NATIVE STORIES FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

September 2016

Three New Films to Air for Native American Heritage Month

Vision Maker Media's new films celebrate Native culture, heritage, wisdom, sacred stories and storytelling. Ishi's Return, Red Power Energy and Medicine Woman broadcast in time for Native American Heritage Month.

Ishi's Return premieres Oct. 29. This 30-minute film documents the impact of Ishi, billed as the "last wild Indian" when he wandered out of the woods in Oroville, California, and became a national sensation.

Red Power Energy premieres Oct. 30. The one-hour documentary combines engaging storytelling with in-depth journalism, and it features a nearly all-Native film crew and Advisory Council representing Western and Great Plains American Indian tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.

Medicine Woman premieres Nov. 1. The one-hour documentary interweaves the lives of Susan La Flesche Picotte, America's first Native American doctor, and the courageous Native women from many tribes who follow in her footsteps.

40 Films to Stream for FREE!

Starting Nov. 1

With 40 years of service to Public Broadcasting, Vision Maker Media is preparing to share some of the best programs from our collection beginning in November. In partnership with the American Archives of Public Broadcasting, WGBH and the Library of Congress "40 Years-40 Films" will feature full programs that Vision Maker Media supported over the years. Starting Nov. 1, 2016 and ending
Aug. 7, 2017, a different film will be available for free streaming each week.

VMM's Digital Media Archive

With funding from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation, Vision Maker Media has digitized more than 100 media assets, including 1-inch video tapes, VHS and digital betacam formats. Archives Assistant Alana Stone (Rosebud Sioux) has been working with CreativEdge/Candy Company LLC. The accompanying metadata will assist those in film research to discover these rarely seen programs. The collection will be housed at the American Archives of Public Broadcasting and available for viewing at the Library of Congress.

VMM to Attend ATALM International Conference

Alana Stone (Rosebud Sioux), Shirley Sneve (Rosebud Sioux) and Daniel Golding (Quechan) will present a workshop at the 2016 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) on Oct. 11 in Phoenix, Arizona, hosted by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums. "Developing and Caring for a Media Archive" will look at issues facing Native American media collections. The session will introduce a special project of Vision Maker Media to identify where tribal media assets are held, develop a guide for the "Top 100 Native Films" and help tribal archives, libraries and museums care for media collections. Participants are encouraged to provide input on the "Top 100" list and share information about their own media.

Growing Native Travels Oklahoma

Producer Charles "Boots" Kennedye recently led the

Growing Native team to Oklahoma to visit some of the state's most active tribes. The state's 39 federally recognized tribes is a melting pot for intertribal diversity, where cultural expression, language preservation and community health are some of the shared goals.

The crew headed south to Durant, where they met Dr. Ian Thompson, Director of the Choctaw Historic Preservation Department who is establishing a base of heirloom seeds by seeking out and growing traditional crops. The tribe's goal is to establish a formal seed bank, provide opportunities in sustainable agriculture and economic development, and improve the health of the tribal community.

On the other side of the state in Concho, the Cheyenne and Arapaho developed a Buffalo Pilot Program to reintroduce buffalo meat back into the tribe's diet as a healthier alternative to other fatty meats. The results are positive, as deep

physical and spiritual connections have been developed between the buffalo and tribes over centuries.

Heading South to Anadarko, the crew met up with Vanessa Jennings from the Kiowa Tribe. Jennings is well known for her bead work and traditional crafts. In 1998 she received a National Heritage Fellowship and was named a living treasure by the President and Congress. She is also the granddaughter of Steven Mopope, one of the famed Kiowa Five Artists. Sixteen of his murals, commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1936 are on prominent display at the Anadarko Post Office.

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Ladonna Harris: Indian 101 Makes Digital Debut

The independent film Ladonna Harris: Indian 101 is now available on iTunes for pre-sales. Sales fully open Friday, Sept. 23.

Ladonna Harris: Indian 101 by Director Julianna Brannum (Comanche), chronicles the life of Comanche activist and national civil rights leader LaDonna Harris and the role that she has played in Native and mainstream American history since the 1960s. Harris's activism began in Oklahoma, fighting segregation and assisting grassroots Native and women's groups. She continued her work in Washington, D.C., where she helped to introduce landmark programs and legislation including tribal land return claims, improving education and healthcare for Native Americans, ending job discrimination against women, and protecting environmental resources for tribes. Using interviews, archival footage and photographs, Ladonna Harris: Indian 101 celebrates her life and the personal struggles that led her to become a voice for Native people and highlights her contemporary work to strengthen and rebuild indigenous communities and train emerging Native leaders around the world. (October 2014 PBS Broadcast Premiere)

Visit the film official website
Purchase the DVD
Download the free educational guide and lesson plan here

We're On the Road: Come Find Us

Sept. 27-29: First Nations L.E.A.D. Conference, Tulsa
Oct. 5-8: NIEA Convention, Reno
Oct. 9-12: ATALM Conference, Phoenix
Oct. 19-23: imagineNATIVE, Toronto

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