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Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film series
is brought to you by
A Raven Above Press with Lorin Morgan-Richards, and Red Wind Entertainment with Pamela J. Peters
in association with the Japanese American National Museum.
The Film Series is located at at 111 North Central Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90012.
Upcoming Screenings!
Date: Feb 22nd - 6pm, in collaboration with Valena Dismukes
Title: American Red and Black: Stories of Afro-Native Identity
To begin the evening we will be screening a short film 'Picking Tribes' by S. Pearl Sharp.
About the short- “A semi-animated short about a young girl growing up in the 1940’s and her heartfelt and humorous attempts to be “more than ordinary” as she struggles to find an identity between her Black American and Native American heritages. Features original water color & animation cell art by Carlos Spivey. Voices: Bill Cobbs, Candida Mobley, Michelle Davidson and Herself
After the short we will screen 'American Red and Black: Stories of Afro-Native Identity''
This film follows its protagonist Vella, as she makes tentative forays into the Native American portion of her lineage. This process leads her to consider a more expanded racial identity, despite the fact she has always thought of herself as an African American or Black woman.
Vella's saga is interspersed with the stories and/or opinions of five other
individuals: Tall Oak, Rick, Minty, Jolene and Sequoyah- all of whom possess
strong multicultural identities.
Following the films, Valena Broussard Dismukes will moderate a panel discussion on how some African Americans connect with their Indian heritage. Panelists will include Karen Chappelle (Cherokee), Billie Frierson (Seminole), Richard Procello (Creek) and Dr. Horace Williams (Seminole). Dismukes (Choctaw) is a frequent lecturer at colleges, universities, and museums on the subject of Afro-Indians that is gaining increasing attention around the country.
Date: Mar 21st - 6pm
Title: From the Badlands to Alcatraz
About: On September 15, 2003, Richard Iron Cloud and Armando Black Bear, from Pine Ridge, made history as the first two Lakota men to complete solo swims from Alcatraz as participants in a program called PATHSTAR. The night before arriving in San Francisco, Richard Iron Cloud led a traditional talking circle in the Badlands, close to his home in Porcupine, one of a handful of villages scattered across the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Dr. Nancy Iverson developed a program for Pine Ridge residents to experience the Bay Area and immerse themselves in healthy nutrition practices, community activities, physical challenges, and—literally—in the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay! In recognition of the spiritual and cultural significance of Alcatraz for American Indians, the week culminates with the Alcatraz swim.
Each year Iverson returns to Pine Ridge and brings people out to participate—to learn, to teach, to prepare food, to get active, and, especially, to ‘escape’ from Alcatraz, all in the spirit of creating a more healthful Pine Ridge.
The film weaves the past and present of both Alcatraz and the Pine Ridge Reservation into a vivid depiction of the awe-inspiring journey the five youth navigate. It follows the group’s first plunge into the San Francisco Bay through their personal and collective challenges, disappointments and triumphs as they strive to conquer both the Alcatraz swim and the dispiritedness connected to conditions on Pine Ridge. “From the Badlands to Alcatraz” brings to life the insight a Los Angeles man offered to Richard Iron Cloud: “You are an inspiration, not only to the Lakota, but to everyone who wishes to go the ‘extra mile’ in their lives.”
Date: April 25th - 6pm
Title: More than Dolls: Being Otomi in Central Mexico
About: Wyoming journalist and documentary producer Katharine Collins, and her husband, John, spent three summers volunteering in the Otomí community of San Ildefonso Tultepec, two hours northwest of Mexico City. After gaining the trust of several families, she was granted unprecedented access to their family life, which she captured on nearly 30 hours of video footage.
"Gradually the seeds of a documentary were planted in my mind," Collins said. "I decided to go back to San Ildefonso for a month in the Fall of 2001 to interview these family members and try to understand how they balanced being Otomí and surviving in the modern world."
Collins spent that month with Jeronimo and Cecilia Gonzales and their nine children, the same family she had lived with during her summer volunteer stints. During that time she interviewed members of three local families, and also two Mexican academics at the University of Queretaro, whose research and publications have focused on the Otomí.
"Materially, these families have so little," she said. "But it was obvious from spending time with them and tracking them at work, in church, at home and in the corn fields, that they have a very clear idea of who they are and that they are immensely proud of being Otomí."
Corn – the mainstay of the diet, culture and spirituality of the Otomí – is skillfully woven throughout the stories of three men and women who challenge the negative stereotypes of the indigenous group.
Otomí children from very early ages are socialized as adults, and given adult responsibilities, according to Abel Piña, an anthropologist at the University of Queretaro, who has published a lengthy study of Otomí culture, and who appears in the documentary. The program provides numerous examples of families working together to survive.
Date: May 12th - 12:30pm
Title: Act of War - The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation
About: In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S. Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d'etat against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili'uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as "an act of war."
Stylized re-enactments, archival photos and film, political cartoons, historic quotes and presentations by Hawaiian scholars tell Hawaiian history through Hawaiian eyes.
Produced in association with the Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i. Featuring historians and scholars Haunani-Kay Trask, Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa, Kekuni Blaisdell and Jonathan Osorio. The documentary made a significant impact, in 1993, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution admitting the illegal taking of Hawai'i and formally apologizing to the Hawaiian people. President Clinton signed the resolution in November of the same year.
Date: Jun 20th - 6pm, in Collaboration with the Red Circle Project
Title: Byron Chief-Moon: Grey Horse Rider
About: Father of three, successful TV actor and artist and proud member of the First Nations two-spirited gay community, Byron Chief-Moon is a fascinating mesh of dynamic personae. But when he dances alone in the forest, the complexity of the real world washes away, and we can see his spiritual self take hold. Interviews combine with mesmerizing footage of his performances to capture the essence of this cutting-edge artist who founded the Coyote Arts Percussive Performance Association. By melding the history and art of his Canadian Blackfoot Confederacy tribe with issues of contemporary life, Chief-Moon’s work makes profound statements about identity and tradition.
Date: July 18th - 6pm
Title: The Thick Dark Fog
About: Walter Littlemoon is a 69-year-old Lakota man born and raised in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. At the age of five, he was removed from his family to attend a Federal government boarding school where his culture, language and spirituality were suppressed.
The Thick Dark Fog profiles Walter's journey to heal himself and his community while reclaiming his heritage. The film's title comes from Walter's own self-diagnosis of the state-of-mind that he lived in for so many years until he began to tell his story and heal from his childhood trauma.
As time has passed, more positive accounts have surfaced from Native Americans about their school experiences such as being saved from poverty and making life-long friends.
Date: Aug 22nd - 6pm
Title: Warrior in Two Worlds: The Life of Ely Parker
About: Ely Parker was a Seneca chief, a legal scholar, an engineer, a Civil War hero, and a Cabinet-level commissioner -- all by the age of 40. At first glance, his story appears to be one of success and triumph.
Yet Parker died in poverty far from the land of his birth. In later life he was estranged from his people and dismissed by political leaders he once considered friends. Today, American history remembers him as a mere footnote, and inside the Seneca community, he is a controversial figure -- considered a hero by some, branded a traitor by others.
Date: Sep 19th - 6pm in collaboration with Hecho de Mano
Title: TBA
Date: Oct 24th - 6pm
Title: Hearing Radmilla
About: This film is a portrait of Radmilla Cody, who was Miss Navajo Nation from 1997 to 1998. It follows her reign as the first biracial Miss Navajo, then explores her pursuit of a singing career, and finally addresses the cruel realities that led to serious legal consequences for her.
Date: Nov 15th - 8pm, in collaboration with the LA Skins Fest
Title: TBA
Date: Dec 19th - 6pm
Title: The Trail of Tears. Cherokee Legacy.
& The Twelve Days of Native Christmas
About: “Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy” explores America’s darkest period: President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma in 1838. Nearly a quarter of the Cherokee National died during the Trail of Tears, arriving in Indian Territory with few elders and even fewer children. Presented by Wes Studi and narrated by James Earl Jones.
all speakers and performers to be announced as they are confirmed
How you can help make a difference to ensure the film series longevity and reach!
1. Support the film series with a donation to the film series. All proceeds go towards the costs of film liscensing to show the films.
2. Purchase a copy of 'Me'ma and the Great Mountain', novel written and illustrated by Lorin Morgan-Richards, with a special foreword by Corine Fairbanks. All proceeds go towards the costs of film liscensing to show the films. (preorder now for shipment on January 1, 2012!)
3. Become a sponsor. Contact lorinmorg@aol.com for sponsor opportunities.
4. Blog, tweet, and write about the film series! Tell everyone you know.
5. Bring your family and friends!
Bringing the Circle Together: A Native American Film Series is a FREE film series located in downtown Los Angeles at the National Center for Preservation of Democracy. The film series was established to provide quality documentaries by and about Indigenous cultures of the Americas, and bring together a central gathering place where discussion and awareness of issues can be shared with the Native community and its supporters.
The film series is held at the National Center for Preservation of Democracy located at 111 North Central Avenue, between 1st Street and Central Avenue, in downtown Los Angeles. Directly across from the Japanese American National Museum, our host sponsor. The NCPD can be reached via train, bus, or parking in the area.
