The Exiles (1961) highlights the struggles of Native Americans who were transferred from their reservations and, in the simplest of terms, ‘exiled’ from their communities. The federal government provided aid for the relocation of Native Americans from their reserves to metropolitan areas in the 1940s, known as the Indian Relocation Act. This program, like many in America, came with skepticism and criticism due to the unwillingness to provide sufficient funds and resources.
The setting of the movie is Los Angeles, California, a city notorious for providing ample employment opportunities. Contrary to the preconceived notion, many Native Americans had to deal with antilocution, culture shock, and identity crises. Moreover, some of them felt hopeless because it seemed like they were perpetually stuck in a dead end. This Act served as a temporary solution, covering up the so-called ‘Indian Problem’ for American society.
In the movie, viewers also see the depiction of Western gender roles through the portrayal of men who resort to alcoholism and drug usage due to the inability to find work, in stark contrast to the situation on the reservation.
Let’s start with the region of Los Angeles. Here women and men had their duties, and a sense of identity. Their accepted customs accompanied with their rituals. In Los Angeles, they felt as if somebody was always staring at them and therefore, they were unable to feel comfortable. Luckily, they found a hill bordering the city where they met after the bars closed. They sang traditional songs accompanied by the beating of drums to feel comfortable, safe, and free.
One moment that moved me came when a friend of mine was standing outside a liquor store as he waited for a friend to help him out. He takes from his pocket a letter and a picture he got from his parents, and with them comes a moment with a dad singing and shaking a rattle and a mother and a little sister beside him hanging out under a tree sitting in the shade. He also shares vivid memories about the vegetables from the reservation and the way home used to be like. Suddenly, my friend’s buddy steps out of the shop with a bottle in his hand and sometimes within the same moment, he folds the letter and puts it in his pocket.
They head back home to grab some cash from their savings jar so they can pay their rent. Along the way, they are joined by their girlfriends and some small children but after a short while, they decide to take off and gamble, leaving their family behind.
These untamed situations were what gave me the impression that this was a wonderful film (or a documentary, if you may) because it shows the less appealing side of urbanization of Native Americans and its effect on our people. I think my personal connection to the film is due to the stories I heard from my elders during the relocation period (1940’s to 1960’s). It further aided my understanding of fragments of my family.
The depiction of surviving in the Native American community’s diverse facets such as homelessness, unemployment, being a victim of racism, cultural erosion, and being put in substandard housing did not make me think that the Indian Relocation Act was a positive step from the federal government. I viewed it as a form of a covert assimilation attempt though in reality, that also is a matter of whose perspectives are being taken into consideration. Is assimilation the answer? Not in my book.
Maybe this is yet another illustration of the hardships serving as markers of survival for my community due to the adaptability, perseverance, and resilience we possess.
Moreover, it is critical to highlight that the film completely ignores the existence of Two-Spirit people, who, although rare today, are often found in the Indigenous communities. This is just additional proof of the unwillingness of America as a country to fully accept Indigenous heritage and culture.
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