Magic Indians

     One theme that the makers of Smoke Signals seemed to stress throughout the movie was the role of magic and mysticism in Native American culture. The importance of magic is reinforced to Victor repeatedly; Arlene magically feeds 100 Indians with her fry bread, Arnold says Victor was magical during the game with the Jesuits, Suzy Song tells Victor his dad was a magician, and Victor sees his dad tell him in a flashback that "it's all about magic and faith." There is also some mysticism surround the scene when Suzy burns up Arnold's trailer. Victor's truck won't start until Suzy lights the sage and torches the trailer, at which point Victor's truck comes alive. It's as if Victor is stalled until Suzy burns away the bad history in that trailer - some kind of magical cleansing ritual that allows Victor to move forward, literally and figuratively.
     Both Smoke Signals and Absolutely True Diary invoke the idea of magic during the basketball games described in each one. In Diary, Arnold uses magic and the spirits of his ancestors to explain how he is able to jump higher than Rowdy in the big game. In Smoke Signals, Victor's dad makes no bones about saying it was magic that made his son play the way he did. He insinuates that the one time the Indians were able to get the best of white people it was because of the magic that Indians possessed.
     Sherman Alexie and the rest of the filmmakers seem to be using magic to represent the strong connection to the spirit world that Indians have traditionally had. In both the book and the film, Alexie uses magic to explain how his protagonists are able to succeed beyond their wildest dreams, both times in a basketball game. In Diary he specifically mentions the spirits of Arnold's recently deceased friends and family as contributing factors to his greatness. He appears to be stressing the importance of a belief in higher power(s) of some kind to his readers and viewers, and it he seems to believe it is of particular importance to his culture.