Cultural Studies

Potlatch People looks at the culture of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest and the importance of the ceremonial potlatch feast in their culture.

Indian Country contrasts the past and present life of the five tribes--the Seminoles, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Cherokee--in the southeast U.S.

Pueblo Renaissance provides an authentic view of the sacred traditions, ancient religious and agricultural ceremonies of the Pueblo Indians.

The Six Nations looks at the Iroquois League of upstate New York--consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga and Tuscarora tribes--which considers itself to be a sovereign, independent nation which rejects the American way of life in favor of a traditional Indian lifestyle.

Looks at the modern Cherokee's efforts to preserve Indian traditions, including a performance of ancient ceremonies.

Navajo - Race for Prosperity offers a contemporary view of life on the Navajo reservation, focusing on the Navajos' development of industries.

Civilized Tribes looks at the revolution of attitudes among younger American Indians leading to a new mood of militancy and also reviews the current government policy regarding the American Indian.

They Promised to Take Our Land looks at the U.S. Government's encroachment on land owned by Indians, forcing them onto smaller and smaller reservations, and discusses the white man's basic misunderstanding of the meaning of land to the Indian.

How the West Was Lost looks at the history of the Plains Indians and the effort of their contemporary descendants to maintain their cultural identity.

Trail of Broken Treaties looks at how over 400 treaties with Native American tribes have been broken by the U.S. Government. Examines past and present injustices and the attempts of Indian leaders to improve their situation.

Chronicles the history and contemporary lifestyle of the Carib Indians who dominated the West Indies centuries before the arrival of Columbus, but whose sole survivors today number less than 3,000 farmers and fishermen on a small reservation on Dominica.

Follows the five month journey of Mike Auger, a Cree Indian from northern Canada, who travels to Bolivia to live and work with the Aymara Indians. During his visit, Mike rediscovers his native cultural roots. This strengthening of his identity enables Mike to overcome a troubled, poverty-ridden youth fueled by self-denial.

Written and hosted by Jamake Highwater, a world renowned author on Indian culture, this film examines the differences between Native American and Western cultures, including their contrasting views of nature, time, space, art, architecture, and dance.

A portrait of Sioux medicine man Leonard Crow Dog, the spiritual leader of eighty-nine American Indian tribes and the spokesman for the traditionalists, those who wish to retain the beliefs and way of life of their forefathers.

Written and hosted by Jamake Highwater, this video examines the history and culture of the Native Americans who discovered and civilized the North and South American continents tens of thousands of years ago. It is a story of remarkable achievements, brilliant inventions, fierce political struggles, unique religious ideals and colorful mythology.

Examines the impact of industrial development on native peoples in North and South America, the crisis of identity that this entails, and the national and international efforts to politically organize to protect Indian lives and land.

This documentary portrait of a small Native American tribe struggling to retain what is left of its culture focuses on 77-year-old Marie Smith, the last of Alaska's Eyak Indians to speak the language of her people.

This video, featuring an all Native American cast and filmed in the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota, dramatizes the Trickster storytelling tradition, delving into the humor and visual language of this central Native American cultural icon.

This video explores the issue of racial identity among Native Americans and African Americans, and the coalescence of these two groups in American history.

This video examines the work of Native American artists in the Pacific Northwest and how their wood carvings of totem poles, ceremonial masks and sculptures is part of a broader cultural renaissance.