Native American Audience

                Powwow Highway is movie based on the struggles between Native Americans.  This isn’t the first movie that explores this conflict between the two groups, but in this particular film, Native Americans finally win the battle, or so the film portrays it.  Most often in conflicts between Native Americans and whites, whites are almost always portrayed as superior and they are often shown as winning the fights with Indians.  Even in Powwow Highway, Buddy Red Bow was a warrior in many famous battles that occurred between the two groups.  These battles are all fights that the Native Americans not only lost the fight but also land and resources.

            The main focus of this film is to rescue Buddy’s sister from jail.  Throughout their journey, Buddy’s friend, Hilbert, acts as the stereotypical Indian.  He’s very spiritual and thinks that in order to get his Indian name, he must go on a spiritual journey.  Through a series of lucky coincidences, Buddy is finally able to rescue his sister and escape the persecution of the white people involved.  I think Native Americans would tend to like this movie because this movie is one of the few movies that actually portray Native Americans as superior and the victors of the situation.  At the end of the movie, Buddy and his friends seem to escape from jail and seem to get away with everything illegal they did to get his sister out of jail.  Also, the film portrays to a mainly Native American audience.  The two main characters are Native Americans and are portrayed as the heroes.  Not only that, but the white people are often seen as evil and corrupt, especially when they wrongly accused Buddy’s sister for having drugs and not listening to her explanations.

Native culture

The movie Powow Highway  showed contemporary native American culture in a negative light. The characters that are respected, like Buddy, are violent and do not represent the old way of life that they are clinging to.  Philbert is looked down upon because he is overweight, yet he strives to do things the 'old way.' I enjoyed the humor that was added into the plot through Buddy's conflict with the old way of life. He has been so hurt because of the discrimination he has faced that he seems to have pride in being an Indian, but not in practicing rituals or traditions. Philbert's respect for the old ways leads him down the right path, which makes it seem like despite all the problems he faced he still has a part of him that can get it right because he has been taught the old ways. instead of focusing on the problems with society today this movie focuses on the problem of Indians losing their heritage and going their own ways.  I think that this message made the movie popular because it celebrated being an Indian, and appreciated the heritage along with prompting Indians to become better and return to their roots.

Powwow Highway

In the movie Powwow Highway there were multipule stereotypes the were protrayed. Like that thought that Philbert was using the land to become a warrior and that he bought a really beat up car. Then there was Buddy who was like a savage and rebellious. There was a lot of yelling and and fighting. Then there was Bonnie who was caught with the drugs portraying that they are druggies. But even though there were stereotypes the characters tried to portray as not being Indian. But is is kind of hard with them going to the Powwow. One thing that i found amusing was that Buddy was Buddy Red Bow and that just gives him the Indian feel to his name. These are the steroetypes in the movie Powwow Highway.

Philbert's Pony

     Philbert plays the role of the trickster incredibly well in "Powwow Highway," so much so that there is no doubt of his role in the film as well as his role amongst the group he is traveling with. He constantly pushes Buddy to question convention and embrace the traditional ways, often telling him to relax and trust the spirits during their quest to free Bonnie. One of my favorite aspects of Philbert's character was his constant references to his car as his "pony" When he swerved the prevent Buddy from killing the spider in the glove box (because it may have been a spirit), he apologizes to Buddy, saying "Sorry that my pony threw ya." Again, at the end of the film when the car goes off the road and Philbert emerges from the wreckage, he says "My pony threw me. And now it's dead." Simply referring to his vehicle in such a way seems to be encouraging Buddy and any Native American's who remember their roots. Even though their pony is now a car, it still serves the same purpose to Philbert and he seems to have the same connection with it that he would with a real horse.
     When Philbert went to the junkyard ant told the attendant that he was there because he needed a pony (which he bought with a little cash and a bag of weed), it reminded me of Sherman Alexie's "A Drug Called Tradition." In Thomas' vision, he relates seeing Victor as a noble warrior making an attempt to steal a white man's horse. These two references to modern-day Native Americans needing to get themselves a pony illustrates the important connection that the pony played in their culture, and the void that seems to be left in their lives without such an important piece of tradition.

Powwow Highway

The movie Powwow Highway was an interesting perspective on Native American culture. For example, the movie presents itself to appeal mainly to a Natvie American audiences versus a white audience. Some evidence that supports this idea is the fact that the whole movie revolvs around two Native American men, Philbert and Buddy, who do not follow what society expects from them. Buddy is a rebellious, former soldier who seems angry at the world. Philbert is in search of his roots, trying desperately to become a "warrior" or a medicine man. This film overall, seems to "stick it to" the white man. One example of this is through Buddy's sister, Bonnie's, wrongful imprisonment. It made it seem as though she was set up by the white cops, who were rude to her and the people who tried to help her. It definately seems to demonize the white men, making them seem insentive and corrupt. Another way the movie portrats the Natives as the heroes and the white men as the antogaonists is by having Buddy and Philbert break Bonnie out of prison. Not only did they steal tons of money, break Bonnie out of jail, and outsmart the police, but they also got away with it, making them smooth, cool heroes.

Pow wow highway

This film is slightly different from the other films we previously watched in this class.  First of all, I don't think this movie was quite as "stereotypical" as the other examples we  have seen.  In that it didn't seem like the people in the film were aiming to portray themselves as Indians.  More or less it seemed as if though they portrayed themselves as just people, rather then following the stereotypes that people have given them.  Also, they really didn't show how white people acted towards native American's, not just overall but directly.  I think the reason native people generally tend to like this film more is because of the previously mentioned reasons.  

Powow Highway

The movie "Powow Highway" was definitely intended for a Native audience to enjoy.  This movie was very empowering for any person, and the fact that the characters in it were Native makes it very inspiring for that audience.  At the beginning, drugs are found in Bonnie's vehicle.  This is another stereotype seen in Native films:  that all Native Americans do are drugs and that they are bad people.  However, after this event happens, Buddy and Philbert travel in Philbert's "pony" to try to bust Bonnie out of jail.  This makes everyone watching this feel good because it is pretty much understood that it wasn't Bonnie's drugs found in her vehicle.  Probably the most inspiring person in this movie was Philbert.  He was the typical spiritual one who was following the path of his ancestors in a 20th century world.  He thought before he spoke and told many stories, and of course dubbed his beaten-down vehicle "Pony."  He appears to be the "dumb" one of the two men.  Buddy seems to have to take control of situations, yet it is Philbert in the end who has the courageous plan that breaks Bonnie out of jail.  Attaching a rope to the bars on bonnie's cell and using his spiritual beliefs and trusty Pony, Philbert frees her.  At the end, it is believed that Philbert is dead, and everyone is extremely sad because he was truly the hero of the day.  However, when Philbert turns out to again escape fate and come out of the car fire alive, all is extremely upbeat and happy and this is truly the climactic point of the whole movie.  All of them escape the police and this is truly the happiest point in the movie for the characters in it as well as the audience as a whole.