Watch Select NAPT Films for FREE

From Visionmaker and NAPT:

Watch Select NAPT Films for FREE

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A Blackfeet Encounter

Exploring the only deadly clash between Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, filmmakers trace the aftermath of the expedition's arrival and investigate the challenges and triumphs of the Blackfeet today, discovering a rich history and culture.

Aleut Story

The incredible, untold story of Aleut Americans' decades-long struggle for human and civil rights--from indentured servitude and isolated internment camps, to Congress and the White House. Narrated by Martin Sheen.

Hand Game

This documentary explores the mythic and historic roots of contemporary gambling in the Northwest Native society through a look at the traditional hand game (also called "stick game" or "bone game").

Harold of Orange

This comedy explores the interaction of two cultural groups indigenous to Minnesota--American Indians and philanthropic foundations. Poet Gerald Vizenor's screenplay draws on trickster myths common to many Indian Tribes to create a contemporary satire which dispels many Hollywood stereotypes.

Indian Country Diaries: A Seat at the Drum

Journalist Mark Anthony Rolo journeys to Los Angeles to talk with the survivors and descendants of American Indian families who were part of a federal program that relocated thousands of Native people from rural Reservations to the cities in the last half of the 20th Century.

Indian Country Diaries: Spiral of Fire

Author LeAnne Howe goes to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Reservation to discover how the mix of tourism, community and cultural preservation are the keys to the Tribe's health.

Looking Toward Home

This documentary explains how government relocation programs in the 1950's enticed significant numbers of Native Americans to leave the Reservation for life in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. The life an dtimes of urban Indians is shown primarily through the eyes of these individuals and their subsequent generations.

Silent Thunder 

A heartwarming story of Stanford Addison--a Native Ameircan elder, spiritual leader, horse tamer and quadriplegic. Through his unique method of gentling wild horses, Standford delivers an inspiring and timely message of universal peace and cultural tolerance by sharing the experiences of his own life.

The Great American Foot Race

Emmy-nominated
Facing scortching temperatures, 19-year-old Andy Payne, a small-town Cherokee boy, takes home the gold after winning a grueling 3,422-mile foot race designed to bring attention to the newly constructed Route 66 Highway.

The Oneida Speak Emmy-nominated

In 1935, while the country was deep in the Depression, a group of Oneidas in Wisconsin took advantage of a federal writing program designed to employ Americans and offer economic relief. Many, who wrote in their own language, recorded their daily life.

Way of the Warrior

Exploring the warrior ethic among Native Americans, this documentary also reveals how Native communities have traditionally viewed their warriors and why Native men and women have signed-up for military service at a rate three-times higher than non-Indians.

These NAPT-VisionMaker titles are being offered for a limited time for FREE online streaming through SnagFilms.

PBS Online Film Festival to Feature 20 Short Films

From NAPT:

PBS Online Film Festival to Feature 20 Short Films

PBS has launched its first Online Film Festival and showcase of twenty short films from independent filmmakers. The Festival, featuring award-winning films with a wide array of styles, perspectives and subject matter, will run from February 27 through March 30 and can be accessed via the PBS website and the PBS YouTube channel. "The theme of the PBS Online Film Festival is 'Watch Us Surprise You,' as we think many will be surprised by the depth and breadth of video content that's available on PBS.org," said Jason Seiken, Senior Vice President of Interactive, Product Development and Innovation for PBS. "PBS and member stations have always been a home for independent film and we're excited to launch this first Festival and introduce viewers to these diverse stories and voices." A People's Choice award will be given to the film with the most votes. Visitors can vote for their favorite film by "liking" it either on the Festival's page on PBS.org or the PBS YouTube channel. The overall winner will receive top placement on the PBS.org homepage, video portal and YouTube page, promotion on PBS's social media channels and an official badge for their site. The PBS Online Film Festival will feature short films produced by a number of public broadcasting organizations including Independent Television Service (ITVS), POV and the National Minority Consortia (NMC)--Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), National Black Programming Consortium (NPBC), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) and Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT).   NAPT Films Featured in the Festival: I Survived (Playing Now), Kiera Lasiloo (Zuni/Cochiti Pueblo) A first-hand account of Sgt. Samuel Tapia's experience when his convoy hit a roadside bomb. The Migration (March 19), Cody Harjo (Seminole/Otoe/Creek) & Sydney Freeland (Navajo)  In a future wracked by global warming and controlled by an authoritarian government, an American Indian family goes into hiding, holding out one last hope for the planet's survival. Horse You See (March 26), Melissa Henry (Navajo) Ross, a Navajo horse, explains the very essence of being himself. Each Monday, the festival will showcase a new group of short films under a common theme. Those themes are: Real Stories, Growing Pains, Girl Power, Who Are We? and Offbeat.

Digital Learning: Improve Educational Opportunities for American Indian Students

From The Goldwater Institute:

Education

Digital Learning: Improve Educational Opportunities for American Indian Students

by Dan Lips

Goldwater Institute

February 22, 2012

Policy Report

One approach to ending multi-generational poverty among Native Americans is for state and federal policymakers to expand educational opportunities for American Indian students via virtual or digital learning technologies. These learning technologies could greatly improve education for Native American students while protecting cultural heritage and tribal autonomy. Policymakers should use strategies to incorporate blended-learning programs into the classroom; provide a specific option for children attending Bureau of Indian Education schools to allow them to enroll in Arizona Online Instruction classes; expand private school choice programs to offer full or partial scholarships to American Indian students to enroll in virtual school courses; and create a Federal Bureau of Indian Education Virtual School.

URL: goldwaterinstitute.org/sites/default/files/12-02%20Digital%20Learning.pdf

The Thick Dark Fog

From NAPT:

For Immediate Release: The Thick Dark Fog, a feature documentary that tackles the psychological trauma of Indian boarding schools, available on DVD this March

Lincoln, Neb: Native American Public Telecommunications, Inc. (NAPT) proudly announces the DVD release of The Thick Dark Fog, "Best Documentary" winner at the 2011 American Indian Film Festival, from filmmakers Randy Vasquez and Jonathan Skurnik. The film documents the life-long journey of Walter Littlemoon, a Lakota man who heals the wounds of his Indian boarding school experience so that he can move forward with his life. Co-produced by High Valley Films and NAPT, The Thick Dark Fog addresses the mandate of many Indian boarding schools in the mid-1900s which was to "kill the Indian and save the man." "The children were not allowed to speak their language or express their culture or Native identity in any way," commented the film's producer, Jonathan Skurnik, "How do you confront something like that?" Confronting his past is exactly what Littlemoon had to do in order to heal himself and his community. Like many Native Americans, Walter acted out his unresolved Indian boarding school trauma through alcoholism and domestic violence. Walter's wife, Jane, encouraged him to talk about his past with professionals. Jane also aided in Walter's decision to write a book and publish his memoirs so that he could help his estranged children understand why he struggled so much as a father. However, when Walter revisited his Indian boarding school memories, he found it nearly impossible to continue writing the book. Despite the struggles, at age 67, Walter's book entitled, They Called Me Uncivilized: The Memoir of an Everyday Lakota Man from Wounded Knee was published. In the book and film, Walter explains that he did not have a name for the pain and confusion that he felt, so he called it "the thick, dark fog." "Like so many, I have lived a life blocked by fear, led by fear and governed by fear that was created in those childhood days," stated Littlemoon. "Walter's mission was to let other Native folk around the country know that they can deal with what happened to them at the boarding schools--those that had a traumatic experience like he did," said the film's director/producer Randy Vasquez. Despite the impact of the Indian boarding schools on Native American communities across the U.S., their impact on Native culture and history has been largely withheld from America's mainstream Native American narrative. "Here was the legacy of oppression that was on par with slavery that American children don't learn about in school," added Skurnik. As time has passed, more positive accounts have surfaced from Native Americans about their boarding school experiences such as being saved from poverty and making life-long friends. However,The Thick Dark Fog tells one man's story of healing from the destructive aspects of the Indian boarding school experience and how he gave back to his community. For more information, visit the official website for The Thick Dark Fog at www.thickdarkfog.com.

2012 State of Indian Nations

From NCAI:

2012 State of Indian Nations – A Vision for "Our America" NCAI Leader calls on U.S. presidential candidates to engage Indian Country, Congress to act on critical legislation, and Indian Country to turn out the largest Native Vote in history. Today NCAI President Jefferson Keel delivered the 2012 State of Indian Nations address.  The nationally webcast and radio broadcast speech outlined a path for tribes to play a vital role in building America’s 21st century economy. Watch the video and read the transcript of the speech.