The short drama "White Fawn's Devotion" is primarily of interest for its director, James Young Deer, and its cast of Native Americans, who enact a drama of an interracial family that falls victim to a misunderstanding. The actual story has obvious similarities to many other short dramas of the era, but its frontier setting adds a dimension that a similar drama set in a city or suburb, without the cross-cultural interactions, would not have.
The story features a white settler, his Native American wife White Fawn, and their daughter. A conflict arises when the settler learns that he has inherited a large fortune, but must go east to claim it. White Fawn immediately foresees that this will force him to choose between two entirely different ways of life, and her reaction soon leads to a serious misunderstanding.
As this feature illustrates, in 1910 there were still some good opportunities in film-making for minorities. As a result, although much of the story is just a variant of a well-worn plot premise, the movie is still interesting to watch because it offers a worthwhile perspective on the cultural issues involved, rather than limiting itself to one family's problems.