In St. Marie and Pow Wow Highway the three characters pursue the path that they feel called to take as Native Americans in a white culture
It is sad to see the choices they have to make to survive in the white man’s society. The ideologies of the two cultures are so far removed or at least they were at one point in time. But as even the old Indian woman says, no one wants old Indian wisdom. The old Indian woman would have been most highly respected in her ancestral culture; but the negative effects of losing one’s identity within the forced culture of the reservation has taken its toll and even the old no longer hold on to their ancestor’s wisdom.
In the story of Marie her path was to try to assimilate into the white man’s culture. She compares her skin color to theirs and finds she is like them. She endures great abuse but wants so badly to fit in with the nun’s. She wants to be like the ones the nuns admire – the saints. So she bears the persecution of Sr. Leopolda. Ironically, the nun’s cruel treatment to Marie leads the other nun’s to think she has the stigmata and Marie is truly holy. She has succeeded in fitting in to the path she chose. She is no longer an Indian brat, as Sr. Leopolda and society has portrayed her. But her true identity is lost.
Both the movie and the film were framed around the white man’s culture of destroying the identity and the self esteem of the Indians. I found the movie framed with the overarching element of true freedom that the Native Americans espoused-being one with nature, not destroying it. It began with the Indian riding over the plains with their music in the background. Later there were scenes of wild stallions running free, the eagle soaring, wide open lands and mountain tops, gentle streams and beautiful sunsets. Even saving the giant arachnid. The backdrop of the story was the Christian holiday of Christmas. With even the old Indian’s door decorated for Christmas. Yet the story was based on surviving the slums of the reservation and the guile tactics of the government.
Red Bow works in the agricultural office and fights the government to keep the reservation’s resources. The greed of those working for the government causes so much grief and unlawful conduct it led both Red Bow and his friend Filbert to the highway. Filbert is in touch with his ancestral past and is called to be a warrior. He veers off the highway to the open spaces; he meditates and connects with ancient warriors and partakes in the Pow Wow. He finds his tokens –his medicine- to ward off evil. Red Bow doesn’t initially understand Filbert, but he comes to chant and dance like his ancestors and in the end sees himself fighting as a warrior. They use unconventional tactics, but it is justified in preserving the dignity of their people against the false accusations of the government. The end of the movie was awesome with the chief helping his “brothers” by opening the cattle gate and Filbert being the hero, going down with his “pony” as Red Bow rescued the relatives. Thank goodness the pony kicks Filbert out and he is united with his friends and Bonnie, the sweet girl he remembers from his youth, Red Bow’s sister.
I imagine they will have to go back to the reality of the reservation (after all that’s what Red Bow stressed to his friend Wolf Tooth as he left for the condos). But I hate to think what might happen to them. But it shows the freeing power of reclaiming your identity and being proud of it even with the struggles.
I suppose Marie has some sense of freedom, too, since it is the white man’s world for which she yearns. Yet still so sad that she has lost the desire for her own heritage and accepts such cruelty.
