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Native American Television, Inc.®
On Location with Producer/Director Lynn Gray (Yaqui) at Crow Fair on the Crow Indian Reservation, Montana.
Summary
Three years in production, First Americans Journal is a documentary television series created by Native American Television, Inc.®, a non-profit organization whose unique approach involves the "focus community" in each production as well as the capable insight of Ojibway elder Roger Jourdain as the series' Executive Producer. The first ten one-hour programs are being distributed in the international and national broadcast marketplace and are also available for educational use in colleges and universities nationwide. Current programs now in production are being created by "guest" production teams adding to the look and scope of the series. Funding is being sought to expand the production process to include Native American production internships. The series debuted in June, 1995 on Twin Cities Public Television and has since been broadcast on PBS stations in several other major markets including Minneapolis. First Americans Journal is Produced and Directed by Lynn Gray (Yaqui). Turtle Island Productions' Director of Photography James Fortier worked with Lynn on program segments focusing on the Crow Tribe as well as Native American environmental issues.
Program Samples
"A Line Drawn On A Map" Program One- Lac La Croix First Nation, Ontario Canada. Treaty rights as seen through the eyes of the indigenous descendants of the treaty makers. Essentially, the rights of the people of three nations are involved in this international boundary dispute. It is important to understand each other, and to communicate the contemporary condition of these "treaty" agreements. The future of the culture and traditions of the Ojibwe Band at Lac La Croix is more secure than it has been for fifty years. The Band returns to their traditional lifestyle in a remarkable recovery from a decade of alcoholism, murder and suicide. In addition, Ojibwe artist Joe Geshick from Nett Lake talks with Tom Beaver about his paintings and the inspiration for them in his studio in St. Paul, MN.
"Housing Solutions" Program Two-Pribliof Islands, Alaska. Housing solutions for Aleut communities in the remote Aleutian chain of Pribliof Islands where the nearest building supply store is six hundred miles away. Explores the historic background of the indigenous people of these islands, and the importance of keeping elders, young adults and children together as in previous generations.
Cheyenne River Lakota Reservation, Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Another perspective on housing solutions is the Habitat for Humanity "blitz build" on an Indian Reservation. The cooperative construction of thirty homes in five days by the Lakota homeowners and some two thousand volunteers, including former President Jimmy Carter, plants an incredible seed of self-esteem in the middle of a dusty plain.
"Sacred Lands and Waters" Program Three- Pavunga Village in Long Beach, CA and The Mystery Lake of Great Spirit in Minnesota. Archeological surveys, ancient remains and ethnographic testimonials verify the credibility of a sacred site that was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in the 1970s. The community surrounding the University of California at Long Beach has united in an effort to preserve this sacred land which also happens to be the last natural undeveloped site on the University Campus. The Native American community considers the sacred site to be all that remains of the ancient village of Pavunga. Tongva people have an oral history that includes stories about their creation at this important worship site. Some of the legal complexities of sacred sites are examined along with diverse perspectives on freedom of religion and worship.
"Our Children - Our Future" Program Four - Shakopee, MN. A preschool program called "Koda Cistina" includes the language and cultural images familiar to the Mdewawakanton Dakota's traditional life ways in Shakopee, MN. The Native American curriculum is strengthening and renewing traditional values by introducing them to preschoolers in this unique nursery program.
St. Paul, MN. Children look to adults in their community for role models and inspiration. The Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul brings the Western European style of science face to face with its indigenous counterpart. The natural world understanding and wisdom of Native American elders compliment a diverse staff of professionals as part of the water/science camps for children.
Juneau, Alaska. The growing Native awareness of the state legislative process has changed the lifestyle and conditions in the state of Alaska. Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlinglit woman, has the courage to lobby state legislature to sign its anti discrimination bill in 1945. Today, Athabascan Senator Georgianna Lincoln continues this tradition of Native awareness and encourages young people to get involved in their future.
"Our Land, Our Identity" Program Five- Kau 'au, Hawaii - The Kanaka Maoli, original peoples of Hawaii, are desperate to preserve the sacred mountains, waters and creatures of the remaining kapu (sacred) places. The Hawaiian Homelands were set aside seventy years ago to insure that some of this once prosperous Kingdom would remain in the hands of its first peoples. The struggle to accomplish this simple but effective task continues today on the big island of Hawaii in spite of heavy development and industrial desecration.
These five programs are hosted by Tom Beaver, a member of the Muscogee Nation now located in Oklahoma, and the original score was composed by Jerod Sheffer Tate of the Chickasaw Nation, a Master's Candidate at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Each program included tribal community members as part of the production team.
First Americans Journal is owned and distributed by Native American Television, Inc.®, a non-profit organization. The production of these programs was made possible by awards from the McKight Foundation and the Otto Bremer Foundation. For more information about First Americans Journal call 800-848-4117.
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