Dance with the Wolves

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As a fan of the western movies, I am fascinated by the rugged and unstrained beauty of the grand west the movies portray. I’m not sure if the depictions in the movies are accurate or not, but they shouldn’t be too far off. Despite the view of the west, something else that also caught my attention is the portrayal of Native Americans. 

For some people primitive, cruel, belligerent are merely enough to describe the Native Americans. Cutting out human scalps and wearing them on their shirts is one of the scenes that repeatedly shown in movies. In the movie "Legend of Fall", Tristan Ludlow, who was raised by an Native American, killed twenty German soldiers and covers himself with their scalps as trophies. All these horrifying images of them never alters my interest in these fascinating people. 

“Dances with the Wolves” is the first movie that depicts the Native Americans that I’ve ever seen. The story is about an injured First Lieutenant, Dunbar, who volunteered to go to the western frontier before the vast land is gone. However, he ends up being the only soldier in the abandoned post. Just a few days after he arrives the post, a group of Sioux broke into his post and tried to steal his horse. He seeks out to establish a relationship with the Clan after encountering them several times. With the help of “Stands with a Fist”, a white girl who grew up with the Native Americans, he begins to be involved in their everyday life and eventually is drawn to their life style and becomes an Native American. 

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As an outsider, I'm stunned to see how the Native Americans live and fight against the unpredictability of nature. The scene of Indian warriors fighting against the another clan to protect their families still lingers in my mind. Just as Dunbar says in the movie, " This had not been a fight for territory or riches or to make men free. This battle had no ego. It had been fought to preserve the food stores that would see us through winter, to protect the lives of women and children and loved ones only a few feet away."

I don't know what the fresh buffalo's tongues taste like, but I know these animals are the Native American's life sources. On one hand, it is very exciting to see the warriors slaughtering buffalo to help their families get through the winter. On the other hand, I lament that these moments can only be seen in movies. 
                                     

After a hundred years, the west gradually lost its unique beauty. What perished along with it were the Native Americans. Most of them are either living at reservations, suffering from poverty, disease, or have assimilated into modern American culture, gradually losing the strength of their ancestors and their unique way of life.