blog 2

Redskin, a film based around the concept of Native American boarding schools, involves the idea that schooling natives with the thought to assimilate them into a white society causes more harm than good. The film shows to two very specific examples, through the characters Corn Blossom and Little Wing. The movie begins with Little Wing, the son of the Navajo Chief being taken to boarding school. As he arrives he is instructed to salute the U.S. flag, but devoutly refuses to do so. As a result he is whipped, and taunted about this situation for the remainder of the movie. As he is sitting aside from the other children crying he meets a younger pueblo girl named Corn Blossom and a bond is formed. Initially it seems that this will be a love story tat unfolds, but ultimately parlays into a pair that can help to show this clash of worlds in two ways. Little Wing is granted a scholarship to a university (the first “Redskin” to get one) and turns out to be a star on the track team. Quickly he realizes he is simply a novelty and is being used for his speed and that he is looked down upon by the whites. Disgusted he returns to his tribe, only to be scorned for his dress and seeming full change to white society. He is shunned when he does not fully except the sole ways of the tribe. His struggle here is that although he does not desire to be white, but understand that the advances in medicine and philosophy prove the natives to be ignorant. He is exiled and stuck as he will not join the whites and cannot rejoin the tribe. Little Wing’s struggle shows what it was like for many natives. Educated enough to realize their primitive ways are not for the benefit of their people, but are not socially accepted into a racist society.
Corn Blossoms story is nearly opposite, well educated and assimilated into white society, she is led to believe her mother is dying and races back to the tribe to find this was a lie. Unlike Little Wing’s experience she is forced back into the native way when this is not what she wanted, but could not return to white society because she was being forced to marry.
The two cultures had such conflicting ideologies; seemingly polar opposites, but neither were accepting of a person in the middle of the two cultures.