Identity Politics on the Road
(**I didn't write down exactly what the question was on the PowerPoint in class, but I think it had something to do with defining the difference between Redbow's and Filbert's interpretation of the phrase "We Are Cheyenne"**)
Filbert's declaration of "We Are Cheyenne" is proud everytime he repeats it. He is always smiling, because he views being Cheyenne a blessing. He is continually searching for the history, the signs and tokens, and is fighting to pass on the stories of their people. All of this he does with his whole heart, and it is evident when he begins crying at the end of his story that to him, being Cheyenne defines his existence positively. He is connected to his land, his people, his family and himself.
Buddy Redbow's identification with "We Are Cheyenne" is more cynical and negative. He views it as an outsider would view it, or rather he feels the way he does because he has fought for the white man and yet feels trampled on and taken advantage of. In a way, he too is proud to be Cheyenne, but a stubborn, hard-headed pride that creates a tough outward appearance, angry and resentful of those around him.
On the road, these individual identifications come to fruition differently. Buddy's pride is more apparent in the presence of whites, as in the radio salesman, the white policemen in the jail, and the man Sandy Youngblood. Filbert's identity as Cheyenne is most apparent when he is with other Cheyenne, as when with the young couple he tells a story of their people, when he passes the warrior stories on to Buddy's nephew, and when he insists on attending the PowWow even though it will take them far off their course. In these ways, their Cheyenne identity is shaped and defined by those around them and by their reactions to those around them.