Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) ****

Adapted from the sprawling book by Dee Brown, the film wisely takes the route of one particular tribe to relate the general native American experience of the late 1800's. I've briefly skimmed through the chapters before and it culls together an incredible amount of history and accounts from numerous tribes and it simply wouldn't have been feasible to cover all that on a conventional level. Even then, it falls a little short for that very reason. But the work is exceptional despite this predicament and I encourage anyone to check this out.

Choosing to focus on the Sioux, it begins at the outset of the historic battle of Little Big Horn in which Custer and his men were killed. From there, it soon develops a fork in which the Sioux are destined to survive on a reservation and a young Sioux boy is taken to learn the ways of the civilized white man through boarding school. It's this story that particularly interests me due to the fact that light hasn't really been shed on the American Indian boarding school experience during that period. Ohiyesa (top left photo), or Charles Eastman as he came to be known, is the youth the film focuses on and he grows to be a model native for hopes of assimilation. In terms of the Sioux experience (more Lakota than anything else), they cover the Dawes Act of 1887, the capture and death of Sitting Bull, the Wounded Knee Massacre soon after, and the Ghost Dance religion that would spread by way of a shaman named Wovoka. Don't fret: there's more than what I've listed here and it goes to show the care that went into making this production.

If there's one thing I wish to address, it's the nature of the Ghost Dance. Wovoka never intended to propagate the prophecy that the white man will soon disappear but rather, that the natives should learn to live in peace with the whites. This was the genesis but as other tribes picked this up as it spread northward into the Plains, other tribes soon interpreted it as the way it's told in the film. So in this sense, it was a tad inaccurate but it was still great that they chose to emphasize it at all. However, the film glosses over why and how the Ghost Dance played a huge role leading up to Wounded Knee. I felt this could've made the present scene stronger than it is now without detracting from the overall arc of the narrative.

The Last of His Tribe (1992) ***1/2

Alfred Kroeber (left), Ishi (right)

Ishi is the equivalent of discovering a once-thought extinct species having actually managed to survive sight unseen for decades. From the southernmost Yana, he was the last of the Yahi tribe and the last remnant of a "wild" America - of a frontier West. He represents a bygone era when cowboys and Indians weren't just movies but a way of life; it meant more than rowdy little boys simply playing dress up. So one could imagine the tremendous feeling of loss when the man passed in 1916 of tuberculosis; it meant losing an individual who didn't see bows and arrows as tools for sport but as a means of survival. And for those who developed a strong likeness and spiritual connection to his gentle soul, it also meant the loss of a great, singular friendship.

But of course, onto the film.

Directed for HBO TV by Harry Hook, The Last of His Tribe is a respectable movie although there were some glaring inaccuracies. I've read what is perhaps the seminal literary work on the man, Ishi in Two Worlds by Theodora Kroeber (Alfred's wife), and anyone who watches this film after having read that book will easily catch one of the most annoying changes made to the filmic adaptation. And there are several instances not unlike this one throughout the movie but fortunately, it doesn't take away from the main point. And ultimately, that's what matters. Besides, by now, people should expect cinematic tellings of literature to be pretty liberal in outcome anyway. So all in all, this was a decent effort made respectable due to Graham Greene's bold performance as Ishi. This easily ranks among one of his best and I believe he really captures the gentleman of the real figure as well as his ever-constant curiosity.

Regardless, read the book if you have the time to invest in it. Because of course, for time constraints, key things had to be omitted. Much like the Civilized Tribes had their Trails of Tears and the Navajo had their Long Walk, the Yahi also had the Long Concealment. The film eludes to it but in brevity and that's unfortunate because it marked a point of no return. With white settlers encroaching further into their natural land and diminishing their numbers dramatically, Ishi and the couple survivors at the time forced themselves into near oblivion by covering their tracks with the utmost urgency and care for so long that many eventually came to believe they no longer existed. That is until... well, the film happens to delve into it a bit (although a bit inaccurate once again). Another aspect of Ishi's life that could've made for an interesting character study is his gradual transition into civilization in the way he learned to save his earnings, work for wages, purchase goods, and get around on the trolley. He had a keen fascination for the most basic of inventions (ie: matches) while he saw natural and even bland some of the great wonders (ie: airplanes, skyscrapers) that would've held most of us in awe. But such was his unique perception of the world around him.

**SPOILERS**

For those who have seen the film, I felt it necessary to note some of the errors not simply for the sake of accuracy but because I feel it best to help people know the figures for who they really were. Some of the errors made involve compromising their actual characters which can lead people to develop false conclusions about them.

• 
  Alfred's wife is named Henriette Kroeber in the film but her real name is Theodora. Also, she dies well before Alfred but she actually went on to survive Alfred as well as write the book Ishi in Two Worlds among others.

• 
  Alfred Kroeber is developed as a well-meaning person but keen on completing his book on Ishi - sometimes at the expense of his friendship with Ishi. But aside from devoting his life to native history and defending native rights in general, Alfred was actually a very loyal friend of Ishi's to his death and his loss affected him profoundly for a long time thereafter.

• 
  Pope, who is portrayed as little more than an adventurous oaf, arguably had the deepest connection to Ishi on several levels. His love for practical experience of native cultures (ie: hunting) led to a spiritual closeness to him that was difficult to surpass even by those closest to him.

• 
  Ishi didn't actually wear his "civilized" articles of clothing during the scenes in which Ishi and the others go out to Deer Creek (his homeland) to live the Yahi way. He adhered to the traditional Yahi male dress of a covering around his waist and over his genitalia.

• 
  A scene suggests Ishi shared an evening with a prostitute provided by Pope. This was never the case as Ishi harbored a shyness towards women. After all, by the time he reached a sexually active age, the remainder of women were more or less related to him in blood and was during the period of Concealment. And he also never seemed to really indicate any want of a sexually active lifestyle.
  

Billy Jack (1971) **1/2

Co-directed and starring Tom Laughlin, Billy Jack is a half-breed native American who has fought in the Vietnam war and has strong tribal ties to the land he defends. Who he specifically defends it against are the sheriff and his goons if you will who have no regard for tribal boundaries or the people; it's not just natives either as he goes on to attack an entire school. And herein lies the genesis of the story.

Billy Jack is of a series I've learned; the character is first introduced in a motorcycle flick called The Born Losers. Feeling very anti-establishment and "hippie", there's a lot of support for Mary Jane sprinkled here and there. All the while, Billy uses his Hapkido skills to take down corrupted officials and the law. Yea, it's a strange little film but surprisingly, it wasn't really campy at all although it seemed wavering; for a strong message film, it has an unmistakable midnight movie/exploitation feel through and through. But perhaps those were the very people Billy most connected with at that point in time.

Spoilers herein ***

I first developed an interest in this after reading a book called Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog. She describes a day she, her husband Leonard, and their friends decide to go watch Billy Jack. They spoke about how the final shootout reminded them of the ordeal they faced during the Wounded Knee Incident of 1973 in which natives held out against government forces packed to the brim with artillery for about a month. They go on to say in comparison to that, Billy had it easy. And I must concur.

In regards to cultural presence, there are some interesting scenes although I'm skeptical about its authenticity. One involves an Indian Snake Ceremony in which a man who wishes to prove himself must stand within the proximity of a snake at all times and allow himself to be bitten multiple times; according to the intro credits, the consultant was Rolling Thunder of the Shoshone. Another is the Wovoka Friendship Dance and resembled Smithson's Spiral Jetty in formation. This one was consulted by a member of the Paiute. I wish they could've shown these in their entirety but I understand for the purposes of telling the bigger picture, they must be edited to serve that end.

This is a decent movie but I'd only recommend it to those who have a strong taste for cult or exploitation. And even then, it may not particularly satisfy as I've mentioned before: it stands on middle ground and seems somewhat content with staying that way. I suppose one could say that's a nod to Billy himself.

The Doe Boy (2001) ****

This was recommended to me by a comment left on my Four Sheets post. And I'm very happy I picked it up. The Doe Boy is about a haemophiliac kid named Hunter (James Duval) born to a white father (Kevin Anderson) and a Cherokee mother (Jeri Arredondo). The father is quite a man's man in that he loves to hunt, do his own repairs, and has a passion for flight so Hunter has a difficult time pleasing him in those regards due to his health.

Directed by Randy Redroad and produced by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals), this is another impressive debut about a boy who tries to cope with his father's standards as well as the obstacles placed in his life. Running just a tad under 90 minutes, it's quick yet it takes its time in telling a simple story. What I liked most about this film is it doesn't make an issue out of his father being white. It becomes apparent that both worlds are well accepted by everyone despite some skepticism here and there.