Smoke Signals

The film, Smoke Signals, directed by Chris Eyre, displays a contemporary native nation of the Coeur d’Alene.  It focuses on two men, Thomas and Victor, which are born into a world of poverty, alcoholism, and posttraumatic stress.  Thomas is saved by the Forth of July fire by Arnold Joseph, but his Parents could not get out in time.  “You know there are some children who aren't really children at all, they're just pillars of flame that burn everything they touch. And there are some children who are just pillars of ash, that fall apart when you touch them... Victor and me, we were children of flame and ash”(Thomas-Smoke Signals).  Victor grows up with constant rage and anger of his dad’s drinking problem (the flame), where as Thomas becomes very naïve, but is weak to anyone that confronts him (ashes).  Arnold Joseph leaves Victor at a young age, and eventually passes away in Arizona.  Victor decides to voyage out of the reservation with Thomas to collect the ashes of his father.  Along his journey, Victor faces his past of growing up with his father.  Thomas constantly tells stories about Arnold, to a point where it angers Victor.  However, Thomas is telling these stories to Victor to make him confront his past and deal with his problems.  “Hey Victor! I remember the time your father took me to Denny’s, and I had the Grand Slam Breakfast.  Two eggs, two pancakes, a glass of milk, and of course my favorite, the bacon.  Some days, it’s a good day to die.  And some days, it’s a good day to have breakfast”(Thomas-Smoke Signals).  Thomas is trying to show Victor that deep down, Arnold did have good intentions and there were reasons for what he did.  Victor can only see the alcoholic and abusive father he was, and does not realize that he gave up on his family too.  “Thomas you don't even know my father. Did you know that my father was the one that set your parent's house on fire? Did you know that my father beat my mother? Did you know that my father beat me too?”(Victor-Smoke Signals) and Thomas says, “All I know is that when your father left your mother lost you too”(Thomas-Smoke Signals).  Thomas becomes the flame and rage in that scenario that pushes Victor to the breaking point.  After a long trip home, victor is finally healed and the ceremony is complete.  Victor realizes that his father did not mean to leave; it wasn’t his fault.  It was because of the Vietnam War and the Oppression of Native Americans that caused Arnold Joseph to become an alcoholic and burn the house down.  He always wanted to come back, but he couldn’t, knowing that he had Thomas’s parent’s blood on his hands.  Victor eventually releases the ashes of his father off a bridge down a cascading waterfall.  Victor screams all of his frustration, anger and breaks down like ashes, only to rebuild his new life.

Smoke Signals also displays the contemporary culture and interaction of white people and Native Americans.  White people are still oppressing Native Americans to this day and most white people don’t even realize they are doing it.  Thomas and Victor grew up watching western films, which portray common stereotypes of Native Americans and white people: The cowboy always wins and the Indians are perceived as uncivilized enemies.  Victor embraces the personality of the stoic, mean Indian, where as Thomas embraces the personality of a medicine man.  “You gotta look mean or people won’t respect you.  White people will run all over you if you don’t look mean.  You gotta look like a warrior!  You gotta look like you just came back from killing a buffalo…this ain’t “Dances With Salmon” you know”(Victor- Smoke Signals)!  Even though the Coeur d’Alene were fishermen, white people assimilated all Native Americans as one nation.  All of the culture and traditions of different nations were never integrated into society, but replaced by one culture of the plain nations: hunting buffalo, Teepees, face paint, etc.  Society still sees Native Americans as less superior to white people.  For example, Thomas and Victor had to sit in the back of the bus because two white men took their seats.  They had no choice but to sit in the back because if they fought back, they would be kicked off the bus; no one would stand up for them.  A white man also accused Victor and Thomas for the whole car wreck and said that Victor was the drunk one.  “This man apparently wants to press charges against you.  He said and I quote “you assaulted him and pushed him to the ground”(Police Sheriff- Smoke Signals).  If it wasn’t for the wife calling her husband “a complete asshole,” Thomas and Victor may very well have been arrested for the car wreck.  Victor tells the sheriff, “I don’t drink, never had a drop of alcohol in my life, not a drop”(Victor-Smoke Signals), and the sheriff says, “what kind of Indian are you”(Sheriff-Smoke Signals)?  One can tell how ignorant the sheriff is by assuming that all Indians are uncontrollable alcoholics.  Although equal treatment between Native Americans and white people are getting better, there is still “invisible oppression”(people don’t even realize they are doing it) and assimilation of Native Nations.