The Thick Dark Fog: Reclaiming Native American Identity
Watch the complete 57 minute documentary addressing the psychological legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools:
Walter Littlemoon is a 69-year-old Lakota man born and raised in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. At the age of five, he was removed from his family to attend a Federal government boarding school where his culture, language and spirituality were suppressed. The Thick Dark Fog profiles Walter's journey to heal himself and his community while reclaiming his heritage. The film's title comes from Walter's own self-diagnosis of the state-of-mind that he lived in for so many years until he began to tell his story and heal from his childhood trauma. As time has passed, more positive accounts have surfaced from Native Americans about their school experiences such as being saved from poverty and making life-long friends.
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- Native-American History & Cultural Series
Includes 4 videos:
The Great Native American Civilizations
Explore the variety of civilizations in North America before European contact. Learn about the ways of life, government, economy, religion and laws of the early Native Americans. Provides a relevant picture of how Native Americans lived. Learn the origins of the first Native American. Learn about the Incas, Mayas & Aztecs- who they were, where they came to settle, and why? Running Time: 19 mins
Native-American History
Explore the fascinating history of the Native American people. Follow their history from migration to the Americas, to the development of civilizations throughout the American continent. Discover how every part of America was flourishing long before European settlers arrived. See the impact of early Native Americans in North and South America. Discover the "Cochise Effect" on the cultures of Arizona and Mexico. Running Time: 26 mins
Native American Influence On The US
Discover the fascinating ways in which the U.S. was profoundly affected by the native cultures that were here thousands of years before the Europeans. Explore the ways in which our government, economy, agriculture, medicine, language & legal system are still influenced by Native American contributions. Explore your first impressions of the world "Indian". Discover Native American contributions to medicine, agriculture & the environment. Running Time: 26 mins
Self-Esteem For Native American Students
Designed to present the strength and importance of the native people of North America. Discover what it means to be a Native American & discover how to celebrate one's ancient ancestry while still keeping in touch with modern society. Running Time: 19 mins - Urban Rez: The Repercussions of the Native American Urban Relocation Program
URBAN REZ explores the controversial legacy and modern-day repercussions of the Urban Relocation Program (1952-1973), the greatest voluntary upheaval of Native Americans during the 20th century. During the documentary, dozens of American Indians representing tribal groups from across the West recall their first-hand experiences with relocation, including the early hardships, struggles with isolation and racism. Interviewees also speak about the challenges of maintaining one's own tribal traditions -- from language to hunting -- while assimilating into the larger society. Actor, musician and Oglala Lakota member Moses Brings Plenty narrates this insightful film about this seldom-told chapter in American history.
Running Time: 57 mins
Year: 2013
Filmmakers: Lisa D. Olken - Our Fires Still Burn: The Native American Experience
This exciting and compelling one hour documentary invites viewers into the lives of contemporary Native American role models living in the U.S. Midwest. It dispels the myth that American Indians have disappeared from the American horizon, and reveals how they continue to persist, heal from the past, confront the challenges of today, keep their culture alive, and make great contributions to society.... The tragic history of Native Americans is considered by many to be our "American Holocaust." This can be seen in the history of the Boarding School Era, during which time Native children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed into boarding schools. Interviewees explain how this past trauma continues to negatively impact their emotional and physical health today and contribute to urgent social problems. To help heal this historical trauma, Native Americans are reclaiming their spiritual and cultural identity...
Running Time: 57 mins
Year: 2013
Filmmaker: Audrey Geyer - Smoke Songs: A Native American Punk-Rock Band with a Message
Punk rock and human rights don't necessarily share a common cause but for the family band Blackfire, their music and their message are integral parts of a solid identity. Born in the Navajo Nation, Arizona, the band mix electric guitars with traditional chanting and rhythms. Including high-energy concert scenes, stunning cinematography, and intelligent conversations on the issues facing Native American youth, this rock documentary tells the personal lives of one family and a band fighting for what they believe in.
Running Time: 20 mins
Year: 2012
Filmmaker: Briar March - Native Americans
What does it mean to be a Native American? Perhaps Native American model Stormy Hollingsworth (Ute) says it best, "to be proud, to know that our past and our whole history is a circle of life." This program introduces us to members of the Ute, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Omaha nations, who reveal that Indians' lives are based on a circle which incorporates their beliefs in respecting their heritage, preserving their traditions and educating their young. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne), a U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1993 until 2005, explains how the Grass or Omaha Dance has evolved over time to be commonly known as the Pow Wow; Nico Strange Owl-Hunt (Northern Cheyenne), Twyla LaFleshe Blackbird(Southern Ute), Cleatus and Clifford Cayou (Omaha) andWalter Fremont (Omaha) reflect on the significance of the Pow Wow, which allows Indian people to come in contact with their roots again; to help preserve their traditions.Alden Naranjo and Norman Lopez, whose heritage is the Southern Ute tribe, explain the importance of the eagle to Native Americans; then we view the tribe's "Sneak Dance"; we meet artist Frank Howell (Lakota), who tells of his personal evolution as an artist; then at the Eagle Plume and Mudhill Galleries we view a variety of Native American art, pottery and jewelry. Appropriately going full circle, Gene Poor Bear (Lakota) explains that he founded the Chipeta Park Pow Wow to help his son stay rooted in family values; then we learn the importance of the drum, how its shape and its beating have symbolic significance to all Native Americans.
Running Time: 27 mins
Year: 2010
Filmmakers: John W Burshtan