Smoke Signals

   Smoke Signals just like Dances With Wolves really gives the viewer an idea of what most people think when they think of Native Americans. They both can be very stereotypical and you see this all the time with movies and cinema regarding Native Americans. With help from movies and cinema the Native American has been portrayed to be a fierce and fearless warrior and in most cases is meant to be the "bad guy". With all the stereotypes there are some facts and honest parts of Smoke Signals as well. Throughout history Native Americans and their land as well as the aspect of being American citizens has always been a tricky conflict. From the film Smoke Signals, "You know how Indians feel about signing papers". Deciding who's land is who's is still a a significant issue today and most likely always will be. The film is also represented with the colors red, white, and blue a ton and that has some significance. The colors blue especially show the conflict of becoming an American citizen. The colors of the American flag also represent freedom and that's something Native Americans never felt like they've had much of. The combination of cinema and the stereotypes it brings for Native Americans only brings that opportunity of freedom and a different opinion down. Thomas builds-the-fire said, "You know there are some children who aren't really children at all, they're just pillars of flame that burn everything they touch. and there are some children who are just pillars of ash, that fall apart when you touch them... Victor and me, we are children of flame and ash". These kids experienced the fire when they were young but there is a deeper meaning here. They feel like because of the past and what has happened to them in there lives that they can't amount to anything or they are set up for failure. It seems most things regarding Native Americans has them failing which is something extremely difficult to grow up in.

The American flag and freedom

One of the many examples of how Native Americans have been inaccurately portrayed

       Another huge aspect of Smoke Signals and Native American culture in general is storytelling. Every story has the ability to heal and sometimes that's what makes them so important and special. Smoke Signals and Ceremony both portray characters with troubled pasts and storytelling allows them to overcome the past and heal. Thomas build-a-fire said, "Hey Victor! I remember the time your father took me to Denny's, and I had the grand slam breakfast. Two eggs, two pancakes, a glass of milk, and of course my favorite, the bacon. Some days, it's a good day to die. And some days, it's a good day to have breakfast". Even though this quote from Smoke Signals isn't a traditional Native American story or anything like that but it can get to you and that's what storytelling is all about. Even a small story like this can bring back old memories good or bad and have a significant impact on anyone. Something else very evident in Smoke Signals is racism and how the Couer D'Alene are treated. Victor said, "You gotta look mean or people wont respect you. White people will run all over you if you don't look mean. You gotta look like a warrior! You gotta look like you just came back from killing a buffalo". Cinema and society in general has discriminated Native Americans to the point that things like this have become acceptable.

An idea of what everyone expects of an Indian

Storytelling being so important in the Native American culture