Pendergast - Different Psychological Responses To Oppression

In Pow Wow Highway, Buddy and Filbert have very different approaches for reclaiming their tribal and personal identities in response to their oppression and victimization by the Whites. Buddy takes a very rational and physically violent approach to protecting what is rightfully his, as demonstrated in his political activity and by his decision to carry a gun. Filbert’s approach, on the other hand, is guided by an inner or spiritual aspect of knowing that defies reason, is based on faith and is non-violent. Filbert has a strong faith and pride in his Cheyenne roots and spiritual traditions and uses his faith and its mystical powers to see him through the obstacles created by the Whites which separate him from a life and identity that he belongs to. Filbert’s perspective can be seen as naïve, and rightfully so perhaps, but the film does not portray his approach as deficient in any way. His lack of “common sense” or sense of “reality” does not seem to hamper his goals, but rather, his faith in the mystical and traditional Cheyenne teachings helps him and his loved ones overcome seemingly impossible obstacles that reason and brute strength could never have accomplished alone. In contrast to Filbert, Buddy is extremely street-smart and logical, and quick to raise his voice and fist when confronted by discrimination and oppression. These qualities have proven effective for Buddy in protecting the rights and dignity of his people and community, perhaps especially in Vietnam, but Buddy is also acting from a very broken heart. As a result of his and his people’s oppression and victimization, Buddy has lost his faith and pride in his Cheyenne roots and spiritual traditions. Buddy’s loss of faith and cultural pride, as byproducts of victimization and oppression, has manifested in rage, vengefulness and cynicism, and in some ways has transformed him into the role of victimizer. As the Vietnam vet who helped Buddy at the Pow Wow told him tearfully, he “got mean.” Although Buddy’s barbaric and rational approach is effective in some circumstances, the film clearly portrays Buddy’s methods as flawed and in need of spiritual rehabilitation. For instance, the extreme violence Buddy instigated at the electronic store proved to be based on a simple misunderstanding on his part. Also, the rage Buddy exhibited in his attempt to see his sister at the jailhouse proved ineffective and unnecessary. In both of these scenes, the film demonstrates a less harmful and more effective way of resolving the problems at hand. It’s as if the film is trying to say that brutality shouldn’t be used but as a last resort, and that a warrior without his heart intact is liable to cause more harm than good.

In Saint Marie, Marie handles her oppression and victimization similar to how Filbert deals with his – through faith. She, like Filbert, has a strong reliance on an inner, intuitive knowing that transcends reason. She does not become the victimizer as Buddy does, although she almost does I suppose when she tries to push Sr. Leopolda in the oven, but ultimately she does not fall into the victim/victimizer trap. Her extreme faith carries her through her trials with Sr. Leopolda effectively and miraculously. At the end, when Marie could have relished in Sr. Leopolda’s inferior and beaten-down position, she wasn’t able to as her compassion for humanity, even for her oppressor, was too strong. Both Filbert and Marie demonstrated great spiritual wisdom in the face of oppression and victimization.