Dances With Wolves was on last night and while I've seen it a bunch of times I decided to watch it again to think about and analyze the story. Actually fell asleep during one part but the end credits had a statement that 13 years after the events in the movie the last band of Soix submitted to government authority at Fort Robinson and the great horse culture of the plains was forever gone. <br /><br />The people remain but the actual horse culture has vanished. While I didn't think any deep amazing analytical thoughts about Dances With Wolves, largely because I fell asleep, I was struck by the similarity of theme with another Kevin Costner western movie which didn't have any Indians at all: Open Range. <br /><br />Open Range was a cool movie about the tensions and conflicts between Ranchers and Free Grazers. Free Grazers stayed on the move with their herds camping out under the stars. Not sure if it was the end credits for that movie or the bonus material on the DVD where I learned that back to back harsh winters and a massive blizzard drove all the Free Grazers from the open range in the 1880s or 1890s. <br /><br />This got me thinking of the things that would pass away in the Frontier due to technological, social, ecomonic, even environmental changes.<br /><br />Couldn't help but think of the "horse culture" in the Frontier; the ul-mor. They are clearly patterned on the horse culture of the American plains. What would be the impact on the ul-mor and thier culture in a modern Volturnus where the UPF governor administers things, mega corps are interested in the rich mineral rights and will likely desire to fence off their claims and be just a little bit unfriendly toward bands of ul-mor "riding through". <br /><br />You also have to wonder at the impact on ul-mor and edestakai culture of their having chosen the quickdeath as an object of religious belief/rite of passage. Certainly under a UPF governor quickdeath will be hunted without a thought and any party of eorna petitioning for some restraint will be written off as crazy. <br />No doubt a dralasite holovid director will make a documentary on the plight of the ul-mor which will recieve critical aclaim back in the Frontier and perhaps even win an award.<br /><br />Mega Corporation lawyers will point out that the cultures of the primitives of Volturnus are the product of 900 years of eorna tampering and crafting and thus do not constitute something that should be respected or even accommodated since they are something that is in flux and the eorna can just modify these cultures to face the realities of the modern Frontier. And lets face it 1 out of 4 eorna have lost their minds anyway so its foolish to let eorna craziness stand in the way of progress.<br /><br />On the other hand the eorna will no doubt be champions on behalf of the primitives complaining to the governor about mega corp abuses and encroachments. So perhaps the horse culture of the ul-mor will survive in a modern Frontier.
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