Native Americans have had a dark history that has been masked by the success of the USA. Unfortunately, what most people tend to sweep under the rug, is the fact there are still thousands of individuals that still are suffering from the separation from American society.Native Americans live in a culture that has not developed economically or domestically, causing vast addiction problems and poverty. History, for Native Americans, has been a constant downhill battle. The demolition of their world started with the colonization from the Eastern world, headed by Christopher Columbus.
The movie, Smoke Signals, offers a unique point of view film from a Native Americans perspective on the outside world, being the USA. The main characters Victor and Thomas are sent on a journey that forces them to remove themselves from the comfort of reservation life and offers them a new perspective on their culture v. traditional American culture. The film points out numerous times how much hatred the Natives have towards this one man, being Christopher Columbus. Ms. Song at one point points out that she wishes the Natives could have been as organized as the National Powow when Columbus landed, hinting at how discombobulated and spread out the Indians were, making domination easier. Followed up by this, is the continuation of war with cowboys v. Indians. Thomas at one point says that the cowboys always win. This parallel from history to present day shows how little America has come in terms of accepting the Natives as one of their own.
There is no argument that can justify the treatment and unjust outcome Native Americans received, but, there is something to be said about the lifestyle the Natives live now. My heart goes out to the Natives, really, but a certain point you have to look from the insider out. The habits formed by this reservation culture seem to be rich in passion, religion, song and dance but have serious flaws when it comes to love, understanding and health. These characteristics cannot be blamed on Christopher Columbus. The movie highlights how these flaws and attributes effect people across the board, starting with Victor. Seeing his fathers drinking habits forced him to not drink, but, made him bitter and violent. The spiritual values emphasized for Thomas made him compassionate and open minded but closed his mind off to some realistic aspects of the world, something Thomas had inherently.
Smoke Signals was an interesting film to me because it gave a scope into a society that I had only heard about online or in the news papers. The vast separation causes a lot of positives and negatives to occur. Being ostracized forces a tight community, where everyone knows everything and is there to support and help you (i.e. Victor and Thomas). Along with that, is the notion of being removed from medical advancements and cultural developments that USA has made, leaving essentially in the dust...
