The crossword puzzle clue asked for the Spanish word for “foolish.” Beyond “gracias,” “por favor,” and “arroz con pollo,” I am mostly ignorant of the language that one in five of the American population speaks or has at least a casual familiarity with. My high school taught French, and Hebrew, both languages that I have forgotten more than I remember.
As I filled in the words surrounding the “foolish” clue, it became evident the answer was “Tonto.”
Whoa, Kemo Sabe! Was the Lone Ranger calling Tonto a fool all those years? Did Jay Silverheels, the Tonto of the 1950s television series, know his character’s name had a meaning hidden to most Americans back then? Did Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger know he was perpetuating a decades old slur of Native Americans, albeit a benign defamation to a mostly unaware audience?
(Meanwhile, Tonto’s term of endearment for The Lone Ranger—Kemo Sabe—is said to mean “trusty scout.”)
To be sure, some authorities believe Tonto means “wild one” in Native American language. But the deprecatory meaning of Tonto was not lost on “The Lone Ranger’s” producers. As Wikipedia notes, “Because Tonto means “stupid” or “ignorant” in Spanish, the character is renamed “Toro” (Spanish for “bull”) or “Ponto” (sea or ocean) in Spanish-speaking countries.
I should hardly be surprised by the subtle cultural assault on a Native American, even one dedicated to the greater good. For decades Hollywood cast minorities and white men as comic foils for the white man hero.
To my recollection Tonto in the TV series never was ridiculed or played the comic. Unlike slapstick sidekicks for Roy Rogers (Pat Brady), “The Cisco Kid” (Pancho), or Andy Devine’s Jingles character on “The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok,” Jay Silverheels portrayed a thoughtful, loyal and brave partner to the Lone Ranger.
Growing up I religiously watched “The Lone Ranger.” I simply assumed Tonto’s name had no hidden meaning. Ah, the naivety of youth. I was swept up by the thrilling William Tell Overture at the show’s beginning as The Long Ranger rode Silver up a mountain crest, bucked him onto his hind legs and shouted, “Hi-Yo Silver.”
I don’t believe I was brainwashed through repeated exposure to the name Tonto. But with the wisdom, let’s call it the sensitivity, of advanced years, I am disappointed the producers of “The Lone Ranger” did not choose a more appropriate name for Tonto.