The purpose with this study is to examine the description of native Americans in two novels, Old Surehand part 1 and 2 by the German author Karl May. By using a postcolonial theory, descriptions of people from different Native American nations have been studied, to see how these are portrayed by May and if there are any differences between the descriptions of different nations.

The results of this study have shown that the descriptions differ between different native American nations. The Apache are positively defined, and the narrated picturesare clearly influenced by the description of the figure Winnetou, the chief of the Apache and a good friend to the main character Old Shatterhand. Other nations can be narrated as enemies and as warlike. They become however more positively pictured when they create a contact with and befriend Old Shatterhand, where the Comanche Nation can be seen as such an example.

The descriptions of the native Americans are focused on their looks and appearance,as well as their traits and qualities, and are often rendered stereotyped. Finally, it becomes clear that a postcolonial perspective emerges, in which characters aredivided into “the own” and “the others”. However, it is not uncommon for the maincharacter Old Shatterhand, to have a seemingly positive bias in reaching out to the Native Americans. When that occurs, he is actually acting against a post-colonial stance.