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| The American Indian Collection [VHS]
(Five 60-minute programs)
I. Geronimo and the Apache Resistance, 1988
Description: It was said that Geronimo had magical powers. He could see into the future, walk without footprints and even hold off the dawn to protect his own. That is how this Apache Indian warrior led his band of 37 followers to defy federal authority for more than 25 years. In 1886, the U.S. government mobilized 5,000 men--one-quarter of the entire U.S. Army--to capture Geronimo. This program portrays 19th century life in the southwest and highlights the clash of cultures and the wrenching transformation of an Indian society faced with the loss of its land and traditions.
II. Myths and Moundbuilders
Description: Myths and Moundbuilders uncovers the mystery that troubled American settlers in the great river valleys of the midwest and southeast. What were those many earth mounds dotting the wooded landscape? Finally, in 1897, the relationship between the mounds and Indian descendents came to light through the work of Cyrus Thomas. Thomas also suggested that not all mounds were built by the same Indian tribes, a theory supported by evidence recently revealed.
III. Seasons of a Navajo, 1985
Description: The Navajo heritage of sacred songs, ceremonies and oral tradition comes alive in Seasons of a Navajo as viewers meet Chauncey and Dorothy Neboyia, grandparents to an extended family of two generations. Chauncey and Dorothy maintain their existence by farming, weaving and tending sheep in a traditional hogan (dwelling) without water or electricity, while their children live in tract homes and their grandchildren attend modern public schools. This critically acclaimed public television documentary captures the traditional lifestyles of the Navajo family and features striking photography of Arizona's ancient Anasazi ruins and the spectacular Monument Valley.
IV. The Spirit of Crazy Horse, 1990
Description: One hundred years ago, the U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacred Chief Big Foot and over 200 other unarmed Sioux men, women and children in the deep snow of Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. It was the most infamous event in a long string of broken treaties and separate acts of racism, greed and misguided efforts by whites to force the Indians to assimilate. Frontline chronicles the history of the once indomitable nation of buffalo-hunting warriors, led by Crazy Horse, who called themselves Lakota, meaning "the Allies."
V. Winds of Change: A Matter of Promises, 1990
Description: The struggle to maintain Indian identity and the very existence of sovereign Indian nations within the United States is examined in the new two-part series Winds of change. National CBS correspondent Hattie Kauffman and Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday take an intimate look at several Indian nations, including the Hopi, Iroquois, the Navajo and the Lummi, highlighting the challenges they face and the unique solutions they have found to protect their cultures. |
Columbus Didn't Discover US [VHS]
24 minutes, 1992
Description: A moving testimony of the impact of the Columbus legacy on the lives of indigenous peoples from across the hemisphere. Native people from North, South and Central America speak about the devastation of native cultures resulting from the "European invasion," contemporary struggles over land and human rights, the importance of reviving traditional spiritual ceremonies, and the need to alert the world to the environmental crises threatening the survival of the planet.
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Indians, Outlaws and Angie Debo [VHS]
60 minutes, 1989
Description: Angie Debo's meticulous research of Oklahoma history brought her to a disturbing discovery: the five Indian tribes of Oklahoma were the victims of a complex swindle. In an effort to reclaim wealth for the state, major political figures had robbed and even murdered Indians who held oil-rich land. Banned from publication, Debo was shunned as a troublemaker and forced into obscurity until Princeton University published her books in 1950. Today, her nine books serve as a cornerstone of American Indian scholarship and her research is frequently cited as evidence in present-day court cases involving tribal sovereignty and land rights. This program outlines Debo's heroic life and her unique experience.
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The Pueblo Peoples First Contact [VHS]
30 minutes, 1990
Description: In May 1540, the world of the New Mexico Pueblo Indians was changed forever, when the explorer Coronado and his soldiers marched into the fabled Zuni city of Hawikuh and wrought destruction and violence on this peaceful world in search of non-existent gold. The Pueblo Peoples First Contact is a search for the Pueblo people's view of the first encounters with European civilization, told exclusively through the voices and visions of the Pueblo Indians.
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Images of Indians [VHS]
Five part program, 30 minutes each; 1980
The Great Movie Massacre ( part 1)
Description: The Great Movie Massacre examines the "warrior image" of the Indian tracing it through photographs, film clips, film novels and Wild West shows. Several Hollywood versions of the story of Buffalo Bill, including a movie excerpt from Robert Altman's Buffalo Bill and the Indians, are featured.
How Hollywood Wins the West (part 2)
Description: This film deals with the one-sided presentation of Indian history in Hollywood films. Clips from diverse films are used to illustrate the fact that despite frequent use of Indian culture, Hollywood has failed to adequately deal with Indians as a people.
Warpaint and Wigs (part 3)
Description: It examines how movie images of the "noble savage" and the " uncivilized savage" have affected the Native American's self-image. The film critically examines the enormous impact and damaging effects some of Hollywood's films have had on Indian people.
Heathen Unjuns and the Hollywood Gospel (part 4)
Description: This program focuses on the distortion and misinterpretation of Indian religion and values in Hollywood movies. Janet McCloud and other Indian women describe the inaccurate portrayal and stereotyping of Indian women over the years.
The Movie Reel Indians (part 5)
Description: It opens with images of Indians as savage murderers. Indian spokesman Dennis banks and Vine Deloria comment on the intentional viciousness against Indians in an industry where filmmakers' fantasies govern the content of their movies. |
The Primal Mind [VHS]
58 minutes, 1984
Description: Written and hosted by Jamake Highwater, a world renowned author on Indian culture, and based on his critically acclaimed book, this film examines the differences between Native American and Western cultures, including contrasting views of nature, time, space, art, architechture and dance. Language is also examined, since each language reflects fundamental differences in human perception which, for centuries, have led to serious misunderstandings. This award-winning documentary enables viewers to better appreciate the philosophy and vision of native American culture to the benefit of both "civilized" and "primal" people.
Note: Viewers of The Primal Mind should be aware that Jamake Highwater has been denounced as a "whiteshaman." See, for instance, Wendy Rose's " The Great Pretenders: Further reflections on White Shamanism."
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The Right to be Mohawk [VHS]
17 minutes, 1989
Description: The Right to be Mohawk is a stereotype-breaking look at a contemporary people deeply rooted in the past: the traditionalist Mohawks of Akwesasne in New York State. This film documents the Mohawks' determination not only to survive, but to grow and build their nation, despite continuous and stepped-up pressures to assimilate. Insightful conversations with traditional Mohawk residents and leaders of Akwesasne reveal a belief system and culture that in many ways has had a powerful influence upon our own.
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