Dreamkeeper Sparknotes

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Recommended: Traditional beliefs of American Indians

In the film, Dreamkeeper, I felt that I learned a lot of interesting stories that the Grandfather Pete Chasing Horse told his troubled young grandson, Shane. The movie started off with the grandfather talking with kids and telling them the story of Eagle boy until Shane was thrown out of a car from the people he owed money to. Shane got in trouble because he pawned a ring for his girlfriend rather than a boom box for the gangster he worked for. The Eagle Boy was alone on the hill with just the buffalo robe and sacred pipe as well as himself, he desired a vision. However, we later find out why he was being denied a vision over and over again. His path to redemption somehow coincides with the destiny of Shane. The Grandfather Pete Chasing Horse …show more content…

The main questions are how to measure it and who really has it? (Native 27). An interesting difference that I saw between the movie and the reading during Week one was how Shane was able to recognize the Pawnee tribal woman at the Powwow and how he related the horse tale of the poor grandson and grandmother to her. However, in the reading during Week one it states how, ““The Big Game”- basketball tournament amongst Native Americans led to controversy over the lack of identity. Some did not have government cards; some did not look the part. However, the whole Navajo could recite their clan affiliation and introduce themselves in the Navajo language. In the end the championship game got canceled; there was no champion (Native 29). Throughout the film, it talks about specific tribes in these tales and often times they had some noticeable differences such as location and environment. In the week one reading, it states how the people matrix can be seen through their differences in language, sacred history, ceremonial cycle, and place/territory (Native 36). However, in this film, Dreamkeeper, I felt that the environment of the Powwow in the end was so peaceful and was a combination of many Native American cultures. It was great to see people dancing in circles and listening to stories about different tribes and tales. The indigenous identity today seems to revolve around the elders as well as the Powwows, as it did for Shane, it helps confused young Native American men and women to learn where they come from and the beliefs their people had about the white man who helped them, animals spirituality, and its’ own Native American

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