White Savior: The Natives are too ignorant or naive to take care of themselves. They are rescued by a kind-hearted white person, usually a man.

The white savior trope shows that Native peoples cannot save themselves. They need a white person, who can navigate the contemporary world, to save them. This trope is not unique to Native representation and is found across media representation of other diverse identities as well.

https://indigenousreadsrising.com/resources-for-teachers-librarians-and-readers-tropes-and-stereotypes/#:~:text=The%20white%20savior%20trope%20shows,other%20diverse%20identities%20as%20well.

“Mohican Syndrome”: A non-Native chooses to leave their contemporary life behind to live with the Natives. They succeed in their endeavor and uphold the Western Native stereotype better than the Native peoples themselves. This results in them appearing more Native than the Natives.

In this trope, the Native people are a background to the main, non-Native character. They are only present to exemplify the superiority of the non-Native character, who will fight on behalf of the poor, ignorant Natives.