Powwow Highway gives us a glimpse into the struggles that Native Americans have experienced and continue to experience in the United States today. In the film, we see blatant examples of discrimination and destruction of their properties. The film’s protagonist, Bobby Redbow, is an impulsive person who reacts with a hot-tempered mindset. In the first scene, we already see this characteristic of his when he discredits Youngblood by calling him out on his backwards political stances. He reacts with violent outbursts at several points of the film. While some may find Redbow’s hot temper as just adding to the stereotype that Native Americans are violent savages, I tend to empathize with his situation. He seems to find himself interacting with different people throughout the movie who are unnecessarily ignorant and close-minded. I am not excusing quick-temperament, but in his situation, I will say that it’s understandable. If I were to place myself in Redbow’s shoes, I, too, would find it difficult to stay calm amidst the oppression that is encapsulating my surroundings.
In “Saint Marie, ” we read of oppression in a different context. Native American student Marie is a student in Sister Leopolda’s class. Here, we not only see an example of cultural oppression but also see an example of religious oppression. Leopolda is described as a “hard trial for everyone.” She views Marie as a person who contains “evil” on the basis that she is Native American. Sister Leopolda dedicates herself to ridding Marie of the “evil” that she strongly believes resides in Marie because of her cultural background, and in the end, stabs Marie in the hand. This action leads those around her to believe that the marks on her hands are stigmata. Because of this, everyone, including Sister Leopolda, begins to revere Marie instead of viewing her as a residence of evil. By the end of the passage, Marie is exalted and symbolically triumphs over the persecution and oppression she felt at her school.
While the Holocaust in Europe during World War II was undoubtedly one of modern history’s most vivid and crucial examples of crimes against humanity, I think it is just as important to recognize the oppression and persecution of other groups of people as well. Covering the suffering and oppression of Native Americans is just as crucial for us to know as the Holocaust of World War II. By informing ourselves of both devastating situations, we can hopefully realize that persecution of another group is not simply persecution of another group; oppression towards another is oppression towards one of our own, our own being another human being. That is the true definition of the phrase “crimes against humanity.
Any kind of persecution is a crime against humanity. The fact that people do not know how to step in someone else’s shoes and see their thoughts, emotions, and feelings are a big problem. If people were to simply take a step back and think about the other then situations like the Holocaust and the genocide of Native Americans might not have happened or maybe might not have been as devastating.
ReplyDeleteNot recognizing any oppression and persecution is also a problem. Dismissing something as important as the genocide of Native Americans and the Holocaust prevents us from learning from our past to help us not repeat the injustices that many people have experienced. Sadly, some people do choose to dismiss events completely or decide not to learn from the past, but instead, in some extreme cases, embrace it. I liked how you touched on this problem of recognizing oppression and persecution in your first paragraph and tied in throughout your post.
Shaw:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say, "persecution of another group is not simply persecution of another group; oppression towards another is oppression towards one of our own, our own being another human being." I think you make an excellent point in stating that any form of oppression between humans is oppression of us all. When one person loses their humanity it is a threat to us all. I firmly believe that each person's own valuation of the meaning and purpose of human life dictates the global perspective. When one threat is permitted against that perspective we stand to let the whole establishment fall.
Firstly, let me say I love the picture that you used for this weeks post it is very nice and plays well on your overall point. I think that you are making a very valid point about oppression as a crime against humanity. In todays society we are trained to think that when we here a crime against humanity of someone like general Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler, or Mao Zedong. When the reality of a view like you are preposing is a much truer and broader sweep which would talk about groups like the mining company form the film or sister Leopolda from the short story. The reality is that the Native Americans have been under oppression for so long that it has become part of mythos to most Americans with a view of cowboys and Indians. The reality of the situation is more like George Washington who is considered a great man in American history, but who ran on a platform as the great Indian killer, and personal killed hundreds of Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteI really like the image you chose for your blog. I too have empathy for Buddy's hostility and destructive impulses. There is no doubt that his rage can be useful. When Buddy “shoots down" Youngblood with fierce and hostile words in the scene you mentioned, I think it was absolutely appropriate and effective. If Philbert had been in that meeting, I imagine that his gentle, nonviolent message, albeit a vital tool and philosophy in the creation of cross-cultural tolerance and peace, would have unfortunately been lost on Youngblood. Kindness is unfortunately mistaken as weakness by an oppressor. And it's not like Buddy's message carried brute strength alone - it was intelligent and persuasive. I recall the blank and impressionable faces of those people sitting in the chairs at the meeting - I couldn't tell if they were on Buddy's side or Youngblood’s - they too perhaps need a strong and angry voice to wake up out of their passivity and naivety. Granted, I think Philbert's quiet strength alone can potentially galvanize his community, but against the influence and senseless oppression of forces like Youngblood, I think more fire (and destructiveness) is needed. In Night, Elie Wiesel and thousands of Jews would not have survived had it not been for the violence undertaken by the underground resistance against the German occupation in Buchenwald. It’s not ideal or something to encourage or undertake unnecessarily, but it’s valuable and necessary in a hostile, less-than-perfect world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the image, with all its symbolic implications, carries a lot of weight, especially given what you say about Redbow's temper. I wonder why we expect oppressed people's to wait patiently while the status quo keeps on being the status quo?
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