The Searchers (Ford 1956) and Thunderheart (Apted 1991) both utilize racial conflicts between Indians and whites to construct and later dismantle, a societal expectation for individuals to accept one racial identity. The flexibility of racial identities is included to contrast with the stark polarization of racial groups.
However, this clean division of race is soon muddled by a character who refuses to accept this mistaken belief. The films decide to embrace a dual identity.
As portrayed in the breakdown of the white male hero stereotype, each film details the ability for non-white individuals to no longer live on the outskirts of society, rather integrate into it.
The Searchers
Race in The Searchers becomes an issue in the relationships of the central character Ethan on his quest to rescue his niece Debbie from the Comanche tribe. With the aid of nonwhite Martin, Debbie escapes her captor, Comanche leader Scar, and reintegrates into her family.
The division of races can be represented by the contrast of Ethan and Scar, where the former is symbolic of the oppressive white man and the latter symbolic of the Indian race. Ethan defines race according to blood which affects his interactions with part-Cherokee Martin.
According to Ethan’s philosophy, whiteness is achieved by pristine blood, thus he rejects Martin as white as his blood is polluted. The inability to see past blood “is historically the position of the segregationist and white supremacist” (Henderson).
Ethan denounces Martin’s ability to become the stereotypical white male hero and therefore takes up the role himself. The resistance to accept Martin as kin, and consequently, a white man, speaks to Ethan’s idea that one must be a pureblooded white to gain the honors of whiteness. This harsh division of race creates a false dichotomy, which polarizes the two races.
However, the film disproves the false division constructed by Ethan through the relationship between Ethan and Scar. The audience may believe they are the opposites of each other, however, Day argues “Ethan demonstrates many of the same characteristics he despises in his enemy.”
Most importantly they share a parallel motive—vengeance. Scar seeks revenge against the white community for taking their land; Ethan needs to avenge the death of his family.
What distinguishes each’s revenge is the justification by an Ideal Law, the one law “supposed to reign over all humans” (Henderson). This law supports Ethan’s quest, but not Scar’s due to its construction to uphold the actions of whites and punish Indians.
Truly, there is no difference between the two, except for the punishment they face. Due to this moral likeness, the film then argues an individual may be able to identify with multiple races.
Debbie’s return “to the Jorgensens still in her Indian garb, suggest[s] that she now maintains a dual white/Native American identity” (Day). Debbie’s ability to hold onto both races then poses the question: Why do Ethan and the white community force Martin to choose?
Why do Ethan and the white community force Martin to choose?
Thunderheart
A similar question pertains to the protagonist of Thunderheart as FBI agent Ray Levoi is presented with a similar dilemma in which he can embrace his Indian heritage or denounce it and partake in corrupt white America.
Although he condemns his Indian heritage, Ray is assigned to a homicide investigation on an Indian reservation because of it. By the end of the film, he learns how to appreciate and embraces his Indian ancestry and uncover illegal activities committed by the US government.
On one hand, Ray identifies with his Indian heritage, quits his job, and never returns to his former identity. He chooses to denounce his whiteness to dissociate with the corruptness of the government.
Despite the racial dichotomy, it is still possible for Ray to become an intermediate.
However, a more interesting argument would allow Ray, like Debbie, to maintain a dual identity. Taken what he learns on the reservation, Ray “enjoys the best of the white world and the Indian world” (Pack) and becomes a white-Indian as a result.
Despite the racial dichotomy, it is still possible for Ray to become an intermediate. Ray’s transitional identity is observed in the film itself.
In the scene where Ray and his superior Frank “Cooch” Coutelle first encounter the local police force Walter Crow Horse, Ray can be seen crouched, holding Crow Horse to the ground while Cooch stands upright.
The spatial organization is a direct symbol for the spectrum and hierarchy of race presented in the film. The white man (Cooch) stands passively observing the degradation of the Native American (Crow Horse).
Ray’s intermediate position can be depicted in two different ways. On one side, the middle forces Ray to choose--to lay on the floor with his fellow Natives or stand to see them suffer as a white. However, it can be interpreted as Ray’s ability to stay in-between the two races, taking the best from each. What forces Ray to choose?
Like The Searchers, the white community forces a definitive racial classification of individuals in order to dictate who is morally superior.
Application to US History
This hierarchy of race can be observed throughout US history, however, the source for inspiration for both films stems from political events of the late 20th century. The release of The Searchers film comes two years after the pivotal Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education in which the racial segregation of public schools was deemed unconstitutional.
With “race relations back to the forefront of American consciousness” (Eckstein), The Searchers portrays the attempt to desegregate society. Martin and Debbie despite their connection to the minority race can reintegrate into the community.
The film however fails to acknowledge the reality that the minority must conform to the white-dominated society. This white-centric idea of integration is related as well to the American Indian Movement (AIM) events that inspired Thunderheart.
The film takes inspiration from the Wounded Knee incident of 1973, the 71-day siege of the South Dakota town. The group attempted to impeach their corrupt elected tribal president and protest the government’s failure in fulfilling treaties with the Indian people; however, it failed.
The film though portrays the success of the Indian people to legitimize Ray’s newly embraced Indian identity. It was necessary for the protagonist to make the decision to embrace his heritage and take down the corrupt government in order for the film to depict the Indians positively and encourage the audience to continue fighting for Indian rights.
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