Pew Wow Highway Analysis
Ethnicities 150
Professor Brian Baker
Spring, 2012
Extra Credit
Pow Wow Highway
I enjoyed this movie, based on a book by the same name by Davis Seals, a Native activist. The story is based in the mid to late 1970’s and begins on the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. The two lead characters, Buddy Red Bow (A. Martinez) and his acquaintance (who later in the film becomes his friend), Philbert “Phil” Bono (Gary Farmer) travel to Santa Fe to rescue Buddy’s sister, Bonnie Red Bow who has been wrongfully jailed. Buddy finds out that his estranged sister has two small girls and he is determined to bring her back home to the reservation and get her out of jail. Philbert is a free spirit who sees visions and is very gentle natured. He is more in tune with the ancient traditions of their Tribe, stopping frequently to pray and meditate. Buddy Red Bow is antagonistic at first and very impatient with Philbert, but in time he starts to lose his inhibitions about praying and meditating and eventually joins Philbert in embracing the ancient chants and …show more content…
Also, the reservation seems abandoned, even showing tumbleweeds blowing by, but in the next scene shows almost everyone on the reservation are at the local bar, playing pool, drinking and smoking. It also depicts the two extreme differences in the character’s personalities – Buddy Red Bow being the volatile, hot-tempered activist and Philbert as the mild mannered and generous spirited mystic. Philbert is on his own quest to find his Medicine and Buddy is on a quest to rescue his sister. Because the two of them have lived on the reservation all their lives, Philbert remembers Buddy’s sister and offers his assistance and they take his “war pony”, the beat up Buick to go rescue her and her
Professor Brian Baker
Spring, 2012
Extra Credit
Pow Wow Highway
I enjoyed this movie, based on a book by the same name by Davis Seals, a Native activist. The story is based in the mid to late 1970’s and begins on the Northern Cheyenne Tribe’s reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. The two lead characters, Buddy Red Bow (A. Martinez) and his acquaintance (who later in the film becomes his friend), Philbert “Phil” Bono (Gary Farmer) travel to Santa Fe to rescue Buddy’s sister, Bonnie Red Bow who has been wrongfully jailed. Buddy finds out that his estranged sister has two small girls and he is determined to bring her back home to the reservation and get her out of jail. Philbert is a free spirit who sees visions and is very gentle natured. He is more in tune with the ancient traditions of their Tribe, stopping frequently to pray and meditate. Buddy Red Bow is antagonistic at first and very impatient with Philbert, but in time he starts to lose his inhibitions about praying and meditating and eventually joins Philbert in embracing the ancient chants and …show more content…
Also, the reservation seems abandoned, even showing tumbleweeds blowing by, but in the next scene shows almost everyone on the reservation are at the local bar, playing pool, drinking and smoking. It also depicts the two extreme differences in the character’s personalities – Buddy Red Bow being the volatile, hot-tempered activist and Philbert as the mild mannered and generous spirited mystic. Philbert is on his own quest to find his Medicine and Buddy is on a quest to rescue his sister. Because the two of them have lived on the reservation all their lives, Philbert remembers Buddy’s sister and offers his assistance and they take his “war pony”, the beat up Buick to go rescue her and her