wooden Indian

American  

noun

1. a carved wooden statue of a standing American Indian, formerly found before many cigar stores as an advertisement.

2. (often lowercase) a person who appears emotionless and unresponsive; a poker face.

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Etymology

Origin of wooden Indian

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80

Example Sentences

In the dominant culture outside the reservation, Native people are either invisible or stand as token monuments when they are visible, like the wooden Indian outside of a cigar store — always present, but never part of the fabric of a living, breathing community.

From Seattle Times

“An honest-to-goodness spy!” cried Lettie as the three of us crouched behind the wooden Indian in front of the hardware store.

From Literature

A rock beat can carry a winding Carnatic-style vocals; a sliding line played on a wooden Indian flute can intertwine with Western classical arpeggios from a violin.

From New York Times

And reaching further back, toward the 1960s, Wooden Indian Burial Ground surged through blues-riffing garage psychedelia, with vicious guitar tones and a handmade analog synthesizer, while Twerps offered kindly, strum-along songs proffering friendship and love.

From New York Times

Along came another one of those bands this year, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, a guitar-bass-drums band from Portland, Ore., that's particularly molten.

From New York Times