Harold of Orange

     While it seems to be clear the Harold of Orange was intended for a Native American audience,  what is less obvious is the message that the writer and director intended to convey to Native American viewers.
    The overall point of the movie seemed to be to shine a spotlight on this unusual financial relationship between Harold's tribe and white donors, seemingly a metaphor for all Natives and the white people that they are sometimes forced to pander to in order to make a living. Initially, it seemed as if the filmmakers intention was to expose the fact that whites only contribute money and/or concern for Native Americans because of what is commonly referred to as "white guilt." I got the impression that the filmmakers were trying to condone the trickery that it took to illicit donations from the white donors. In fact, it seemed to me as if the intent was almost to encourage any Native American viewers to pursue the same course of action and cash in on the guilt that white people typically feel for the treatment of Indians.
     Upon second thought, I really feel as if the point of this movie was to cast Harold and his fellow tricksters in a bad light and to mock the lengths that they go to while courting the white donors. Although they are quite funny and very clever, they are nothing more that an handful of scam artists who seem more credible because of their Native American background. I think that the makers of this movie were trying to focus the attention of their Native American viewers not on whites and why they feel obligated to donate money, but rather on the Indians who are willing to whore themselves out for that money. While Harold and his clan are likable and funny, I think the film's intent was to make Native American viewers realize that their pride and tradition are far more valuable than any amount of money that they would have to indulge white people to get. Traditions such as the naming ceremony are (were) sacred to Native Americans, and scenes like the one in which names are drawn from a hat at a fry bread stand show how easily money can buy out tradition. The film's purpose seems to be to stop this exchange of ancient tradition for guilt-ridden money.