In honor of Native American Heritage Month, here are some film recommendations available at the J. Willard Marriott Library, recommended by Joni Clayton.

Film recommendations:

The Activist

Set during the Wounded Knee protest in 1973, two Native American activists are arrested and held in custody in a small sheriff’s office in the middle of nowhere.  When a lawyer is assigned to the case, she realizes there is more to investigate than it seems.

Indians & Aliens (Season 1)

Cree host Ernest Webb explores sightings of UFOs and other mysterious phenomena while travelling to various hot spots throughout Canada and the United States. In a quest to find answers for the inexplicable, modern science often turns to ancient Native belief systems.

Native America

This series travels through 15,000 years to showcase massive cities, unique systems of science, art and writing and 100 million people connected by social networks and spiritual beliefs spanning two continents. (Titles: From Caves to Cosmos, Nature to Nations, Cities of the Sky, New World Rising)

No More Smoke Signals

Through Kili Radio, “Voice of the Lakota Nation,”  people converge to speak to the community about daily concerns and in doing so, strengthen their sense of identity. This film is about the role of media, as well as an up-close look at present day life on the reservation.

Pocahontas Revealed

Follow the investigation by NOVA of the Werowocomoco site as archeologists for the first time reveal the Native American side of the Jamestown story.

Rigoberta Menchu: Broken Silence

This program presents a profile of this extraordinary woman, whose life has become a symbol of the sufferings, not only of her own Mayan Quiche people, but of all the indigenous people of the Americas.

Sisters Rising

This film is the story of six Native American women fighting to restore personal and tribal sovereignty in the face of ongoing sexual violence against indigenous women in the United States.

Spirits for Sale: The Commercialization of American Indian Rituals

Western spiritualists often seek enlightenment through indigenous religions once practiced in different regions around the world.  Beautifully crafted, this film explores both sides of an unlikely dispute between native peoples and present-day interpreters of their rituals.

Thieves of Time: Who Owns the Past?

Introduced by Tony Hillerman, this film studies Native American burial grounds over five centuries of cultural, scientific, and legal change.  The Native American Graves Repatriation Act, covering the ownership and study of human remains and sacred objects, is given special emphasis.