Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)

In my years at University of California earning a degree in American history with a minor in Native American studies I never heard tell of the Indian Head Test Pattern.

I first learned of it reading Tommy Orange’s novel, There There.

The image on TV and its utility for the industry has been written about in fine detail, in matter of fact fashion. The use of a tool described.

In popular mainstream culture the stylized image is recounted with fondness and steeped in the warmth of nostalgia and Americana.

People suggest the cartoon chief was featured in a dignified manner or out of admiration and respect.

Native American author Tommy Orange offers a different perspective to consider.

An excerpt from There There:

“There was an Indian head, the head of an Indian, the drawing of the head of a headdressed, long haired, Indian depicted, drawn by an unknown artist in 1939, broadcast until the late 1970s to American TVs everywhere after all the shows ran out. It’s called the Indian Head Test Pattern. If you left the TV on, you’d hear a tone at 440 hertz—the tone used to tune instruments—and you’d see that Indian, surrounded by circles that looked like sights through rifle scopes. There was what looked like a bullseye in the middle of the screen, with numbers like coordinates. The Indian head was just above the bullseye, like all you’d need to do was nod up in agreement to set the sights on the target. This was just a test.

In 1936, Santa Barbara National Forest was renamed Los Padres. The same year the Santa Barbara Bowl was built to celebrate Old Spanish Days-Fiesta and the Padres baseball team was named.

The padres were celebrated as pioneers of civilization and domestication, taming the unruly wilds.

In 1939, the Indian Head Test Pattern was created to be broadcast on screens nationally.

It was just a test.