Hanscom - "Black Robe" Film

In the film "Black Robe", we were able to see how the traditional oral culture of the Native Americans responded to the written culture of the French. In the beginning of the film, Black Robe asked one of the Native Americans to tell him something that the French wouldn't know so he could write it down on paper. Black Robe wrote down what they told him and let the other French man read it in front of them. The Native Americans were astounded that he was able to know what they said just by reading the paper. They called it magic and thought they were cursed because of their language.

The Native Americans in the film obviously had a different spoken language than the French, but they also believed that nature spoke to them, imparting wisdom and instruction. I see that as a compensation for not having a written language. The Indians still sought information outside of them to know how to respond in certain situations and do what was best. For example, the Native American with dwarfism was revered by the other Indians as one with special powers. He used his authority in the community and interpreted the weather patterns to be signs from the spirits. It was a stormy night when the dwarf said that the spirits were angry because they were traveling with Black Robe. Black Robe was believed to be a demon for having this written language that no one else could understand.

The film was full of incredible images contrasting the two cultures. It comes to show how much written language affects our way of life and how we relate to others. Language barriers can be extremely difficult to overcome, yet in this film, we see how two very different kinds of people can come to love and honor one another. In the end, the tribe Black Robe was with decided to become Christians and were baptized. It was a sad ending hearing that the tribe was wiped out by their enemies. If they came to accept Jesus in their hearts, however, they are now healed and rejoicing in heaven with their Creator.

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