I read the book last year (prior to the movie coming out). And the book goes over, in quite a lot of detail, the Indian Reform Schools that the government had built. Native Children were required, and sometimes forced, to attend these places. Once there, they were given White names, the boys often had their hair chopped, and would be forced to speak in English. Sure enough, the kids began losing a grip on their native tongues cuz they'd stay in these places for months on end. I believe that Mollie Kyle was one of these children. I do forget when this name was adopted by her. Could be prior to the school, but I forget. Kids were given an education, but it came at the cost of them being separated from their families, their culture, their traditions, and language. Physical and sexual abuse of children was often prevalent in these places. And a LOT of kids developed mental health issues (depression, suicidal ideation. Some even committed suicide), and led to drug addiction problems down the road. Idk if you heard, but a year or so ago in Canada, mass Graves were discovered in places where similar schools used to stand. The remains of HUNDREDS of Native, Indigenous kids were found there. And I'm quite certain this has also happened in the US. Just AWFUL stuff, to put it mildly. I had read about these places a LONG time ago in fifth grade in a Horrible Histories book but it has slipped my mind. When I played some Red Dead Redemption 2, I came across a burnt, abandoned school for the reeducation of Native kids. And that jogged my memory. It was nice to see a game acknowledge, although in a small way, the terrible things these kids had to suffer.
I think the radio play ending is a really interesting way of showing that these stories are being told by people who didn't live it. It isn't being told by the Osage, its being told by entertainers. Kind of an interesting dichotomy between trying to make sure that the story is told, but also recognizing that maybe you aren't the one who should be telling it. There's no right answer, and the story probably isn't told without someone like Scorcese having the power to get it done, but he also recognizes the problems within that.
i think the traditional native American 'God' is like the worship nature: the earth, the rivers, the buffalo, the sky. However, after re-education, many Osage became catholic.
You are not indigenous. Don't speak for others who can speak for themselves. We still exist. Don't guess about our culture. Just ask in a respectful way.
