ANCIENT AMERICA SERIES
H C A P
A series of videos about the geographically distinct Native American tribes of the North American continent. 60 mins each / 1995

INDIANS OF THE EASTERN WOODLANDS
The world of the Eastern Woodland Indians comes to life in this video. Viewers will discover the mysterious Effigy Mounds, which reveal the shapes of animals only visible from the air; examine the complex road systems built in the Ohio Valley--even though the wheel was not in use; investigate the ancient structure called Woodhenge, similar to England’s Stonehenge, which predicted celestial events; see 100 foot-high Monks Mound which took laborers 300 years to build.

THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST
In this program, viewers an discover the origins of the totem pole, and see how it became a universal symbol of Indian culture; examine the Indian legends passed down through the ages-like the story of Mt. Mazama’s eruption over 7,000 years ago; retrace the roots of Ming Dynasty porcelains found in prehistoric villages, suggesting a link with China predating arrival of the first Europeans; learn about tribes such as the fierce Haida, who traveled hundreds of miles by sea to raid Puget Sound villages; marvel at the prosperity of the tribes who revered wealth and status.

INDIANS OF THE SOUTHWEST
Viewers of all ages can observe the Anasazi’s thriving civilization built with one simple tool-a digging stick; visit the impressive city of Chimney Rocks, built on top of an 8,000 foot-high mountain; examine the routes of the Hohokam’s sophisticated canal and irrigation systems, still in use today; and admire the artwork of the Mimbres, Salado, and Anasazi people, master potters of the Americas.

NOMADIC INDIANS OF THE WEST
In this program about the Plains Indians, viewers will visit Bighorn Range to see the ancient Medicine Wheel, used as a ceremonial site and an astronomical observatory; see how Indians of the Great Basin adapted as ancient ice age lakes disappeared; discover how the Indians used the stars to help navigate the vast plains; learn how the Plains Indians invented smoke signals to send messages over great distances; and study the origin of sign language which was used in trade negotiations by tribes that spoke hundreds of different languages.

CROW DOG’S PARADISE
C A
This film is a coherent expression of Native American culture...useful for anthropology, sociology and American history. Set against the background of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, this film portrays the values, beliefs and rituals of Henry Crow Dog, a traditional Lakota Sioux medicine man. 28 mins / 1988

THE GREAT ENCOUNTER
H C A P
Witness the struggles of the early English colonists of Roanoke Island, the Chesapeake Bay area, and the Pilgrim settlements of Massachusetts, as they fought to establish dominion over the land. Then contrast the European wilderness encounters with the spiritual beliefs of the Cherokee and Powhatan Indians who recognized seasonal rhythms and respected wildlife. 60 mins / 1992

HOPI PROPHECY
H C A
Handed down through ritual and chant long before it was recorded in the petroglyphs explained to us here, the Hopi prophecy centers on the belief that humans must live in peace and harmony with the natural world. The Hopi prophecy has prevailed through centuries of attempted extermination, isolation, and industrialization. In this program, tribal elders perform the chants and explain their hope that humankind can turn away from its own destruction. 24 mins / 1994

I AM DIFFERENT FROM MY BROTHER
E M
This tape by Native American director Tony Charles records the events surrounding the Name-Giving Ceremony for three Dakota siblings, Winona, Jody and Hep Little Crow. Prior to the ceremony, the children are instructed in family history and Dakota culture and are visited by the revered Keeper of the Pipe who will preside over this important rite of passage. On the appointed day, the Keeper of the Pipe addresses the people assembled, prays to the four directions, and asks for counsel from the ancestors. The celebration includes singing, dancing, traditional distribution of gifts, and a communal meal. Suited for elementary and junior high. 20 mins / 1981

IN THE WHITE MAN’S IMAGE
H C A P
Discover the tragic long-term consequences of attempts to "civilize" Native Americans in the 1870 at the Carlisle School for Indians. The ambitious experiment--a form of cultural genocide--involved teaching the Indians to write and read English, putting them in uniform, and drilling them like soldiers. "Kill the Indian and save the man" was the school’s motto. Native Americans who attended the schools, which continued into the 1930s, help tell the story of a humanist experiment gone bad and its consequences for generations of Indians. 60 mins / 1991

INUIT KIDS
E M H A
This quiet, gentle film illustrates modern life in the Arctic through portraits of two 13-year-old Inuit (Eskimo) boys. Jeffrey lives in Igloolik, an island settlement in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He speaks English and Inukitut and attends school. In contrast, Peter speaks only Inukitut. Home is a remote outcamp where he and his family adhere to traditional ways and survive by hunting, fishing, and sealing. With study guide, suited for elementary, junior high, and high school. 15 mins / 1986

LACROSSE: THE CREATOR’S GAME
M H A
This video documents the history of this unexpectedly beautiful sport. The beauty of lacrosse, says the video, is its combination of speed, power, and intricacy--which took on spiritual significance for the pre-Columbian Indians who invented and played lacrosse. By the 1830s, Europeans had co-opted the game for their own amusement. By 1856, natives were banned from playing their own game with white men. LaCrosse: The Creator's Game profiles the craftsmen who shape each stick, and legendary and modern lacrosse players. Viewers learn about North American history, and the injustices suffered by Native Americans and the ways in which they reclaim and enjoy their own traditions. Junior high students may enjoy the "full tilt" attitude of lacrosse. 26 mins / 1994

LIVE AND REMEMBER
M H C A P
This documentary witnesses the efforts of the Lakota Sioux to preserve their heritage in the face of acculturation, poverty and the generation gap. Precariously perched on a cultural divide, Sioux elders, medicine men, and educators discuss song and dance, oral tradition, medicine, and the spirit world and their relevance to contemporary conditions. For Ben Black Bear, Sr., and activist for traditional ways, music and dance are time-honored ways of transmitting culture and history. In Lakota society, grandparents tell myths and legends to instruct the young in communal values and behavior, including a strong reverence for nature. Interviews with tribal members illustrate how these ancient mores are adversely affected by "American" values of competition, individualism, and private property. 29 mins / 1986

MAPS AND THE COLUMBIAN ENCOUNTER
C
The power of the mapmaker is quiet but crucial. This video discusses the history of the 15th and 16th century Native American/European conflict by way of maps. Viewers will get a clear picture of cartography’s role in re-imaging North America to the benefit of the Europeans. 30 mins / 1991

MORE THAN BOWS AND ARROWS
E M H C A P
Author N. Scott Momaday narrates this documentary, which outlines the contributions of Native Americans to life in North America. America's representative government was derived from that of the Iroquois confederacy; the architecture of the Anasazi predate modern high-rise dwellings. From the arts to medicine, transportation to agriculture, Native American achievements and ingenuity continues to impact our lives. Comes with study guide. 56 mins / 1978

NATIVE AMERICANS: THE HISTORY OF A PEOPLE
M H A
This program starts at the beginning--with the migration of the Indians to the Americas, and the entrance of the white man. In the wake of the American thirst for expansion, Native American lifeways were the chief casualties. This video reviews the various tribes, battles and triumphs of the great Indian leaders, and the fundamental differences between the outlooks of the Native and white perspectives on life. Good for junior high audiences. 25 mins / 1992

THE SPEECHES OF SITTING BULL
M H C A P
From a young age, Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) displayed the qualities that would enable him to lead an Indian nation in defiance of U.S. military power: bravery, wisdom, and loyalty. Born a Lakota Sioux in present day South Dakota in 1831, the medicine man and chief of the Sioux nation is most famous for his refusal to comply with U.S. claims to Indian land. Sitting Bull’s 1876 response to violations of the Fort Laramie treaty of 1868—restricting white presence in the Black Hills—took shape in the unification of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho at Little Bighorn where they defeated General Custer’s army. The chief’s later years included exile in Canada, famine-induced surrender to the U.S. government, and confinement to a reservation, and he died in 1890 at the hand of one of his own Lakota. Sitting Bull’s speeches are voiced by Donald Two Rivers. This tape features a sampling of Sitting Bull’s addresses confronting senator John Logan and denouncing the injustices faced by his people. 30 mins / 1997

SPIRIT OF THE DAWN
C A P
Sweet and affirming, this film looks at trends in Native American education, with an emphasis on language as an expression of identity. The camera follows two preteens from a Crow reservation in Montana who have written some poems. Their journey toward pride in their ideas and verbal power are set against the pain of history--when Indians in boarding schools were beaten for speaking native languages. Native and non-Native educators are interviewed about their philosophies of using history, myth, and literature to renew the students' sense of dignity. The video would be useful to students of education and cultural diversity. 29 mins / 1995

THE SUN DAGGER
H C A
This film documents the extraordinary celestial calendar created by ancient North American Indians and rediscovered by artist Anna Soafer, high on a butte in New Mexico. The "dagger" is presently the only known site in the world that marks the extreme positions of both sun and moon. The film explores the complex culture of the Anasazi Indians who constructed the calendar and thrived both spiritually and materially in the harsh environment of Chaco Canyon a thousand years ago. 28 mins / 1988

THREE RIVERS IN TIME
H C A P
Dennis Neary’s critically acclaimed study of the early Old Northwest Territory, narrated by Jim Dolan and hosted by Chris Schenkel. Meet William Wells, a white boy adopted by Native Americans, who rises to become one of the fiercest warriors…Chief Little Turtle, mastermind of the greatest Native American victory over the U.S. ever…General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. This trip spans 200 years, from the first French explorers to American settlement, told through the eyes of historians, chiefs, educators and descendants. 57 mins / 1994

WINDS OF CHANGE: A MATTER OF PROMISES
H C A P
This is the story of nations within a nation, of the sovereign Indian tribes that survive in America today. "Like a rock that a river runs around" is how one Indian describes his nation in the stream of U.S. life. This PBS production draws us into the lives of Native Americans today, and the challenges they face in trying to preserve their cultures. Viewers meet members of the Onondaga, Navajo, and Lummi tribes and find that Native Americans maintain an ambivalent existence within the larger American culture. The dilemmas of intermarriage, leaving or remaining on the reservation, and other prejudices are presented in sensitive documentary fashion. 60 mins / 1990

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