquent Roman-style speeches about liberty and honor for "his versions" of Calgacus and Arminius]]. The trope has gone in and out of fashion over time, usually contrasting a decadent distrustful "city life" that a thinker feels has tarnished the essentially good nature of humanity. At different times, and in different hands, it has appeared in two main forms. One is that the life is strenuous and therefore the savage is nobly brave, hard-working, and honorable, though not by any means perfect. The other is that the savage is not {{greed}}y and does not have a taste for luxury and is content when he has what he actually ''needs'', and so the life is ultimately easy and pleasant, without all the striving after more. (Still, [[BewareTheNiceOnes do not get on their bad side.]]) As such, expect the NobleSavage to treat materials traditionally considered valuable by greedy outsiders, usually gold, as {{worthless|YellowRocks}}.

Frequently overlaps with the ProudWarriorRaceGuy, in which case the questions of ''who'' these noble warriors actually went to war with before the white people came along and ''why'' they fought will usually be left conveniently unanswered. Easily leads to UnfortunateImplications, a major one being that any problems a Noble Savage faces is a problem of not living up to an idealized character rather than the simple social implications of the world they live in. Another is that taking this view also tends to distort the actual reality of the Noble Savage in favor of the idealized image.

See also: CloserToEarth, BarbarianHero, NatureHero, and GoingNative. Overlaps with NubileSavage (the character's natural ways living by wits and strength have developed his/her body in a way that a softened city dweller never can).

* Notably averted in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee PoliceProcedural series by Creator/TonyHillerman, which centers on the Navajo and other Southwestern tribes. Native Americans are portrayed as regular people who deal with stuff like politics and bureaucracy.

* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderman'' has an example in the form of Ka-zar. He is a resident of Savage Land who speaks in broken English considers himself brothers with a sabertooth tiger and is pretty much the only thing in the setting that won't outright try to kill you. Bonus points for fitting the MightyWhitey trope as well...

* Naoh from ''Literature/QuestForFire'' is a pretty textbook example. To contemporary readers, paleolithic man was about as savage as it got. He is a ruthless warlord who has no qualms with RapePillageAndBurn enacted on his enemies but he is compassionate enough to help a wounded man from another tribe and treats his love interest with kindness. It is noted that his relative lack of savagery is seen as cause for concern by the other members of his [[TheHorde horde]].

* Naoh from ''Literature/QuestForFire'' is a pretty textbook example. To contemporary readers, paleolithic man was about as savage as it got. He is a ruthless warlord who has no qualms with RapePillageAndBurn enacted on his enemies but he is compassionate enough to help a wounded man from another tribe and treats his love interest with kindness.

* In ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'', large carnivorous dinosaurs in the Rainy Basin are depicted as sentient but uncivilized barbarians, though they have some form of culture and don't leave the Basin to hunt. There is, however, one ''Giganatosaurus'' named Stinktooth who clearly has a concept of honor and helps the protagonist after the protagonist rescues his son.

* Notably averted in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee PoliceProcedural series by Creator/TonyHillerman, which centers on the Navajo and other Southwestern tribes. Native Americans are portrayed as regular people who deal with stuff like politics and bureaucracy.
* A huge part of the appeal for ''Literature/WarriorCats''. You'd think people wouldn't want to live in the forest, only eating when they manage to catch small animals, having no medical care beyond the use of herbs, and constantly being at war with other groups virtually indistinguishable from their own. But ask the average ''Warriors'' fan if they'd trade their life for the life of a Clan cat and you'd probably get an unqualified yes. Being a warrior is often portrayed as a more noble and free lifestyle than the 'soft' life of a kittypet (house cat owned by humans).
* Both played straight and averted in Joseph Altsheler's "Young Trailers" series of books, set in and around Kentucky in the late 1700s. Some Indians want nothing more than to kill the white trespassers and take their scalps, while others are honorable and respectful, even of enemies.
* Avoided in ''The Saga of the Bordenlands'', by the Argentine writer Liliana Bodoc. The inhabitants of The Fertile Lands are a FantasyCounterpartCulture of the various pre-Columbian indigenous peoples of America, and the Husihuilkes, for example, are portrayed as a noble race, but they are fierce warriors who take no prisoners and mercilessly execute traitors and liars, while the [[MayIncAtec Lords of the Sun]] practice slavery and human sacrifice. The noblest people would be the Zitzahay, who do not participate in wars or have slaves, but they are also an advanced civilization ruled by wise astronomers.
* The Bazhir in ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'', a FantasyCounterpartCulture for Bedouin tribes. They're considered to be uncivilized and savage by most Tortallans and not all of them recognize the King, but they're also big into honor and ritual. Alanna winds up becoming shaman of one tribe and finds it a refreshing experience after the intrigues and complications of life in the palace, and the third and fourth books have them as flawed but definitely good guys, far more reliable than Tortallan nobles. (Pierce, who wrote this one in TheEighties, has said she regrets playing so heavily into this trope.)
* Creator/MercedesLackey plays this trope very straight with the Hawkbrothers in her ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' setting. Closer to nature than all the other countries depicted? Check. [[MagicalNativeAmerican Superior knowledge of magic to everyone else]]? Check. Lack of taboos against things like homosexuality and premarital sex? Check. Utopian society that lacks poverty or other social ills? Check.
* Used in Zane Grey's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rainbow_Trail ''The Rainbow Trail'']] where the Navajo play a large role throughout the story. After spending time with them, the white protagonist, Shefford, comes to view them with awe and reverence, finding in their ways the spiritual fulfillment he's been seeking. He eventually comes to the conclusion that the White Man's influence does more harm than good and that said White Man should just leave the Indians alone. Averted in some places with mentions of more hostile tribes and with antagonist Shadd, described as a "half-breed" [[spoiler: (We later find out he's not.).]]
* Magawisca in ''Literature/HopeLeslie'', being one of the most morally exemplary characters in the novel as well as a Native American.
%% * ''Franchise/StarWars'' has the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Togruta Togruta]].
* Harry from ''Literature/EyeOfAFly'' loves talking about the Immaculate Savage, whose perceptions haven't been clouded by contact with civilization and its fascist thought control. He thinks that even knowing how to read pollutes the soul, which makes Ernest wonder if he's afraid of polluting other people's souls by working as a writer.

* Two Rivers in ''Series/TheForestRangers''.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': Subverted with the Nox: they are actually a technologically advanced culture pretending to be Noble Savages.
* ''UsefulNotes/DavyCrockett'': This is how Indians were portrayed in Creator/{{Disney}}'s mini-series.

* Leela from ''Series/DoctorWho''.
* {{Discussed}} on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' when the crew is stranded on a planet populated by alien Neanderthals.
--> '''Tuvok:''' ''(to Chakotay)'' You may find nobility in the savage, Commander, but he is only interested in killing you.

* ''Series/ShakaZulu'': Subverted. King Shaka Zulu is a driven, cunning, and at times even sympathetic character, but he's not portrayed to be "closer to nature" or somehow innately wiser than the Europeans. He's unambiguously a tribal warlord who carved out an empire through massive bloodshed.

* {{Music/RunningWild}}'s song "Uaschitschun" from ''Port Royal''.

* Initially played straight in the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' products, then subverted with the addition of Native nations that abuse the land as terribly as any MegaCorp, and the revelation that [[spoiler: their "noble" use of blood magic to re-take their land helped draw the [[CosmicHorror Horrors]] to Earth centuries ahead of schedule]]. Also appears in-universe, both in [=NAN=] propaganda and in how some metahuman neo-tribal groups emulate pop-culture Native American motifs.

* ''TabletopGame/HollowEarthExpedition'', supplement ''Mysteries of the Hollow Earth''. There are entire tribes of this character type in the Hollow Earth. They are regal and wise, respecting nature and trying to maintain the ecological balance of the area where they live.
* Venusians from ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' fit this trope, being a tribal society run around socialism, democracy, honour, and the hunt. Ganymedians are another example, seeing themselves as the protectors of the natural order. The hunt is also a central part of their culture and they write poetry about the nature around them by sitting down and 'wind watching'.

* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' :
** The Tauren fit the Noble Savage trope well. Despite their fearsome appearance, [[GentleGiant they are no lovers of bloodshed]]; in fact, they are immensely spiritual, and taking another life, be it man or beast, is an act of great significance and responsibility in their shamanistic hunter-gatherer culture. They're also a good candidate for the noblest race in the entire setting, as they have the honour of being one of the few factions who to date have not committed a war-crime against an opposing faction (something even the new Pandaren factions aren't free of), and Tauren villains are very rare, Magatha Grimtotem aside, and she's just a traitor amongst the Tauren, not the Horde itself.
** Furbolgs would qualify, especially the Timbermaw (one of the few tribes which isn't being driven mad by demonic influence).
** The Tuskarr, humanoid walruses based on Inuit and Pacific Islander cultures; and to a lesser extent, the Oracle tribe of Gorlocs (who are more a group of innocent {{Wide Eyed Idealist}}s, except for one DeadpanSnarker). Although one of their quests has you steal wolven babies away from the tribe, and most likely incidentally killing their mothers. Ostensibly they're going to raised by the Tuskarr so that the Wolvar tribe doesn't get totally wiped out in the fighting, but there is no Wolvar orphanage to be seen only [[FridgeLogic fat walrus men]].
** For that matter, the Orcs qualify too, as long as they are not under demonic sway. This is exactly why the Orcs and Tauren got along so well from the beginning of the Orc campaign in ''Warcraft III''.
** The Trolls are straight-up savages, though. The tribe that joined the Horde being the one exception. They're still savages, just not as evil as the other ones. While the Tauren are based on native Americans and the Tuskarr are based on the Inuit, the Trolls are based on native African tribes. (Don't let the Jamaican accent fool you.) The tribal music, the masks, the shamanism, and the predilection for cannibalism all come from "deepest darkest Africa" savage stereotypes.
* The Serenwilde Commune of ''VideoGame/{{Lusternia}}''. It was Seren druids who helped heal the ruined earth after the Vernal Wars, Seren wiccans who travelled to the Ethereal Realm to heal [[OurFairiesAreDifferent the fae]]... and years later, when [[TheFederation Celest]] was on the brink of releasing [[TheCorruption The Taint]], it was Serenwilde (and the other communes, who did not survive the resultant cataclysm) who advised against it. In the modern era, they're more flawed, nuanced, and interesting, but in the histories, they were practically a MarySuetopia.

* The witch-doctor and the barbarian in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' both fit this. The templar almost quotes the trope name in a bit of dialogue towards the end of the game.

* A DiscussedTrope in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary''. According to Petey, "The noble savage dies young, and all he has to teach you is that when the food runs out it's okay to eat the babies."

* In his review of ''Avatar'', [[WebVideo/RedLetterMedia Mr. Plinkett]] calls the movie out on its rosy portrayal of the Na'vi (an {{Anvilicious}} stand-in for Native Americans) as utterly perfect, peace-loving space hippies in harmony with nature:
--> '''Plinkett:''' ''Let me let you in on a little secret: savage races without technology or money can be just as fucking brutal to each other as we can. Plus, they don't got things like antibiotics, indoor plumbing, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or Taco Bell]].''

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Subverted with the native Martians--they talk a good game about loving nature and respecting their native lands and all, but, once they discover that the "bead" their ancestors traded away their land for is actually a giant diamond, they have no problem at all leaving their "sacred lands" behind.
-->'''Martian chief''': We'll buy ''new'' planet, and ''pretend'' it's sacred. With cash like this, who's going to argue? No one, that's who.
* There was actually a character named Noble/Savage in the ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' Transformers series.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' gives us Rick Spartan who spends his time exploring jungles alongside his wife and "Kachinga" In reality, Kachinga is an Oxford Student named Charles Wheatlesby but Rick pays him handsomely to feed his ridiculous fantasy and speaks to him in altered English as well as makes him carry a spear at all times. Despite this, Charles stopped short of wearing stereotypical "Savage" attire and the two argue about it.

* The Quentians of ''Anime/ArmoredTrooperVotoms'', especially [[GentleGiant Ru Shako]].

* In ''ComicBook/TalesOfTheJedi'', the Beast-Riders of Onderon are much more decent and honorable than the citizens of Iziz, whose rulers are part of a dark side cult. (They are also drawn as noticeably darker-skinned than Iziz's citizens, despite the fact that the Beast-Riders are direct descendants of people ''from'' Iziz who were exiled to the jungle. Presumably, their skin darkened from more sun exposure.)

* Pioneering documentary ''Film/NanookOfTheNorth'' portrays Nanook and the Inuk of northern Quebec as this, brave and noble, and expert hunters. This also comes with not a little condescension, like when they're described as "simple" and "happy-go-lucky". The film also deliberately played up the Inuits' traditional ways, since by then they mostly wore Western clothing, used rifles to hunt, etc. In the same vein, Nanook is portrayed as comically unfamiliar with modern technology such as a phonograph, while the Inuit actor playing him knew very well what they were.
* First straight but then subverted in ''Film/TheThinRedLine''. The first Melanesian village welcomes the AWOL private Witt with open arms, and there he realizes that the villagers know the true meaning of "love thy neighbor". However, when he's forced back into the army, he visits another village, which unlike the first village had been traumatized by the war and the villagers avoid him with disdain while arguing with each other for petty reasons, not caring about the sick and older villagers. Realizing that the closest thing to a paradise on Earth has been corrupted by the hell of wars, Witt leaves.
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}''. The Na'vi are pure exemplars of the Noble Savage. Their way of life is depicted in the film as far nobler than anything on Earth.

* In ''Film/DeadLands'' Lawrence Makaore's character is a combination of this trope and the Magical Native American.

* A variant appears in Tom Cruise's ''Film/TheLastSamurai''; the general theme is in place in regards to the Japanese, but the film presents them as sophisticated and civilized, rather than "savage". Colonel Bagley explicitly refers to the samurai as "savages with bows and arrows". In a bit of an inversion, the Japanese characters also consider the Americans savage brutes.
* Pretty much every main character in ''Film/JeremiahJohnson''.
* The Aboriginal boy in Nicolas Roeg's ''Film/{{Walkabout}}''.

* Mani from ''Film/BrotherhoodOfTheWolf''.

* Richard and Emmeline of ''Film/TheBlueLagoon'', and Richard (son of the couple from the first movie) and Lilli in the sequel.
** Although the original inhabitants of the island practice human sacrifice.
** In the books, a savage state is portrayed as better in many ways, and the author shows the locals from neighboring islands as human, not better or worse.
* Sent up in ''Film/CarryOnCowboy'' where Chief Big Heap is not only cleverer than most of the settlers (he clears out a saloon by yelling about a [[GoldFever gold strike]], and everyone charges out despite not knowing where they're going), but speaks using a posh British accent.
* The Creator/MarxBrothers film ''Film/GoWest'', being a send-up of Westerns, features an inevitable Native American village complete with a medicine man, but more or less avoids this trope. When Groucho tries to impress a comely girl with a necklace, she tells him she wants a Cadillac sedan instead. Meanwhile, the Chief and Harpo end up performing a musical number.

* Skewered in ''Series/TheRoughRiders'' by the Apache drill instructor who assists in training the recruits. He turns out to be a GentlemanAndAScholar, who bids the recruits farewell with a speech that is both touching, [[DareToBeBadass badass]], and heartbreaking.
* The French film ''Ridicule'', which takes place shortly before the French Revolution, at one point involves a royal medal ceremony for an Indian chieftain who arrives in full tribal dress and is named "Stinking Bear", yet French observers say with some chagrin that despite his dress and less-than-flattering name he appears more noble than any of the foppish peerage at Versailles.
* Referenced in ''Film/HeartOfDarkness1958''. The reason Kurtz wanted to go to the Congo was that it was "the one place left on Earth that still had innocence."

* "Lo, the poor Indian, whose untutor'd mind/Sees God in clouds..." wrote Creator/AlexanderPope in his ''Essay on Man'' (1733). This poem became so iconic and so lampooned for its vision of the Noble Savage that in the 19th century American West, "Lo" was a slang name for any Indian.
* The Osu in David Wingrove's ''Literature/ChungKuo'' series
* German writer Johann Gottfried Seume (1763-1810) was press-ganged into the army of Hesse-Kassel and shipped to Nova Scotia for the final year of [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution the War of American Independence]]. Meeting the natives there inspired him to write a well-known poem, ''Der Wilde'' ("The Savage") in which a Huron is refused shelter during a storm by a white settler but when the situation is reversed [[SacredHospitality does not hesitate to grant shelter to the white guy]]. Though not without [[AnAesop telling him]] "We 'savages' are the better humans".
* The poem ''Totenklage'' by [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker Friedrich Schiller]], an attempt at creating a eulogy for an Indian warrior.
* ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'' and ''The Wept of Wish-ton-Wish'' by James Fenimore Cooper.
* The poem ''Die drei Indianer'' ("The Three Indians", 1832) by Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau: An old Indian and his two sons curse the white invaders before committing suicide by riding a canoe down [[InevitableWaterfall a cataract]].
* ''Winnetou'' by Karl May is the most widely known example in many European countries (that is, all those where the films with Pierre Brice are regularly seen on TV). In the ''Film/DEFAWesterns'', Gojko Mitic played that role for Eastern European viewers. Both even gave rise to a Native American Reenactment Movement (so called "Indianervereine") on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
* Tik, indigenous queen of the indeterminate tropical island where Filipino leading man Carlos is shipwrecked, in ''{{Literature/Ninay}}''.

* ''The Literature/{{Illuminatus}}! Trilogy'' is highly cynical about almost every human organization in existence... except American Indian tribes.

* Friday in ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe''.
* Queequeg in ''Literature/MobyDick'', although he's also somewhat sinister in his exoticness.
* In Lee Lightner's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Sons of Fenris'', after Ragnor expresses a blunt opinion, Torin says one day he will teach him not to act like a barbarian. Ragnor retorts that you can trust a barbarian.
* John the savage in ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''. He gets shunned by the others in his village for being the son of an outsider and takes refuge from his loneliness by reading an aging collection of the works of Shakespeare, which he quotes throughout the book. In the end, [[spoiler:instead of indulging in a life of stimulation and ecstasy he opts for the life of a hermit, living out his days in an old abandoned lighthouse. And then he (apparently) kills himself]].
* Alessandro in the novel ''Literature/{{Ramona}}''. He is a young California Indian who is more noble, more faithful, and more honest than pretty much any white person around him. Not surprisingly, he winds up being TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth.

* ''Literature/{{Nation}}'': To an extent, Mau, as contrasted to the "trousermen". But the book makes it clear that being a noble savage is a dirty job.
* [[ConversationalTroping Referenced]] in ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', in which the Dean thinks a book written in [[YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe Ye Olde Butcherede Moreporkiane]] calls the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Ecksian Aborigines]] "knobbly savages". There's then a discussion as to what "noble" actually means, concluding that behaving like nobility means "not paying your tailor", at which Ridcully takes another look at the illustration and comments "[[LoinCloth I shouldn't think that chap owes his tailor much.]]"

* Shockingly, mockingly subverted in ''Literature/StateOfFear.'' Flying to a third world country, a vapid actor talks of how these people are so in touch with nature and how it's horrible modern men are intruding when it's obvious these natives are truly smart and cultured. His companions warn him how dangerous it is but he ignores them...and ends up being beaten to death, skinned, and eaten by these "noble natives."
* ''Literature/ASwiftlyTiltingPlanet'': The People of the Wind in L'Engle's novel; they are close to nature and pacifistic. They are contrasted with greedy and corrupt whites.

* In the ''Literature/{{Hoka}}'' series, the eponymous {{LARP}}ing teddy bear people used to share a planet with a group of sapient carnivorous LizardFolk, who the Hokas managed to overcome by setting up their civilization to resemble the WildWest, right down to referring to the LizardFolk as "injuns". Once they realized they were beaten martially, the "injuns" began intentionally invoking this trope with gusto, writing bestsellers about the decline of their civilization and noble culture, and snagged the planet's best oil lands as reservations. They promptly used all the funding to bribe their way offworld, at which point they dropped the noble pretenses and were last seen on a casino planet, partying.
* In ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'', large carnivorous dinosaurs in the Rainy Basin are depicted as sentient but uncivilized barbarians, though they have some form of culture and don't leave the Basin to hunt. There is, however, one ''Giganatosaurus'' named Stinktooth who clearly has a concept of honor and helps the protagonist after the protagonist rescues his son.
* During ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: Clones'', Tash Arranda is on good terms with most of the Dantari tribesfolk but doesn't get along with their garoo, sort of their shaman or loremaster. Still...
--> For the second time, Tash saw past the anger that had built up between them. This time she saw why he had been chosen as garoo. She could see his mind at work, judging her words, judging her expression, reaching an intelligent decision. He wasn't using the Force or any other power, but he was probing her just the same, using only his wits. She realized that she had to stop thinking of him as less intelligent just because his people wore skins and hunted with primitive weapons.
* In ''Literature/TheIncredibleJourney'', a Native tribe takes a half-starved bull terrier and Siamese to be spirits giving them a test, and are nice to them in order to bring good fortune.

* Iron Eyes Cody, the famous CryingIndian in the "People Start Pollution, People Can Stop It" public service announcements of the early '70s. Ironically, he wasn't actually Cherokee -- he was Sicilian. And from New Jersey, to boot.

* The ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' novels (and corresponding ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign setting) are in love with this trope. They give us, to name a few, plains barbarians (represented by Riverwind and Goldmoon in the original trilogy), mountain barbarians, ice barbarians, and Kagonesti (NobleSavage [[OurElvesAreBetter elves]]), all of whom are extremely noble and CloserToEarth than the "civilized" races. Even the sea barbarians, who have mostly degenerated into a culture of piracy, are portrayed as noble {{Lovable Rogue}}s.

** In the series in general, more often than not {{Averted|Trope}} with the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Bosmer (Wood Elves)]], or at least the majority of ones who live outside [[LostWoods Valenwood]]. Most Bosmer in Tamriel live in cities and work everyday jobs. The ones who do live in Valenwood, on the other hand, live according to the Green Pact, a deal their ancestors struck with the forest's patron deity which prevents them from harming any of the forest's plant life, leading to some... [[ImAHumanitarian unconventional]] [[AlienLunch dietary]] [[GargleBlaster choices]], or forming any kind of industry as we know it--they can't cut down trees to build houses, so they use magic to reshape the trees into homes, and they can't mine iron or steel so [[RockBeatsLaser they fashion their bows and blades out of bone and horn, and their armor out of leather or fur]] ([[ArmorIsUseless when they bother to wear it at all]]). Despite this, most Valenwood Bosmer are rather light-hearted and approachable, and more likely to invite you to dinner than [[ToServeMan make you dinner]].

* Pioneering documentary ''Film/NanookOfTheNorth'' portray Nanook and the Inuk of northern Quebec as this, brave and noble, and expert hunters. This also comes with not a little condescension, like when they're described as "simple" and "happy-go-lucky". The film also deliberately played up the Inuits' traditional ways, since by then they mostly wore Western clothing, used rifles to hunt, etc. In the same vein, Nanook is portrayed as comically unfamiliar with modern technology such as a phonograph, while the Inuit actor playing him knew very well what they were.

* Skewered in ''Series/TheRoughRiders'' by the Apache drill instructor who assists in training the recruits. He turns out to be a GentlemanAndAScholar, who bids the recruits farewell with a speech that is both touching, [[DareToBeBadass badass]] and heartbreaking.

** Also by S. M. Stirling, the Literature/{{Emberverse}} features plenty of Native American Characters, but most Native Americans appear just to be trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world.

* Shockingly, mockingly subverted in ''Literature/StateOfFear.'' Flying to a third world country, a vapid actor talks of how these people are so in touch with nature and how it's horrible modern men are intruding when it's obvious these natives are truly smart and cultured. His companions warn him how dangerous it is but he ignores them...and ends up being beaten to death, skinned and eaten by these "noble natives."

* Venusians from ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'' fit this trope, being a tribal society run around socialism, democracy, honour and the hunt. Ganymedians are another example, seeing themselves as the protectors of the natural order. The hunt is also a central part of their culture and they write poetry about the nature around them by sitting down and 'wind watching'.

* The Serenwilde Commune of ''VideoGame/{{Lusternia}}''. It was Seren druids who helped heal the ruined earth after the Vernal Wars, Seren wiccans who travelled to the Ethereal Realm to heal [[OurFairiesAreDifferent the fae]]... and years later, when [[TheFederation Celest]] was on the brink of releasing [[TheCorruption The Taint]], it was Serenwilde (and the other communes, who did not survive the resultant cataclysm) who advised against it. In the modern era, they're more flawed, nuanced and interesting, but in the histories, they were practically a MarySuetopia.

*** Played straight for the most part by the more peaceful tribes like the Urshilaku, Ahemmusa, and Zainab. During the time of the game, the Ahemmusa don't even have an Ashkhan, instead, giving war powers to their Wise Woman. (They are also, however, considered the weakest of the tribes as a result.) The Urshilaku are generally peaceful and are the tribe most responsible for keeping the prophesies of the Nerevarine alive. The Zainab are the least 'savage', having developed a Settled Dunmer-like understanding of trade (and the fact that it can have political implications) and even going so far as to run an ebony mine of their own, for sale of the mined ebony to others. Each of these tribes, however, can still be prone to xenophobia against non-Ashlander Dunmer and especially toward any outlanders.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'': A non-playable faction of the Eldar called the [[SpaceAmish Exodites]] has this as their hat: after The Fall of the Eldar, rather than taking the path of the [[BareFistedMonk Monk]] or the [[HornyDevils Hedonist]], they chose to abandon all but the most essential of advanced technologies. It's their hope that they can be the noblest of Noble Savages, thus escaping the ravages of [[EldritchAbomination Slaneesh]].
*** Averted they're only this by Eldar Standards, they're still far higher tech than a number of human worlds. It's more "low enough that we have to actually work for a living" than hunter-gatherer.
** Also from ''Warhammer 40000'', [[TheGreys Tau]] propaganda depicts [[FeatheredFiend Kroot]] auxiliaries as this, and there's more than a little truth to the propaganda, too (though more savage than noble).

* ''Seriously'' averted on William Golding's ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''. A group of "civilized" schoolboys stranded on a deserted island [[KidsAreCruel degenerate into brutality and are quick to turn on each other]]. This was a deliberate {{deconstruction}} of KidsWildernessEpic stories, specifically ''The Coral Island''.