| Summary: | Karl May is considered Germany's most published author of popular literature. His influence on generations of German youth cannot be overlooked. Winnetou is one of his major works and depicts the adventures of Old Shatterhand, the German immigrant, and his Blood Brother, the Apache Winnetou. Generations of children grew up reading their adventures and escaping in their imaginations to battle unsavoury Yankees as well as hostile tribes. May's descriptions of the First Nations of North America have aided in skewing the perception of the North American First Nations in Germany. This thesis aims to work with some of these misperceptions and explain how they came to be. Through the use of Edward Said's theory, Orientalism, which will be applied to Winnetou I-III, this thesis attempts to interpret the role of the European and the non-European, or the Other, within the context of the story. The power structure between the European and the non-European will be one of the main focuses. May's use of the Bible as the perceived 'right' way of dealing with situations and people in comparison to the Apache or Yankee way is an obvious exertion of European thought and control over the non-European way of life. Winnetou is situated in a unique role in the power struggle between the European and the non-European. He is often seen as having mentalities and beliefs that come across as more European than non-European, and therefore places him in a unique situation, that of a Noble Savage, not a 'red devil'. It is exactly this perception of North American First Nations, that has survived many generations and still lends credit to Winnetou being called an 'apple Indian', red on the outside, white on the inside.
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