Symbolic Objects In Smoke Signals, By Chris Eyre

Indigenous traditions represent the oldest cultures which associate the quest archetype with a search for real knowledge of the external world, which was otherwise unavailable to people with little technology to search the external environment empirically. Indigenous quest characteristics come through an active need to learn about a harsh world in order to survive adulthood. With such cultures having limited methods of acquiring knowledge of the external world, the quest then serves as a function to show the development of knowledge needed in order to survive in indigenous society

Victor Joseph’s portrayal of the classic Native American man is exemplified by Alexie’s use of dialogue, costumes, and flashbacks. For example, when Victor sees Thomas smiling as they ride their way to Arizona he says, “Indians ain’t supposed to smile like that. Get stoic” (Smoke Signals). This example of dialogue reveals how Victor believes a Native American man should present himself traditionally, which strongly contrasts with Thomas’s demeanor and appearance. Victor continues on, saying, “Look at your hair, it’s all braided up and stuff. You gotta free it. An Indian man ain’t nothing without his hair.” (Smoke Signals). Hair design is used to symbolize Victor’s close ties with his ancestral past as a Native American. Additionally, Victor’s comment on hair foreshadows when Victor himself cuts his hair, symbolizing a moment in which Victor embraces his traumatic past by accepting who he is as a person. In a more literal sense, flashbacks are also used to symbolize the trauma that Victor experienced in his direct past - living with an alcoholic father, Arnold Joseph, who abandoned him. However, by the end of the movie, Victor embraces this past through the spreading of his father’s ashes.

In Amanda J. Cobb’s article titled “This is What It Means to Say Smoke Signals,” the author elucidates the significance of this film by showcasing the uniqueness of its story, creators, and contemporary representation of Native Americans in Hollywood film. Cobb brings to light the idea that this film was not only the first film to be written and directed by Native artists, but that it was the first to exercise the idea of self-definition and cultural sovereignty (207). The paper goes on to compare Smoke Signals to other films such as Powwow Highway (1989) as well as how its story either breaks old stereotypes or reinforces others in an uncommonly humorous and relaxing tone. Alongside these topics, Cobb’s piece also touches on critical questions

"Smoke Signals" is an independent film directed by, Chris Eyre. The film, "Smoke Signals", is based on a short story named, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona", by Sherman Alexie. At the end of the film, "Smoke Signals", the character "Thomas" says some words in phrases, which puts us all to think. He invokes problems that happen in life to almost every single human being in the world. Sometimes we do not know how to handle these problems and we just learn to live with them. He talks about abuse, lack of communication, rage, divorces, and family problems. The words that Thomas says at the end of the film, and the short story have very similar themes, specific about father and son issues, we will see which theme in special they both share.

The movie Smoke Signals is based on the series of short stories written by Sherman Alexie. Just like any movie, there is a meaning to it. Before this movie, when I thought of the phrase "Native American" I thought of things like feathers and societies that were impeccable. But after watching the movie, Smoke Signals, it portrays what being a Native American really means. It is not all fun and games. The protagonist, Victor Joseph, has many hard aspects of his life, but throughout it all he grows mentally. His personality in the beginning of the movie is mean and despicable, he is filled with wrath, but as the movie goes on his personality grows gradually. By the ending of the movie, he was a nicer and kinder.

A heavy part of the speculations fuses how Native Americans oversees alcohol manhandle and are penniless people. In the film "Smoke Signals" there happens to be more speculations that addresses the piece of Native Americans as overwhelming consumers, storytellers and into assuming that they are uneducated. Victor was stereotyped when he got in the incident and was caught and the officer pointed the finger at him for drinking, and Victor revealed to him he never had an enjoy his life. I think Victor was panicked to drink since he watched how his dad was the time when he was growing up. He might not want to end up being an intoxicated like his father

Another example of the ancient Native American spirit on the reservation was given early in the movie, just as Victor and Thomas are beginning their journey to Phoenix. We see the duo walking side by side down a dirt road, and soon a beat up "reservation car" pulls up beside them carrying two women. The reservation car is old and worn down, dust caking

The American Indian looks at land, culture, and history very important to their identity for many reasons. Native Americans look at events such as fishing, hunting, and harvesting as spirited recurrent ceremonies that are crucial for cultural endurance and the preservation of family, peoplehood, and tribal bonds. An example as stated in the class reading, Peoplehood, that stood out to me is how when Native Americans bury their dead, shrines are often erected and certain parts of the immediate environment-plants, water, earth, animal parts-are often utilized in religious ceremonies. Another example from the reading is how their homelands are considered as holy lands, and even when tribes migrate or are removed from their original territories

This research has taken three distinct projects. The first, a published manuscript that remained faithful to the conceptual framework of Afropessimism while simultaneously critiquing its understanding of Native Americans. The second a more in-depth examination of Afropessimist and contemporary Indigenous theorizations of sovereignty and genocide which have enable a Fanonian misrecognition which not only violently interpellates the Indigenous body, but also mystifies the ecology of power which situates Natives within an ante-ontology, an a-being which does not signify life (Whiteness, or the Human) nor death (Blackness), but rather fails to (re)present at all. The third an examination of the settler colonial aspects of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis and the possibilities of an Indigenous theory of mind—drawing upon curanderismo, a form of Mexican folk healing utilized by my people and my family. While researching such projects, I have found that the literature directly addressing questions of the libidinal economy and Indigenous critical theory, or even clinical theories of mind and psychotherapy and Indigenous thought were near non-existent. Seeing that confirmed for me that the work I was doing was needed and valuable for Indigenous scholars and Indigenous populations living

In Bartolome’s view, the Native Americans or Indians are extremely talented and spiritual, they are not “ignorant, inhuman, or bestial”(2). The culture, values, and traditions of native people amount to more than crafts and carvings. Their concept of family responsibilities extending beyond the nuclear family, their respect for their homeland and environment, and their wisdom and

Whenever Victor’s family is drinking, it appears they are trying to escape the harsh realities of their past or current issues. Ironically in escaping their issues, they caused other altercations to uprise. The impression derived from four of the stories I read, “Every little hurricane”, “Because my Father Always Said He was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play “the Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock”, “Somebody Kept Saying Powwow, and “Indian Education”. In each of these stories you’ll see some of Victor’s family members drinking themselves

This essay will explore the cultural values of three different cultures; Navajo, Laguna, and Euro-American culture. Two of the cultures that I will be exploring are the Native communities that I have been well exposed to since I was a child. The values that I will be discussing are gender, education, and money. Growing up on a reservation in New Mexico, I have a closer insight on the similarities and differences of those values.

For example the symbolism that has been used through the conversation that happed between the father and the white tracker, the father has used the word ‘Dark’ to describe the race of Aboriginal people. This was unexpected discovery for us the audience because it unveiled the racism and discrimination that the father has against the Albert the Aboriginal man. Even thought that the father knows that Albert can find his daughter he instead refused his help only because he is from different race than him. Also another example is the dialogue which the father says ‘No black in my land” this deeply confirmed the discrimination against the Aboriginal people, by saying that the white people are removing the real owner of the

During Victors seventh grade year the Indian students who lived on the reservation made fun and banished him when he was caught kissing one of the white girls through his basement HUD house window. Victor soon learns that when it came to many of the white girls who lived on the farm struggled with bulimic, he discovered that many would eat their lunch then run to the bathroom to throw it back up, Victor found himself telling one of the girls to “Give me your lunch if you’re just going to throw it up” (Sherman, Alexie, 1993). Eleventh Grade Victor made the basketball team and although he was very uncomfortable with the mascot name Indians he chose to stay on the team, only to read the newspaper headlines: “Indians Lose Again”. Victor missed “two free throws which would have won the game against the best team in the state” (Sherman, Alexie, 1993).

On Key Symbols Author(s): Sherry B. Ortner Reviewed work(s): Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 75, No. 5 (Oct., 1973), pp. 1338-1346 Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/674036 . Accessed: 05/09/2012 09:42