Identity Politics
Powwow Highway deals with identity politics by seeing the past through Buddy, Philbert, and other important characters within the film and acknowledging their culture as something powerful and important. Just the fact that this movie is based around the Native American culture, causes the audience to realize how serious the issues brought up in the movie are. This was even seen in the film during the scene when Buddy and Philbert stopped at the powwow and Buddy defended his friend against the white man and his Native American gang of followers. The argument ended when a guy sitting in the stands threw a tomahawk at the wall. The white man and his followers left, as if they sensed danger. This scene was significant to me because it represented the innumerable occasions the white man takes what he wants, and sometimes forgets that the oppressed can stand up for themselves, violently if necessary. And of course, the white man gets scared and runs away. As for the use of the road in this film, at first it represented mobility only, but as the movie continued, I could see the road hindering Buddy, but empowering Philbert. Without the use of the road and Philbert's pony, Philbert wouldn't have been able to see the sights that he saw and find his charms of luck. Buddy's road experience seemed at first a distraction, with Philbert making detours before they got to New Mexico. Eventually, we see both charters reaching a common bond during the scene with Buddy and Philbert singing in the river.