Native Americans
Deputy Hawk (Michael Horse) openly believes in Indigenous practices, both as his character and in real life. Horse has said "Nature is the key and Lynch understood that. Nature is where the medicine is and mountains always have great medicine, great power to them." (7) Luckily, The Return has Hawk as a main character, thus having plenty of Native American material provided by Lynch and Horse alike. The series focuses on the Indigenous beliefs regarding the importance of a connection to nature, a generalized lack of object permanence, and the existence of a Creator.
The first major place of these Native beliefs coming into play is in the forests of Twin Peaks. Horse says "anytime you get around nature you realize that there are spirits in nature", something Lynch relies heavily on (7). This spiritual forest is not only home to the Black Lodge, but it has free-roaming, disturbing spirits, as shown here in The Return at a convenience store in the forest. "One-Eyed Jack’s is situated in the middle of the woods on the Canadian-US border, as is the train car that represents violence and darkness for Laura Palmer" (8). One-Eyed Jacks is a brothel and type of casino within Twin Peaks, the place where Laura began her descent with drugs and subtle prostitution. It's placement within the forest of Twin Peaks is only another indicator of its malicious and dark intent. The train car in the forest is where Laura is ultimately killed by her father (BOB), and where she comes face to face with her father for his wrongdoings. |
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Deputy Hawk, on the other hand, is the opposite of BOB in terms of Native American folklore. He is in tune with nature and both respects and fears it, for he knows the great power it holds. Season three shows Deputy Hawk and the strange yet endearing Log Lady, discussing how the secret to finding Cooper is within his heritage. The Log Lady complements Hawk's beliefs, as she herself believes her log has some sort of connection to the world, the same way Hawk believes nature holds all answers. She "listens" to her log for answers of divine truth, and uses this to convey information to the police department. Akin to Native American beliefs, life itself is only given meaning when one seeks out a meaning within their experiences and attempts to remain loyal to their Creator. Then, they are prepared for the next life. This next life is also shown within Twin Peaks, manifesting itself as the Black and White Lodges, and the Red Room. The Return primarily focuses on Hawk's heritage, with the Log Lady telling him “Something is missing and you have to find it. It has to do with Special Agent Dale Cooper. The way you will find it has something to do with your heritage. This is a message from the log.” Hawk and the other deputies spend time in the forests of Twin Peaks to attempt and uncover this message. Ironically, it ends up that Hawk divulges deep into his spirituality for nothing; Hawk finds a collection of Laura's diary pages stuffed inside the door of a bathroom stall that has a Native American chief on the logo of the door's manufacturing company.
The Red Room is a "waiting room", according to The Man From Another Place, a frequent character seen within the room. It acts as a sort of purgatory before entering the White or Black Lodge. The White Lodge is a place of purity and goodness, while the Black Lodge is only entered by committing heinous acts. Deputy Hawk says that "every spirit must pass through there on the way to perfection", suggesting they are simply waiting for the next life. "According to Deputy Hawk, the “White Lodge”, “Black Lodge”, and “Dweller On The Threshold” are part of a local Native American legend" (10), suggesting Twin Peaks itself is an extension of his heritage.
Finally, owls play a big role in Twin Peaks, as well as Native American heritage. The owl can represent a variety of different things, but the show seems to convey the belief that owls possess the souls of the dead within them, and thus act as a vessel for these souls to have an animate form. "Some tribes view the owl as a positive omen, a guardian protector, yet other tribes see the owl as a harbinger of coming death, and the gate keeper to the spirit world." (10) The discrepancy between the value of the owl can be debated. First, BOB takes the form of an owl, using this to travel and remain inconspicuous while finding a human vessel. This coined the phrase from the show "the owls are not what they seem" from the series. BOB's use of the owl is of pure evil intent. Owls again appear as symbols around Twin Peaks, notably within Windham Earle's cave (also called Owl Cave...coincidence?) and on the ring belonging to MIKE. This ring has the ability to either completely protect the wearer from any harm, or conversely, it will kill them and send them to the Red Room upon placing it on their finger. The ring allows Laura to stop BOB from bringing her to the Black Lodge. The symbol of the owl on the ring ties into this idea pushed forward by Deputy Hawk that old Native tribes had inhabited Twin Peaks long ago, and the owl carvings are representative of this.This Owl Cave symbol is a Native American petroglyph, or a form of artwork created by making indents in rock. Agent Cooper thus uses these symbols to conclude Windham's desire to find and open the Black Lodge.