Native American Studies

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 prize-winning musical comedy/documentary, blending documentary, musical theater and personal memoir, is about three Native American sisters growing up in Brooklyn during the 1930s and '40s.

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 informative video will help you discover your Native American ancestry. It lists over five hundred federally recognized American Tribes, shows how and where to research the Dawes Rolls and Native American websites to assist your genealogical search, explains how to obtain your tribal membership and a CDIB (Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood) card, and outlines benefits offered through official Native American Status.

This video covers three hundred years of Plains Indians history from the pre-horse period through the tragedy at Wounded Knee in 1890.

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.

Examines the hectic lifestyles of "fast track" couples, members of the Baby Boom generation whose desire to succeed--at the office, in social circles and through their children's accomplishments--leads to living in a state of chronic stress.

Examines the impact of the Canadian criminal justice system on the Inuit Indians in northern Quebec which involves the imposition on them of an alien culture, language and value system.