Here is a link to the website for the movie I mentioned in our last class, "Indian 101", the story of Commanche activist LaDonna Harris. LaDonna's husband was a US Senator in the 1960s and 1970s. LaDonna was able to use her position in order to shed light on the plight of the Native Americans, Her style was constructive as opposed to confrontational. She remains active today, working to heighten awareness of issues that impact indigenous people all over the world.
http://indian101themovie.com/index.html
The
filmmaker, Julianna Brannum, is herself a member of the Comanche nation.
Johnny Depp is the executive producer. Indian 101 was recently shown on
PBS, is available on DVD, and has also won a number of awards as an
entry in film festivals. In fact, it is being shown at 7pm on Monday,
Nov. 3, 2014 at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. If I didn't have rehearsal, I would go! More
info here:
http://aifisf.com/festival/2014/program/?pno=2
During an interview I heard on National Public Radio last week (which is where I first learned of her, and heard about the movie) I was surprised to hear LaDonna referring to herself as an
"Indian". But she also uses the terms "Native American" and
"indigenous". Before her husband, Fred was a US Senator, he was a state
senator in Oklahoma. LaDonna was frequently at his side (often sitting in as his guest during legislative sessions), and became
known for being a favorite hostess. The Oklahoma senators referred to
the couple as "the Senator and the Indian", which LaDonna explained was
an affectionate nickname that she took as a compliment.
Harris also wrote her memoirs a few years ago. The book is called "LaDonna Harris: A Comanche Life".
If anyone goes to see the film, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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