Kathleen on INDIGENOUS VOICES
Kathleen Norris on INDIGENOUS VOICES: SKINS AND POWWOW HIGHWAY
After many years of Native Americans being misrepresented in film and portrayed by white actors, films based on the work of indigenous novelists, and often directed and written by indigenous directors, are producing works that more truly reflect Native American culture. Set in Lame Deer, Montana, Powwow Highway features Gary Farmer as Philbert, a sweet, big-hearted man who, when he sees a television ad with a white car salesman in a headdress offering “heap big savings,” doesn’t take offense but searches for a used car to be his “war pony.” Undeterred by the sorry state of the junker he finds, he names the car “Protector.” His counterpart is Buddy (A Martinez), an angry Vietnam veteran suspicious of a large corporation’s plans to start mining on the reservation. His objections a meeting of the tribal council cause the company to label him a troublemaker.
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