"The name "Tonto" is considered offensive by some, due to its etymology — it comes from the Spanish word for "stupid". However, the name has mostly stuck and is widely used by most people outside of the Western Apache community. The term Tonto is most frequently encountered in anthropology literature, especially older works."
If I were looking for a backstory, I would make "Tonto" the last surviving member of a pueblo nation that was killed off for its silver, first by the Spanish, then by miners. That would account for the Lone Ranger's silver bullets, and would make a great ride for Disney - The Lost Silver Mine. The powwow grounds could be adjacent, the whole part of Frontierland.
(So the way it is coming to my mind is an attack by conquistadors, followed by a plague, followed by an attack by the Mexican Army (even the Mexicans did not like the aristocrats), followed by the miners... Disney ends up with a "lost city" to add to their ride, along with more "scary" skeletons.)
The attack by the miners would come when Tonto was 9 or 10 years old, and after their genocidal attack he would kill them all with their own dynamite.
I would have Tonto then live with the Apache, hence his name. So Depp's dress needs to be worked on a lot - it needs pueblo influences, IMO. We have been shown a war dress which is not correct, but its early in production and there's a long way to go. This should be his Last Guardian of his People's lands dress.
We have not seen Depp in daily dress yet, and that is more important, though I suppose that will be Silverhill's deerskins.
Since Tonto is not Apache, he then wanders back west to guard his people's lands, which look something like the northern Cochino National Forest. That way you get desert, plains, forest, and mountain.
And Texas Rangers.
In any case, the actor who plays the Lone Ranger is disposable to the property, as there can be multiple "Lone Rangers" who Tonto selects: The Lone Ranger dies, and Tonto "selects" and trains another one.
This is a movie, folks, though a very very important one to Native America.
We'll have to await word from the Hollywood Native American actors.
Its too bad that the way the film industry works, but there is a need for a big name to get funding, This is just the beginning, and there's still a lot of work to be done...
We'll have to see if Depp is a great enough actor to pull off the role. He is following in Jay Silverheel's footsteps... Just as Superman still has to be Superman, Native America youth still have to be able to see one of themselves on the Big Screen, or this is not going to work...
In any case, it is clear that Depp still needs to work things out as concerns his family, as this bears on his psychological state to play this role. Please keep in mind that PODIA are referred to as "breeds" in the Old South, hence their desire to use the more elegant French term "meti". (with apologies to the Canadian Meti. It's too bad about Elvis and "Colonel Parker" (yeah, in the SS).
I don't know why this matter has grabbed my attention... but it has.
(There are 2 12 year olds and a 7 year old waiting for my visit today...
I have to set this down. Have to...)
