Essay, Research Paper: A Man Called Horse

A Man Called Horse

I have viewed the film, "A Man Called Horse," and when asked if I would want to be depicted as the Indian people were in this movie I would say that I would be proud to be a part of that way of life. The Indian people were proud of what they were and things were sacred to them like nothing is to us today. Some argue of there barbaric-like ways when in fact they have just not yet been infected by the advances we have now. I wish my life was similar to their way of living.
The people in this film were responsible hard working people. Work and family were always before play and leisure. The Indians in this film ran a tight ship with harvesting and cooking and sewing to be done. People not working were either injured or dead. Men and women had jobs to do. The men killed the food and cleaned for there families to eat while the women made bowls, clothes, and other important family needs. It is a rare household that works together and lives together as a family today and that is an absence that will take its toll on those who have not yet already felt it.
Another way these people were better was the way they respected the dead. That's not to say no one person today is not respectful to those who have died close to them but the Indians held more elaborate ceremonies for those lost in the war at the end as well as for the old lady. Some say that cutting yourself in grief for others is extreme, but to me it is understandable. If something happen to you or someone else close to you that makes you feel so incredibly full of sorrow on the inside, why is it unreasonable to show that feeling on the outside? Whether it is in respect to that person or whether it helps you get through something I think it is reasonable. The people not only had respect for the dead but for their surroundings as well. They would not harm nature by killing unused organisms or using more land than is necessary. The food they take is the food they eat and no more is left over and they seemed to put as much back into nature as they took out. They farmed foods that helped enrich the soil they used. The respect that these people had for their surroundings was incomparable to the way we live today.
Another thing that was sacred to the Indian people in the film was marriage. The white man had to withstand great pain before he could be wed to the young Indian girl. He was purified by pain to the point of hallucination to signify his loyalty and what he would go through to be with her. He didn't even have to go through the pain but to prove to the Indians he wasn't just a sissy white man he was hung by his nipples and spun in circles. Again, extreme but meaningful to say the least. Loyalty I have never seen in my life.
I would be proud to be on of the Indians depicted in this film. There would be some getting used to it but I found them to be commendable people. The white man was taught a lesson in respect and loyalty that we could all use today.