Infusing Vancouver's Olympic closing ceremony with humour was a brilliant idea.

In more ways than could have been predicted, it was a fitting approach to cap off the intense emotional roller coaster, ranging from unexpected heartwrenching tragedies to overwhelming victories, that viewers have been riding for the last few weeks.

Whether or not it actually worked on a global level is another issue.

Using humour in an international context can be incredibly risky. What's funny in one part of the world may not necessarily translate well across cultures and languages.

Irony, sarcasm, and tongue-in-cheek humour are fairly sophisticated forms of humour that require a solid familiarity with the source material.

A presentation of stereotypes may not be understood as tongue-in-cheek by those whose only points of reference are, in fact, stereotypes.

A notable strength of the opening ceremony was its strong visual component, which made it easy for those with limited English comprehension to take in the images without detailed explanation.

However, the long Canadians Anonymous monologues in English in the closing ceremony, which relied heavily on in-jokes, may have been understood by North Americans while sailing over the heads of many international non-Anglophone viewers (and even some Anglophone populations).

Yet if the ceremony was about taking on stereotypes, it could have addressed some of the most internationally pervasive stereotypes of Native people that the opening ceremony may have actually contributed to.

Around the world, and even in Canada, people still have misconceptions about contemporary Native life based on images that continue to focus on Native characters in traditional or historical settings and lifestyles, such as in Hollywood films like Dances With Wolves or Pocahontas. What compounds the influential power of these images is the invisibility of significant modern or urban Native characters in mainstream media.

Strangely, while the opening ceremony included a considerable display of First Nations culture, there was a conspicuous absence of Native content in the closing ceremony. Although the event was attended by the four host First Nations leaders, they did not participate in any presentations or actual content during the broadcast, aside from being introduced and seated.

The “Aboriginal Participation” section of the official Olympic Web site states that on November 30, 2005, the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations signed a protocol with the Organizing Committee that had several goals, including “Increase participation in medal ceremonies, Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies”.

It also states that Vanoc is “working closely with our partners, including the Four Host First Nations, to encourage Aboriginal people across Canada to participate in as many areas of the 2010 Winter Games as possible, be it as athletes, volunteers, employees, entrepreneurs, artists and performers, spectators or cultural ambassadors.”

Had there been an integrated commitment to including First Nations content, instead of segregating First Nations people into one segment in the opening ceremony and then forgetting about them after that, established aboriginal performers such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Inuk singer Susan Aglukark, or Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq could have been chosen to participate. (After all, if the inukshuk was used for the Olympic logo, couldn't there have been northern aboriginal performers?)

Or why not have successful actors like Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers), Evan Adams (Smoke Signals), Tantoo Cardinal (Mothers&Daughters), or Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves) present a monologue, for example, poking fun at aboriginal stereotypes that continue to persist around the world?

When I interviewed Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond about his documentary Reel Injun, which examines the history of Native stereotypes in film, he told me that he took a jocular approach partly because Native humour is something that has been largely overlooked in mainstream representation even though it has been an integral part of many Native cultures. (He cited the example of the heyoka, or sacred clowns, who were like court jesters and taught people to do the opposite of the silly things they would do.)

He also said that he felt humour was an effective way to get his message across without making people feel defensive. Perhaps in the future, there will be some opportunities for other events to integrate Native humour in an effective way that will help to build bridges between different groups in Canada.

While there were clearly efforts made to achieve greater aboriginal participation in these Olympics, it’s important that other similar Canadian events can build upon and learn from both the strengths and weaknesses of this example.

On the one hand, the First Nations presentation in the opening ceremony did acknowledge Native cultures and people in a significant way and broadcast their presence to the rest of the world. On the other, it remained rather unbalanced in many ways that perhaps can be improved upon in future instances.

In the end, whether or not the ceremonies helped to counter or reinforce stereotypes about Canadians and Native people is uncertain as there’s no way to accurately measure it.

Ultimately, it may all depend on who you talk to.

As a starting point to learn more about aboriginal stereotypes, the Canadian Media Awareness Network has a section devoted to depictions of aboriginal people in media.