Research Guides: Common Reading 2022-23: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants: Additional Resources

Salmon's Agreement (film)

This 11-minute documentary short is a collaboration of Tule Films, Confluence, NW Documentary Freshwaters Illustrated, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Filmmaker Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc, Cherokee) of Tule Films brings us Indigenous stories and perspectives from the Columbia River that illuminate our relationship with a fish that remains a cultural lifeblood to Native people.

Watch

Watch PBS films from the Native America series through UO Libraries' AVON subscription:

Academic video online This link opens in a new window Academic Video Online includes a variety of video material available with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs and newsreels, demonstrations, and raw footage. Patrons will find thousands of award-winning films, including Academy®, Emmy®, and Peabody® winners. Academic institutions will find the most frequently used films for classroom instruction, plus newly released films and previously unavailable archival material.

Kanopy contains many feature films and documentaries on Native American and Indigenous topics. Here is a small selection:

Barking Water A uniquely delicate and moving road movie, Barking Water uses the ruggedly beautiful backdrop of rural Oklahoma to tell the story of a proud Native American attempting to reconnect with his estranged family.
On a Knife Edge A Lakota Teenager Fights for Social Justice. Set against a background of rising tension and protest, a Lakota teenager learns first-hand what it means to lead a new generation and enter adulthood in a world where the odds are stacked against him.
Our Spirits Don’t Speak English "Our Spirits Don't Speak English - Indian Boarding School" is a documentary film that examines he educational system that was designed to destroy Indian culture and tribal unity."
Return of the River "Return of the River" is a sequel to "Heart of the People" (1997 Gemini nomination) "Return of the River" is a story of struggle and survival: The Huu-ay-aht First Nations and their ongoing efforts to bring back their river, destroyed decades ago by clear-cut logging and commercial fishing. This Documentary traces the amazing progress the Huu-ay-aht have made in their attempts to restore their river, culture and language- since embarking on this project in the early 1900's Return of the River is a powerful, emotional film which shows how strong leadership and the will of the people, can move mountains... and rivers.
Young Lakota A Native American Leader Fights for Reproductive Rights In this award-winning documentary, Cecilia Fire Thunder- the first female President of the Oglala Sioux tribe, defies a proposed South Dakota law criminalizing all abortions, with no exceptions for rape or incest, by threatening to build a women's clinic on the sovereign territory of the reservation. She ignites a political firestorm that sets off a chain reaction in the lives of three young Lakotas on the Pine Ridge Reservation, forcing each of them to make choices that define who they are and the kind of adults they will become.

Explore others by logging into Kanopy at the link below:

Kanopy This link opens in a new window Offers streaming access to a large variety of documentary and feature films. Major subject areas include the arts, business and training, media and communication, natural sciences and social sciences. Kanopy is limited to UO students, faculty, and staff. A DuckID is required for access both on and off campus.

Docuseek2 features high quality documentaries including many about Native American and Indigenous people. Here is a small selection of titles:

Ama Your browser does not support HTML5 video. Ama Description Reviews Credits Cataloging Ama tells an important and untold story: the abuses committed against Native American women by the US Government during the 1960s and 70s. The women were removed from their families and sent to boarding schools. They were subjected to forced relocation away from their traditional lands and, perhaps worst of all, they were subjected to involuntary sterilization. The result of nine years painstaking and sensitive work by filmmaker Lorna Tucker, the film features the testimony of many Native Americans, including three remarkable women who tell their stories - Jean Whitehorse, Yvonne Swan and Charon Asetoyer.
AWAKE, A Dream from Standing Rock The Dakota Access Pipeline is a controversial project that brings fracked crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota through South Dakota, Iowa and eventually to Illinois. The Standing Rock Tribe and people all over the world oppose the project because the pipeline runs under the Missouri river, a source of drinking water for over 18 million people, and pipeline leaks are commonplace. Since 2010 over 3,300 oil spills and leaks have been reported.
We Still Live Here Celebrated every Thanksgiving as the Indians who saved the Pilgrims from starvation, and then largely forgotten, the Wampanoag Tribes of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard are now saying loud and clear, and in their Native tongue, 'As Nutayunean,' - We Still Live Here.
Tribal Justice RIBAL JUSTICE is a feature documentary about a little known, underreported but effective criminal justice reform movement in America today: the efforts of tribal courts to create alternative justice systems based on their traditions. In California, the state with the largest number of Indian people and tribes, two formidable Native American women are among those leading the way. Abby Abinanti, Chief Judge of the Yurok Tribe on the northwest coast, and Claudette White, Chief Judge of the Quechan Tribe in the southeastern desert, are creating innovative systems that focus on restoring rather than punishing offenders in order to keep tribal members out of prison, prevent children from being taken from their communities, and stop the school-to-prison pipeline that plagues their young people.

Explore others by logging into Docuseek2 at the link below:

Docuseek2 (Streaming Videos) This link opens in a new window Educational streaming access to content from Bullfrog Films, Collective Eye Films, Icarus Films (including The Fanlight Collection and dGenerate Films), Kartemquin Films, Scorpion TV,Sincerely Films, Terra Nova Films and Villon Films.
UO users may preview and license content online.

The UO Libraries has additional streaming and hard copy (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray) films and documentaries. Follow the link below to a guide about how to find films through UO Libraries.

Finding Videos & Films
by Jeff Staiger Last Updated Oct 1, 2024 6288 views this year