Smoke Signals

A constant occurring theme displayed in the film, Smoking Signals is dealing with an individual’s past in order to progress in one’s future. A saying that was introduced in the beginning of the movie was “Sometimes to go forward you have to drive in reverse”. This quote sheds light upon many occurrences within the film, and it begins with the dark history of Americans conquering the land of the Native Americans. As a result of this, the contemporary Native Americans deal with the troublesome encounters with “whites” by being socially, economically and culturally shunned from what was their native homeland before the Americans came. They have chosen to cope with historical misfortune by decided to adhere to their ancestor’s cultural practices, of story-telling, living on a reservation, the making of traditional dishes and lastly the traits associated with being an Native American such as bravery, stoicism, as well as other practiced traditions opposed to conforming to traditions and cultures of White Americans.

The main characters Victor and Thomas both have encountered troubling events as children in the past that have affected them as young adults. Thomas adheres to the cultural traditions of Native Americans, however being raised by his grandmother after the death of his parents has hindered his growth as a “Native American” male. The lack of presence by Arnold Joseph in his son’s life has caused a lot of anger and resentment within his life. Both young men turned to each other for support because they had a lack of a father figure within their life. The turning point where they are able to bury their troubles and move forward with their lives is traveling to retrieve Arnold’s remains. During their journey they got into an accident and for the first time in their relationship aside, they were able to set aside their differences and overall their relationship transitioned from “frenemies” to realizing that they both had a lot more in common they originally thought and even were able to grow from the troubles they dealt with as children. In the end the two young men are able to cope with their misfortunes with the learned knowledge of their past as well as their shared cultural values.