RPH. vs Smoke Signals (1998)
The Red Nation Podcast
The Red Nation
4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 16 March 2026
⏱️ 79 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
RPH is back! Co-hosts Elena Ortiz and Melanie Yazzie tackle the almost three-decade-old classic, Smoke Signals (1988),the first major motion picture written, directed, and acted all by Native people.
Empower our work:
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content
Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter:
https://www.therednation.org/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | One of the principal barriers to assimilation seems to be the natural tendency of white people |
| 0:09.0 | to violence. They love violence. They love it as entertainment. |
| 0:14.0 | The very foundation of their way of life, death and sacrifice. |
| 0:20.0 | White people, with almost missionary zeal, have done their best to export death and sacrifice. White people with almost missionary zeal |
| 0:22.6 | have done their best to export death and sacrifice |
| 0:25.6 | for every corner of the world. |
| 0:29.6 | We are not American. |
| 0:32.6 | We are not American. |
| 0:34.6 | We are not American. |
| 0:36.6 | We are not American. We are not American. You're not American. |
| 0:38.2 | Better red than dead. |
| 0:40.0 | Better red than death. |
| 0:45.6 | Hello. |
| 0:51.4 | This is Elena Ortiz calling in from Ogapoga Owinge, otherwise known as Santa Fe, otherwise known as Mordor. |
| 1:00.0 | And I am here with my co-host Melanie Yazzi. We are going to talk about the film Smoke Signals. |
| 1:07.0 | Good morning. This is Randy Pion on K-R-R-E-Z radio. That's K-R-E-Z radio, the voice of the Cordillane Indian Reservation. |
| 1:14.6 | And Cordillane people, our reservation is beautiful this morning. It's a good day to be indigenous. |
| 1:19.9 | Which I believe we have promised to do for quite some time. |
| 1:24.8 | Years. |
| 1:25.7 | Years. Life gets in the way. |
| 1:28.0 | Before I turn it over to Melanie to introduce herself, I just want to remind everybody |
| 1:33.5 | to please, if you like the content and if you like what we're doing, to please support |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Red Nation, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Red Nation and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

