Identity on the road in Pow Wow Highway
In Pow Wow Highway the most telling scene involving identity politics to me was when Buddy was fighting Young Blood in the bar and told him "I can't hide my red." Comparing these two characters is as important as comparing Philbert and Buddy. The idea of a "white-washed" Native American who is trying to cheat the reservation out of it's natural resources and is working with the F.B.I. is representative of broader power struggles in the Native American community. Buddy is trying to fight a racialized institution, Young Blood is a part of it, and Philbert has faith in the Cheyenne identity. The pow wow that Buddy and Philbert end up at, although it is off their designated road, helps Buddy connect to who he is as a Cheyenne. Especially when he dances and "means it." The differences between identifying physically as Cheyenne (Buddy), identifying spiritually as Cheyenne, and not identifying as Cheyenne (Young Blood) are treated differently on and off the road. When Young Blood is on the reservation he is ridiculed, when he is off he is still ridiculed (pushed over at the police station, talked down to by the F.B.I.). Buddy is treated in a racist manner at the radio shop, and is targeted because of his activism, but still believes they "can't win" against the white powers that be. Philberts' self-identification as a protected warrior is what saves the day, even though it is scoffed at by most (his aunt, Buddy).