Powwow Highway
Encyclopedia
Powwow Highway is a 1989
comedic
road movie
based on a novel by David Seals
. It features A Martinez
, Gary Farmer
, and Amanda Wyss
. Wes Studi
and Graham Greene
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
, the American Dream
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
and First Nations
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Nominated
comedic
road movie
based on a novel by David Seals
. It features A Martinez
, Gary Farmer
, and Amanda Wyss
. Wes Studi
and Graham Greene
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
, the American Dream
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
and First Nations
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Nominated
comedic
road movie
based on a novel by David Seals
. It features A Martinez
, Gary Farmer
, and Amanda Wyss
. Wes Studi
and Graham Greene
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
, the American Dream
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
and First Nations
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Nominated
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
comedic
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
road movie
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
based on a novel by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
. It features A Martinez
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue Martinez, III , better known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.-Early life:...
, Gary Farmer
Gary Farmer
- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
, and Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss is an American film and television actress.-Movie career:Discovered by an agent as a teen while starring in the play The Bad Seed at a local Los Angeles theatre, she went on to work in commercials and landed her first television role, recurring on Universal's When the Whistle Blows as...
. Wes Studi
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
and Graham Greene
Graham Greene (actor)
Graham Greene is a Canadian actor who has worked on stage, and in film and TV productions in Canada, England and the United States.-Early life:...
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
Plot
For the Northern CheyenneCheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer is a census-designated place in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,018 at the 2000 census. Lame Deer is part of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and the home of the Chief Dull Knife College. Lame Deer is the starting location of the movie Powwow...
, the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, formerly named the Tongue River Indian Reservation, is an Indian reservation that is home to the Northern Cheyenne tribe of the Native Americans. It is located around the small towns of Lame Deer and Ashland, Montana, in parts of Rosebud and Big Horn...
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Powwow Highway did poorly at the box office, grossing a mere $283,747, despite mostly positive reviews. It then enjoyed a notable second life in video and DVD sales, especially among Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Awards
Won- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Filmmakers Trophy - Dramatic (Jonathan Wacks) - Native American Film Festival - Best Picture (Jan Wieringa, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Director (Jonathan Wacks)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Actor (A Martinez)
Nominated
- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Grand Jury Prize (Jonathan Wacks) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best First Feature (Jan Wieringa, Jonathan Wacks, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Supporting Male (Gary Farmer) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Cinematography (Toyomichi Kurita)
External links
Powwow Highway is a 19891989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
comedic
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
road movie
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
based on a novel by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
. It features A Martinez
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue Martinez, III , better known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.-Early life:...
, Gary Farmer
Gary Farmer
- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
, and Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss is an American film and television actress.-Movie career:Discovered by an agent as a teen while starring in the play The Bad Seed at a local Los Angeles theatre, she went on to work in commercials and landed her first television role, recurring on Universal's When the Whistle Blows as...
. Wes Studi
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
and Graham Greene
Graham Greene (actor)
Graham Greene is a Canadian actor who has worked on stage, and in film and TV productions in Canada, England and the United States.-Early life:...
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
Plot
For the Northern CheyenneCheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer is a census-designated place in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,018 at the 2000 census. Lame Deer is part of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and the home of the Chief Dull Knife College. Lame Deer is the starting location of the movie Powwow...
, the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, formerly named the Tongue River Indian Reservation, is an Indian reservation that is home to the Northern Cheyenne tribe of the Native Americans. It is located around the small towns of Lame Deer and Ashland, Montana, in parts of Rosebud and Big Horn...
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Powwow Highway did poorly at the box office, grossing a mere $283,747, despite mostly positive reviews. It then enjoyed a notable second life in video and DVD sales, especially among Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Awards
Won- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Filmmakers Trophy - Dramatic (Jonathan Wacks) - Native American Film Festival - Best Picture (Jan Wieringa, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Director (Jonathan Wacks)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Actor (A Martinez)
Nominated
- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Grand Jury Prize (Jonathan Wacks) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best First Feature (Jan Wieringa, Jonathan Wacks, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Supporting Male (Gary Farmer) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Cinematography (Toyomichi Kurita)
External links
Powwow Highway is a 19891989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
comedic
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
road movie
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
based on a novel by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
. It features A Martinez
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue Martinez, III , better known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.-Early life:...
, Gary Farmer
Gary Farmer
- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
, and Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss
Amanda Wyss is an American film and television actress.-Movie career:Discovered by an agent as a teen while starring in the play The Bad Seed at a local Los Angeles theatre, she went on to work in commercials and landed her first television role, recurring on Universal's When the Whistle Blows as...
. Wes Studi
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
and Graham Greene
Graham Greene (actor)
Graham Greene is a Canadian actor who has worked on stage, and in film and TV productions in Canada, England and the United States.-Early life:...
, who were relatively unknown actors at the time, have small supporting roles.
Plot
For the Northern CheyenneCheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
tribe of Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer, Montana
Lame Deer is a census-designated place in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,018 at the 2000 census. Lame Deer is part of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and the home of the Chief Dull Knife College. Lame Deer is the starting location of the movie Powwow...
, the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
has taken a grim detour. Buddy Red Bow (Martinez), a quick-tempered activist, is battling greedy developers who send fast-talking, slick Sandy Youngblood to the reservation
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, formerly named the Tongue River Indian Reservation, is an Indian reservation that is home to the Northern Cheyenne tribe of the Native Americans. It is located around the small towns of Lame Deer and Ashland, Montana, in parts of Rosebud and Big Horn...
to try to persuade the council to vote in favor of a strip-mining contract. Philbert Bono (Farmer) is a serene hulk of a man guided by sacred visions. He desperately wants to find his medicine, tokens from the spirits, and starts his journey to become a warrior by trading some marijuana, booze, and a few bucks for his 'war pony' - a rusted out, beat up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names 'Protector.' Meanwhile, Buddy's estranged sister, Bonnie, is arrested in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
and Buddy is the only family member who can help her and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow. Buddy does not own a car, so he is forced to make the journey with Philbert. They set out on their road trip, and Philbert's easygoing ways and insistence on frequent stops to pray and eat prove irritating at first to Buddy, but the men reach an understanding as the trip wears on. When they finally reach Santa Fe, they meet up with Bonnie's friend, Rabbit (Wyss) who is also trying to get Bonnie out of jail. Buddy and Philbert end up taking more than just a trip from Lame Deer to Santa Fe, finding themselves on a journey with many unexpected twists, turns, and stops. Together, they face the realities and dreams of being Cheyenne in the modern-day United States as they travel down the Powwow Highway.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Powwow Highway did poorly at the box office, grossing a mere $283,747, despite mostly positive reviews. It then enjoyed a notable second life in video and DVD sales, especially among Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people. The film aired numerous times on HBO and Bravo, and has been translated into 8 languages; it is often shown in France, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
called Gary Farmer's performance "...one of the most wholly convincing I’ve seen..." Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
called the sequel novel Sweet Medicine, by David Seals
David Seals
David Seals is a Huron writer specializing in Native American culture and history.-Publishing and film career:...
, "a comic masterpiece." In Sweet Medicine, the characters complain about how they were portrayed in the film, and pass on seeing it when they have the chance.
Awards
Won- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Filmmakers Trophy - Dramatic (Jonathan Wacks) - Native American Film Festival - Best Picture (Jan Wieringa, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Director (Jonathan Wacks)
- Native American Film Festival - Best Actor (A Martinez)
Nominated
- Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- Grand Jury Prize (Jonathan Wacks) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best First Feature (Jan Wieringa, Jonathan Wacks, George Harrison & Denis O'Brien) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Supporting Male (Gary Farmer) - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
- Best Cinematography (Toyomichi Kurita)