Written by Arlene   

Tomorrow will be the end of Native American Heritage Month 2010 in the U.S. I have not noticed many programs about Native Americans and their cultures besides “We Shall Remain” on PBS, which aired in early November. Other than that, bits and pieces of programming on mainstream television. Yet, November is Native American Heritage Month?

On November 24 Rob Shuter on Pop Eater.com wrote about Angelina Jolie and her point-of-view about the American Thanksgiving. He said a friend of hers said, 1“To celebrate what the white settlers did to
native Indians, the domination of one culture over another, just isn't her style. She definitely doesn't want to teach her multi-cultural family how to celebrate a story of murder.” The public distrusted her remarks; yet, in my point-of-view she was right on. It showed me how the public knows nothing about Indigenous people and the true history about us. For an American actor she is way ahead of the pack and unafraid to speak out about important issues in the mainstream media. At least she calls attention to our voices that seem drowned out by the majority, but we are not vanished by a long shot as many people believe we are.

It is not not understood why there are not many programs about Native Americans? Other ethnic groups are given air time, except Asians and Native Americans who are skipped. Several Indigenous filmmakers and myself exist who are able to direct segments and we have made more than a single documentary. I just returned from Amiens Film Festival, November 12-20 in Amiens, France, where I showed the Graffiti, a drama about racism. The film festival held a retrospective of Indigenous films/videos. Other Indigenous filmmakers showed their projects and answered the question/answer after their films/videos played. I am a Dine' filmmaker. In my life time, the French and German film/video festivals on a larger scale literally recognize, archive books, call attention to Indigenous cinema and television much more than the U.S., although the U.S. hosts some Indigenous run film festivals.

By now I thought more people would be educated/open minded about Native Americans, but the trend is in reverse. Also it is never ending to dispel myths. When Indigenous people write dramas, tragedies, comedies, animations, others or create their own cable station network such as Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Canada, it is hoped these elements will increase the public's perception about us. Instead right now the media powers continue to ignore, censor, not answer inquiries about this query. As far as I am concerned, mainstream media does not step up to erase the stereotypes especially about Indigenous women. Change moves at a turtle's pace. Thanks for some changes in the media in regards to Indigenous people; however, the improvements are not fast enough. To change now. I stem from the era of the Doors. As the Doors said, 2“People are strange.”

1 Shuter, Rob, “Angelina Refuses to Celebrate Thanksgiving, Feels It's a 'Story of Murder',” PopEater.com, November , 24, 2010.

2 James Morrison; Kreiger, Robbie; Densmore, John; Manzarek, Ray, “People are Strange,” 1967.

Article written by Arlene Bowman, Dine' filmmaker, http://visualeye.wordpress.com/

www.filmfestamiens.org