ABSTRACT In this dissertation, American Indian Representation and Self-Representation in Rhetoric and Literature, I examine both positive and negative representations of American Indians in the genres of poetry, fiction, comics, and film, and how these representations have positive effects, such as contributing to cultural renewal and accurate self-representation, or negative effects, such as perpetuating systemic oppression. Specifically, language and images deploy power that may be wielded for very diverse purposes, and this dissertation highlights historical moments that exhibit how that power has been utilized, particularly regarding representations of Indigenous peoples in the United States. I argue that American Indians historically have been exploitatively represented and characterized in the world at large, particularly in the United States, but more importantly, that American Indians have begun to wrest control of how they are represented and that they continue to work against negative representations by establishing agency through language and rhetoric to provide accurate and positive representations of themselves. In its contribution to Literary and Cultural Studies, specifically Native American Literature, this project discusses critical and creative work by Native authors such the 1491s, Sherman Alexie, Paula Gunn Allen, Scott Andrews, Vine Deloria, Jr., Jill Doerfler, Geary Hobson, LeAnne Howe, Daniel Heath Justice, Thomas King, Scott Richard Lyons, Joshua Nelson, Louis Owens, Chanette Romero, Kimberly Roppolo, Michael Sheyashe, ire’ne lara silva, Gerald Vizenor, Daniel Wildcat, Craig Womack, and Zitkala Ša.