Smoke Signals Essay

SMOKE SIGNALS

              Smoke Signals is different from most Native American films, because it sheds light on the problems natives face with their historical background, and stereotypical culture.  The main character, Victor, wrestles with what it means to be a "true Indian" and what being an Indian truly means to him, these struggles are portrayed through stereotypes and historical circumstances the characters face throughout the movie. 
             Native Americans have many stereotypes, which lead to expectations natives have on themselves and others have for them. In the film Victor struggles with these stereotypes and his identity as a native American. The film opens with mentioning Victors father, and his issue of being an alcoholic. This, along with many other scenes involving drinking, portrays the stereotype of all indians being alcoholics. Although the rate of substance abuse is higher in Natives, it is not true that all Native Americans are alcoholics...in fact Victor mentions he has never had a sip of alcohol in his life. Victor does struggle with this though because of his mother and father  being heavy drinkers when he was a kid. The movie mainly makes a point to illustrate that Native Americans struggle with identity, because of the stereotypes placed on them. For example, the way an indian should look is a consistent topic throughout the film. Victor mentions that "an Indian ain't nothing without his hair," explaining that "all Indians" should have long thick stereotypical hair. At the end of the movie Victor realizes this is wrong and does not define ones culture and cuts his hair just like his father once did. Victor also mentions that "you gotta look mean or no one will respect you" , depicting the "warrior" stereotype placed on Native Americans, and how all Indians should look and seem like stern warriors. The character Thomas attests to this stereotype, because of his kind and friendly attitude towards others. For instance, Thomas is kind to a lady on the bus who claims she was an alternate in the Olympics. Thomas helps Victor to recognize that this is just a stereotype. Victor struggles between the idea of what others expect from him as a Native American, because of these stereotypes and what it truly means to be an Indian.
             Although Victor is a character used to show how Natives struggle with their identity and the stereotypes they face, he is also used to to show pride in his culture and traditions. The film depicts the way Native Americans find power and meaning towards their history and traditions.Victor shows pride in his mothers fry bread, and how everyone thinks its the best. Furthermore this fry bread is a cultural tradition of a food that Native Americans have eaten for a long time. One also senses empowerment of being a Native when Victor and Thomas are on the bus talking about how John Wayne never shows his teeth. They then sing a song and laugh about John Wayne, showing empowerment towards their culture and singing songs. They are simply making fun of the cowboy who always seams to beat the Indian in the movies. Although it may be a struggle to depict the differences between the stereotypes and the traditions and history for Native Americans, Smoke Signals illustrates how empowering it is to have such a strong cultural identity. 
    

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