Smoke Signals Thesis

• In what specific ways do the characters in the film, Smoke Signals, struggle with circumstances and ideas having to do with Native American history and stereotypes?  And in what specific ways do the characters find power and meaning in their Native American history and cultural traditions?

Con - Stereotype

• all addicted to gambling 
• all alcoholic
• all limited to living on reservations

Con - History

• reservations
• "kill the Indian, save the man"
• poverty
• minority
• scientific ideas influenced by European

Pro - History

• native to America
• advances in agriculture
• efficient

Pro - Cultural Traditions

• have strong sense of self
• dance/song
• strong relationship to nature and animal

History struggles/experiences - Native Americans dealt with strangers coming into land and declaring them wrong, prejudiced, and alienated.

Stereotype struggles/experiences - The stereotypical "red man" decked out in feathers and paint or the more modern image of a tan man with long hair and casinos.

Cultural Tradition struggles/experiences - Their culture being taken away slowly by the "American Dream", the American culture, and having to limit themselves to what the government will allow.

Poverty within Native Americans is not a stereotype, but saying that all Natives are impoverished is one.

Having history make the Naive Americans to come off as spiritual, to some unrealistic and silly, and down to earth can be the best motivation to become that powerful and significant identity, the magical like facade empowers them. 

Thesis: The characters in the film, Smoke Signals, especially Victor, accepts the "red man" stereotype but are not fully compliant to them. They embrace what it means to be a Native American, the long hair, storytelling, warrior like facade, but still are able to become an individual on their own with the help of balancing Native American history with the modern day American. The years of prejudice empowers them to become a whole social statement of their own, when Thomas openly tells great stories or Victor cutting his hair because of his father's death or when they chant song on the bus, they are finding meaning.