Powwow Highway 1989

Buddy Red Bow, A Martinez, a quick-tempered activist and member of the Northern Cheyenne from Lame Deer, Montana, is locked in a struggle against greedy developers attempting to push through a strip-mining contract on the reservation. He is determined to persuade the tribal council to vote against it, balancing his fierce loyalty to his people with the political pressure to compromise. The story grounds him in a community where history, land, and identity are as important as any legal argument, and where every decision could shape the future of his homeland.

Philbert Bono, Gary Farmer, is a hulking man guided by sacred visions who believes he’s in search of medicine and tokens from the spirits. One night at a bar, a car commercial about finding a “pony” sparks a sign, and he interprets it as a summons to a quest. He trades some marijuana to a junkyard proprietor to acquire a beat-up 1964 Buick Wildcat he names Protector. After a few false starts, Protector finally roars to life, even as parts continue to fall off along the way, becoming a moving symbol of Philbert’s spiritual journey and stubborn optimism.

Bonnie Red Bow, Joanelle Romero, Buddy’s estranged sister, is arrested in Santa Fe after drugs are planted in her car—an elaborate setup by developers hoping to blunt the vote. Buddy becomes the family link who can help Bonnie and her children, Jane and Sky Red Bow, though the bail process is tangled and delayed by the holiday schedule. This personal crisis ties tightly into the larger political fight, reminding everyone that battles over land and justice are lived in the lives of real people.

Rabbit Layton, Amanda Wyss, Bonnie’s best friend, steps in as a crucial ally when Bonnie’s bail becomes a priority. Rabbit’s involvement adds a layer of urgency and camaraderie to the mission, and her presence helps to deepen the bond between Buddy, Bonnie, and those who stand with them. As the trio pieces together a plan, the air thickens with a sense that time is running short before the holidays close the door on their chances.

The road to Santa Fe becomes a testing ground for the trio’s resolve. They travel with a mix of pragmatism and prayer, and Philbert’s patient, religious rhythm contrasts with Buddy’s immediacy and frustration. Their journey leads them to a Pow Wow at the Pine Ridge Reservation, where Buddy dances with fellow veterans, and to the sacred Black Hills in South Dakota, where Philbert reverently leaves a giant Hershey’s chocolate bar as an offering to their ancestors. Through these stops, the two men begin to understand one another more deeply, and their shared purpose slowly forges a bond that will help them confront what lies ahead. The journey is less about the destination than about the acts of listening, honoring tradition, and finding a path forward together.

Back in Santa Fe, Bonnie’s bail remains unresolved, and Rabbit and Buddy try to keep the plan alive. In a late-night gathering, Rabid energy and a budding attraction between Rabbit and Buddy begin to surface, while Philbert receives a spark of inspiration about how to move forward. The trio then hatches a bold plan: Philbert will extract Bonnie’s children from a hotel and they will regroup at the precinct to confront the situation directly.

A daring jailbreak follows a moment of Western-film inspiration. Philbert uses Protector and a rope to wrench the jail bars from the building, while the tribal chief—Chief Joseph, Sam Vlahos—observes from the outside. The chase intensifies as Buddy tries to slow the pursuit by hurling the loose window from Philbert’s car at a pursuing police unit, causing a crash. The scene grows tense as it seems that Philbert perishes in the flaming wreck, and the pursuit splinters into uncertainty and grief.

But the turning point arrives when Philbert survives the crash, and he reappears with the necklace Buddy had lost. The reunion is heartfelt as Bonnie, her children, Rabbit, and Buddy rally around Philbert, and the group finds strength in their renewed togetherness. The tribal chief, having tracked their journey, pulls up in his truck to give them a ride home, signaling a final, quiet readiness to return to the community and vote against the strip-mining contract. In the end, the journey that began as a fight to save land becomes a testament to endurance, friendship, and the power of unity in a community’s long struggle for justice.