Portrait of three Mardi Gras Indian "Big Chiefs,” descendants of runaway slaves who were taken in by the Native Americans of the Louisiana bayous. Film explores their art and philosophies, as well as their struggles within their communities. Directed by Aaron C. Walker
Unearthing a variety of contemporary Indigenous Artists and their connection to their art, community, and country. Director Dena Curtis. Kanopy
The artist has noted this topic as part of their inspiration. The laws of physics are time reversible, but we never see time running backwards. Theorists have proposed that the direction of time is connected to the order of the early universe and even that time is an illusion. See how Einstein deepened the mystery with his theory of relativity, which predicts time dilation and the surprising possibility of time travel. DVD | Kanopy
Native, Aboriginal filmmaker Trisha Morton-Thomas teams up again with Comedy Director-Writer, Craig Anderson to launch a rocket into 250 years of taboos, prejudice and ignorance. With the use of satire, the film unpacks the negative history shared between the nation's First Peoples and modern-day Australians. This is a follow-up to their first film, Occupation: Native.
Documentary introduces members of the Ute, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Omaha nations, who reveal that Indians' lives are based on a circle which incorporates their beliefs in respecting and preserving their heritage. Directed by John W Burshtan. Kanopy
A thrilling documentary about extreme bareback horse racing, and an intimate love story. Chronicling three years in the life of a young Native American bareback horse racer, her dogged determination, and the relationships that sustain her. Directed by Kim Barley. Kanopy
Featuring interviews with filmmakers and activists delves into the fascinating history of the Hollywood Indian with razor-sharp insight and humor, tracing its checkered cinematic evolution. Directed by Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, and Jeremiah Hayes. DVD
Filmed at the farthest edge of the Navajo Nation, this film shares the stories of Indigenous youth as they grapple with ambitious dreams, their family responsibilities, and the isolated nature of their community all while the school itself faces existential questions about its purpose and future. DVD
Explores from the Native point of view the complex story of the role that the Native American code talkers and the Navajo language played in secret communications during World War II. Written and directed by Valerie Red-Horse. DVD
In this documentary, Navajo veteran, Tina Garnanez, returns home from duty with the U.S. Army who realizes that her home on the Navajo Reservation has become a battleground in a protracted war over nuclear proliferation. Directed by Sophie Rousmaniere. Kanopy
Music
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Cree Confederation is a champion singing group from Canada that fuses original and contemporary Pow-Wow singing. This recording features the full spectrum of Pow-Wow song styles: thunderous songs sung in the Plains Cree language, Straight songs, two Side-Steps, a Crow Hop, a Round Dance, and the Treaty Six Flag Song.
Jesse Ed Davis was a well regarded session guitarist, producer, and solo performer. He was a member of Taj Mahal's backing band and played with a who’s-who of musicians including, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Cher, George Harrison, and many others. Davis was an enrolled citizen of the Kiowa of Oklahoma, with Comanche, Muscogee, and Seminole ancestry. Red Dirt Boogie compiles numerous tracks from Davis’ first two albums as well as two previously unreleased tracks.
Indigenous is a blues-rock group led by vocalist and guitarist Mato Nanji. Nanji is a member of the Dakota Nation who grew up on South Dakota's Yankton Indian Reservation. Time is Coming is a hard hitting, guitar driven package of high level blues/rock songs, in the tradition of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Eleven-time Grammy nominee, R. Carlos Nakai, of Navajo-Ute heritage, is a master of the Native American flute. He has released over 50 albums blending traditional Native American music with contemporary styles. This 2021 release is the companion album to Nakai's first best-of collection, In Beauty, We Return.
Martha Redbone, of Cherokee, Choctaw, and African American heritage, is a singer-songwriter known for her soulful vocals and blending of Native American and Appalachian musical traditions with blues and R&B. Working with producer John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Redbone explores the artful poetry of English poet William Blake (1757–1827). This unique synthesis of different cultures and influences is a compelling, unique, and emotionally rich listen.
Robbie Robertson, a member of the Mohawk Nation, is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a founding member of the influential rock group, the Band, and has had a successful solo career. Testimony is a companion piece to his autobiography of the same name. This collection offers up highlights from Robertson's musical career, including his time in the Band and the Hawks.
Buffy Sainte-Marie is a Cree Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, Oscar-winning composer, visual artist, and activist. Power in the Blood offers new material, reworkings of a few older songs, and some choice covers.
Keith Secola is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Anishinaabe heritage. Portals is an ambient music album featuring Earth sounds, flute, guitars, bass, drums, and percussion.
Crystal Shawanda is an Ojibwe country singer-songwriter. She gained recognition with her debut single "You Can Let Go" and continues to release music that combines country, blues, and rock influences. Her fifth studio album, Voodoo Woman contains gritty, soulful, and electrifying performances.
Descended from the Pomo Native Americans, an indigenous people of Northern California, Chuck Billy is the lead singer of American thrash metal band, Testament. In the past, Billy has addressed Native American issues and history in songs like, "Trail of Tears," "Allegiance," and "Native Blood." Brotherhood of the Snake is the group’s twelfth studio album.
Largely unheard, criminally undocumented, but at their core, utterly revolutionary, the recordings of the diverse North American Aboriginal community will finally take their rightful place in our collective history in the form of Native North America (Vol. 1): Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966-1985. An anthology of music that was once near-extinct and off-the-grid is now available for all to hear, in what is, without a doubt, Light In The Attic's most ambitious and historically significant project in the label's 12-year journey. Sung in English, Inuktitut, Cree, and Innu-aimun.
Nole Floyd “Nokie” Edwards was the lead guitarist of the influential instrumental rock band, the Ventures. Born in Oklahoma, his mother was an enrolled member of the Western Cherokee. An innovative and pioneering guitarist, he has been called, “The King of Guitars” and the Ventures, "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands." This best-of compilation is a fantastic introduction to their work, starting with their career-establishing hit, "Walk, Don't Run," it includes every chart entry and many significant album tracks.