Powwow Highway
It is very easy to see the difference in identity politics when comparing the two main characters of Powwow Highway. Throughout the movie, Philbert constantly expresses his positive attitude toward his background even when the people around him don’t appreciate it. He isn’t afraid to let other people know that he is Cheyenne while other characters in the movie are. Red Bow, on the other hand, is one of those people. He can’t seem to find a way to identify as a Cheyenne. His negative attitude throughout the movie does a great job in demonstrating this. While Philbert searches for the five tokens Red Bow becomes fed up and doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Red Bow and Philbert have different approaches when it comes to their identity, but this is why they work so well together. They balance each other out to make a great friendship between the two. In the beginning of the film it doesn’t seem like Red Bow cares about Philbert all that much. It seems as if he might only be using Philbert as a means to help his sister, but as the movie progresses it becomes clear that Red Bow in fact does care for Philbert. The scene in the movie that makes this the most apparent is when Red Bow is devastated when he thinks that Philbert died in the car crash, but is very relieved when he realizes that Philbert survived. Their hug in the end of the movie shows just how much they care about each other. Although their approaches to identity are extremely different, their care for each other makes them alike.