Here is a selection of Native American documentaries available to the University of Arkansas community through Kanopy. Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service that provides students and faculty access to more than 26,000 films. The list is provided by Tim Zou, head of the Performing Arts and Media Library. Stop by level 1 of Mullins Library to visit PAM.
Up Heartbreak Hill
Chronicles the lives of three Native American teenagers in Navajo, New Mexico – Thomas, an elite runner; Tamara, an academic superstar; and Gabby, an aspiring photographer-as they navigate their senior year at a reservation high school.
Beyond Recognition – Women Preserving Native Culture
After decades struggling to protect her ancestors’ burial places, now engulfed by San Francisco’s sprawl, a Native woman from a federally unrecognized tribe and her allies occupy a development site to protect sacred ground. When this fails, they vow to follow a new path: establish the first women-led urban Indigenous land trust
Our Spirits Don’t Speak English
Examines the educational system that was designed to “destroy Indian culture and tribal unity.” Introduced by August Schellenberg, the film provides a candid look at the Indian Boarding School system 1879 through the1960s.
In Whose Honor?
In Whose Honor? takes a critical look at the long-running practice of “honoring” American Indians as mascots and nicknames in sport. It follows Native American mother Charlene Teters, and her transformation into the leader some are calling the “Rosa Parks of American Indians” as she struggles to protect her cultural symbols and identity.
Walking in Two Worlds
Worlds collide in the Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest one earth, when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) turns tribes into corporations and sparks a lengthy logging Settlement Act.
Reel Injun
An insightful look at the Hollywood Indian, exploring the portrayal of North American Natives through the history of cinema. Travelling through the heartland of America, filmmaker Neil Diamond looks at how the myth of “the Injun” has influenced the world’s understanding – and misunderstanding – of Natives.
Ishi, The Last Yahi
This widely acclaimed film recounts one of the most extraordinary and important stories in American history and explains its contemporary relevance with power and eloquence.
Across the Americas: Indigenous Perspectives
In this compilation, award-winning independent documentary filmmaker Robbie Leppzer chronicles indigenous people from North, South, and Central America speaking out about their common legacies of survival and contemporary struggles over land, human rights, and the environment.
The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
The Trail of Tears Cherokee Legacy, narrated by James Earl Jones and featuring Wes Studi, explores one of America’s darkest periods. After the Louisiana Territory was purchased in 1803, the US Government adopted a policy to move Indians west of the Mississippi to allow for white settlers to take over the eastern lands.
Power Paths: Native Americans fight for Green Power
An inspiring documentary about how Native American communities across the West are leading the transition to alternative energy sources. 10% of America’s energy comes from Native American lands, including a third of the U.S. coal deposits and hydroelectric dams. These coal mines and plants brought jobs, but they also brought pollution, and cancer.
Carved from the Heart
Carved from the Heart intertwines the process of carving and erecting the Healing Heart totem pole with the participants’ stories of personal loss, grief, substance abuse, suicide and violence. This powerful film explores questions of death and dying, family relationships and parenting, and the impact of the war in Vietnam on veterans and their families.