Drugstore Indians (2016)

Germans love noble savages, fictional characters like Karl May's "Winnetou". Decades after "Wild West Shows" they still believe in a native-American romantic reality. The documentary includes portraits of hobbyists, medicine-men, artists, activists ,drop-outs. They dance in self-made moccasins. They gather at Powwows. They do sweat lodges and "holy ceremonies". They try to find the spiritual Connection to mother earth. On weekends they meet in the nature and sleep in Tipis. Something they cannot do in their daily life. Its a nostalgia but also a craving for a "back to the roots" Lifestyle. "Drugstore Indians" - These are the hobbyists, the German weekend-Indians. People who identify with the ideal of the noble savage decades after Karl May died. The reality of native American life today is unknown or ignored. The "cult" is more important. The "cult" is the myth of the noble savage - always in perfect harmony with nature and his own nature. But why are they doing this? What is the fascination about native Americans? They feel connected to the native Americans, sometimes in a way that they feel they are in fact a native incarnation. Where does this Connection of Germans and Native Americans come from? How do These two cultures look at each other? Is there a similar kind of adoration?