Undying Spirit
Philbert and Buddy are two very different kinds of people. Philbert is very psychically oriented as opposed to Buddy who is very politically oriented. Buddy is embodiment of identitiy politics. He feels very wounded by the injustices done to his people and through that derives his views on the world around him. We see this most strongly in the electronics store where he nearly attacks a man thinking that he has sold him bum equiptment because of his racial alliance. Philbert meanwhile, goes with the flow, and figures out the machine. Philbert has faith in his surrounding- and much like his ancestors before him- looks for omens and finds his way. Philbert seems to be representing the past, and who his people were, and while Buddy is supposed to be an advocate of said people- they are very much at odds because of Philbert's dreamy nature.
Buddy seems to have lost sight of what he is protecting, telling Philbert to shut up while he is telling the stories of their people. Identity politics seem to play out further on the road due to the treatment the white men give them. First the man in the electronics shop assumes they have no money, later they are treated badly by the police. But mainly, in this film, we see the awakening of the Cheyenne identity in Buddy, Sandy and her children through Philbert's strength and persistance of spirit. The road gives them an opportunity to discover their inner Philbertishness as they conquer the land around them, on a journey, like their ancestors.