Licensed Streaming Videos:
N. Scott Momaday, Words from a Bear
When N. Scott Momaday won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize, it marked one of the first major acknowledgments of Native American literature and culture. Now, Momaday's words come to life in this biography of a celebrated Native American storyteller.
Awake: A Dream for Standing Rock
Part I: AWAKE / directed by Josh Fox ; presented by International WOW Company ; written by Floris White Bull, Josh Fox, cinematography by Josh Fox, edited by Greg King -- Part II: Backwater Bridge / produced and directed by James Spione ; presented by Morninglight Films ; cinematography by James Sione ; edited by Jason Wood ; research by Emma Miller -- Part III: Standing Rock Through Indigenous Eyes / directed by Myron Dewey ; presented by Digital Smoke Signals ; cinematography by Markus Trejo (Quese IMC) ; Digital Smoke Signals, Myron Dewey, Aaron Turgeon, Adam Alexander Johansson ; edited by Teena Pugliese, William Hawk Birdshead, Aaron Turgeon -- CODA / directed by Josh Fox ; written by Floris White Bull, Josh Fox ; cinematography by James Spione, Myron Dewey, Josh Fox ; edited by Greg King.
I Dream In Another Language
Winner of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema/Dramatic, and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema, I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE follows a young linguist into the jungles of Mexico as he tries to learn about and preserve a mysterious indigenous language. A language, as he discovers, at the point of disappearing since the last two speakers had a fight fifty years ago and refuse to speak a word with each other. Trying to bring the two old friends back together, he discovers that hidden in the past, in the heart of the jungle, lies a secret concealed by the language that makes it difficult to believe that the heart of Zikril will beat once again.
Rhymes for Young Ghouls
Red Crow Mi'gMaq reservation, 1976: By government decree, every Indian child under the age of 16 must attend residential school. In the kingdom of the Crow, that means imprisonment at St. Dymphna's. That means being at the mercy of "Popper", the sadistic Indian agent who runs the school. At 15, Aila is the weed princess of Red Crow. Hustling with her uncle Burner, she sells enough dope to pay Popper her "truancy tax", keeping her out of St. Ds. But when Aila's drug money is stolen and her father Joseph returns from prison, the precarious balance of Aila's world is destroyed. Her only options are to run or fight ... and Mi'gMaq don't run.
Blood Quantum
The term "blood quantum" refers to a colonial blood measurement system that is used to determine an individual's Indigenous status, and is criticized as a tool of control and erasure of Indigenous peoples. The words take on even more provocative implications as the title of Jeff Barnaby's sophomore feature, which grimly depicts an apocalyptic scenario where in an isolated "Mi'gmaq" community discover they are the only humans immune to a zombie plague. As the citizens of surrounding cities flee to the "Mi'gmaq" reserve in search of refuge from the outbreak, the community must reckon with whether to let the outsiders in - and thus risk not just the extinction of their tribe but of humanity, period. The severe and scathing portrait of post-colonial Indigenous life and culture that Barnaby previously captured in the acclaimed Rhymes for Young Ghouls here deftly collides with the iconography and violent hyperbole typical of the zombie genre.
Injunuity
Injunuity is a collage of reflections on the Native American world, our shared past, our turbulent present, and our undiscovered future. From Columbus to the western expansion to tribal casinos, we are taught that the Native way, while at times glorious, is something of the past, something that needed to be replaced by a manifest destiny from across the ocean. But in a world increasingly short of real answers, it is time we looked to Native wisdom for guidance. It is time for some Injunuity. Injunuity is a mix of animation, music, and real thoughts from real people exploring our world from the Native American perspective. Every word spoken is verbatim, every thought and opinion is real, told in nine short pieces and covering such topics as language preservation, sacred sites, and the environment. But rather than simply revisit our history, the goal of Injunuity is to help define our future, to try and figure out the path that lies before us, to focus on where we are going as well as where we have been. Featuring the voices of William Harrison (Mountain Maidu), Monica Nuvamsa (Hopi, Acoma, Havasupai), Tom Phillips (Kiowa, Creek), Nazbah Tom, (Navajo/Dine), Randy Lewis (Colville), Lyz Jaakola (Anishinaabe) and Audiopharmacy.
Sacred Stick
"Before there was light, before there was earth, the game was played." - Oren Lyons
Sacred Stick examines the historical, cultural, and spiritual aspects of lacrosse. From the ancient Maya to the world famous Iroquois Nationals team, this program explores a uniquely Indigenous sport that, like Native peoples themselves, adapted and endured within the dominant culture. As lacrosse surges in popularity, it has now become the fastest growing sport in North America. But for Native peoples, it has always been and continues to be much more than a game.
The Medicine Game: Two Native American Brothers Working to Play Lacrosse for Syracuse University
Two brothers from the Onondaga Nation pursue their dreams of playing lacrosse for national powerhouse Syracuse University. The obstacles in their way are frequent and daunting, but their love for the game, each other, and their family's unyielding determination, propels these youth towards their dream.
Official Selection at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
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.
Racing the Rez: Native American Student Track Teams
In the rugged canyon lands of Northern Arizona, Navajo and Hopi cross-country runners from two rival high schools put it all on the line for tribal pride, triumph over personal adversity, and state championship glory. Win or lose, what they learn in the course of their seasons, will have a dramatic effect on the rest of their lives.
Focusing on five teens living on the Navajo and Hopi reservations, Racing the Rez unfolds over two years of careful, patient observation, and offers a rare view into the surprising complexity and diversity of contemporary reservation life.
Combining interviews with vérité style shooting, the runners and their coaches in Racing the Rez narrate their experiences in their own voice. The camera follows the boys from classrooms to the rez-life realities of remote, un-electrified homes, from grueling runs across canyons and mesas to their ultimate day of reckoning – the state meet – and beyond. Set in the southwest’s iconic desert landscape, this remarkable intersection between sport, culture, youth and adulthood, yields a powerful, intimate documentary of transformation and hope.
Standing Bear's Footsteps: A Native American Chief Who Fought Equal Rights
In 1877, the Ponca people were exiled from their Nebraska homeland to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. To honor his dying son's last wish to be buried in his homeland, Chief Standing Bear set off on a grueling, six-hundred-mile journey home.
Captured en-route, Standing Bear sued a famous U.S. army general for his freedom--choosing to fight injustice not with weapons, but with words. The Chief stood before the court to prove that an Indian was a person under the law. The story quickly made newspaper headlines--attracting powerful allies, as well as enemies.
Winner of a Heartland Regional Emmy Award.
Warriors of Joy: A Native American Celebration in Louisiana
Every Year in New Orleans, Louisiana the Mardis Gras Indian tribes gather on the Sunday closest to St. Joseph’s Day to celebrate their pride and joy. Influenced by his father Les Blank, son Harrod Blank joins the parade with his camera. This is a tribute piece to “Always for Pleasure”.
Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian: The Life of a Prolific Native Author, Lecturer & Physician
A deeply personal family film that follows Kate Beane, an urban, Dakota scholar, and her family as they trace the remarkable life of their celebrated relative, Ohiyesa (Charles Eastman), an important author, activist, lecturer, and one of the first Native American doctors.
Along the way, Beane uncovers uncanny parallels between their lives, though they were born more than 100 years apart.
New World Rising: The Resistance, Survival, Revival of Native America
Native America explores the world created by America's First Peoples. The four part series reaches back 15,000 years to reveal massive cities aligned to the stars, unique systems of science and spirituality, and 100 million people connected by social networks spanning two continents.
In this episode, Native Americans tap ten thousand years of beliefs and traditions to fight the forces of Conquest.
The Warrior Tradition
The astonishing, heartbreaking, inspiring, and largely-untold story of Native Americans in the United States military. The film chronicles the accounts of Native American warriors from their own points of view.
By Blood: Native American Men Fight for Cherokee Citizenship
A chronicle of American Indians of African descent battling to regain their tribal citizenship. BY BLOOD explores the impact of this battle, which has manifested into a broader conflict about race, identity, and the sovereign rights of indigenous people.
The film demonstrates both sides of the battle, the shared emotional impact of the issue, and the rising urgency of the debate: a Native American and African American history has been overlooked, and a tribal body feels as though their sovereignty is under siege.
Winner of Best Short Documentary at the Native American Film Festival Of The Southeast and nominated for the Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Award at the Cleveland International Film Festival.
“BY BLOOD is a troubling documentary. A thought-provoking film—this is recommended." - Video Librarian
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.
Native American Boomtown
The Bakken oil boom is bringing billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to North Dakota. A substantial part of the oil production is concentrated on an Indian reservation. Fort Berthold Reservation’s 1,000-plus oil wells have brought in money and jobs for some, but oil has also brought danger — organized crime, hard drugs, traffic fatalities — and other problems. Tribal members speak about the benefits and consequences of the boom.
Hunting In Wartime: The Struggle of Native American Veterans in Alaska
HUNTING IN WARTIME profiles the incredible stories of Tlingit Native Americans from the village of Hoonah, Alaska who served in the Vietnam War. Their stories confront the complexity of serving a country that systematically oppressed them; a government that forbid the Tlingit language, over-logged their forests, and established laws that robbed returning vets of their ancestral trade as fishermen. Furthermore, their stories expose on a very personal level the human experience of war and it’s lasting effects on veterans as well as their communities. Many vets succumbed to the horrors of alcoholism, PTSD and suicide; while some were able to climb back out to lead the next generation back to their Tlingit heritage.
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.
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.