Whisper of Art
~ By Stephanie Deplanque ~
One Film
Older than America
I had to wait a very, very long time until the release of the DVD to finally be able to watch this film, and, guess what? I loved it! Not the wait, obviously, but the film. I knew about the story, the cast, the critics, everything… and I was not disappointed… except maybe for the fact that, again, this film never had the kind of coverage that any empty blockbuster coming from Hollywood would have had, but we are not here to discuss that well known fact…
Georgina Lightning’s contemporary drama is simply a must see. The screenplay is well written, the characters are well portrayed by the actors, the film has enough drama, suspense and well constructed plots to make it worthwhile but it also has, as a directing line, a story that really needs to be told and to be put out there: the story of boarding schools and cover up of what happened there! One of the moments that simply stayed with me for a while after was definitely when Luke (Bradley Cooper) uses the word “holocaust” after listening to what has been happening on reservation land and what the government did for years and years, and is shocked as to realize how this is still being covered up today. After all, Hitler himself thought the concept of reservations so well thought out that it inspired him for his own plans.
I think the film is not only about the boarding school system, but above all, about the truth being told and finally resurfacing. And I believe we are at a time when more and more people in America and across the world are actually ready to hear and accept the truth of what has been done to Indigenous People in the name of religion, money and politics. Furthermore, it can also be seen as an explanation to why there are so many problems of drugs, alcohol abuse and suicide on the reservations.
Many well known problems are underlined in this film: the greed of a handful of people against the well-being of the community; the difficulty to deal with white bureaucrats who might consider themselves superior; the underlying racism many white people are guilty of without even realizing it (sometimes)…
In my opinion this film deserves to be showed in history classes, and it deserved much more attention that what was given. It gives a realistic image of the difficulty that may be encountered today as well as laying out one of the biggest tragedies, that being the boarding school system.
So go watch it if you haven’t yet, and enjoy the award winning cast that includes Adam Beach, Wes Studi, Tantoo Cardinal, and of course Georgina Lightning.
One Book
American Indians Stereotypes & Realities
by Devon A. Mihesuah
If there is one book that needs to be read and that needs to be studied, it might as well be this one, especially for all non-Natives as most of us grew up with some of the common stereotypes as simple knowledge.
Mihesuah takes all the stereotyped ideas and compares them to reality, as well as giving explanations and examples as to how hurtful this can be.
Although some stereotypes I knew of, I was simply appalled at the number of really dumb ideas that some of us seem to have when it comes to American Indians. I find it utterly shocking that some people may actually think that Indians had neither civilization nor religion before the arrival of Europeans, or that Indians are confined to reservations, live in teepees and only wear braids… DeLanna Studi notes:
“…it is not uncommon for our Native actors to go to an audition and be asked if we are “really Indian” even to the extent of asking our blood quantum or Tribal Affiliation. We have been asked if we can speak “Indian” and then told to “speak” or asked to cold read other native languages which in no way resemble our own languages.”
In order to get rid of all these preconceived ideas, I do recommend reading this book. I am sure that most people would then realize how ridiculous the image we have been given of Native Americans really is, and how untrue in particular. Nothing to do with the Indian that John Wayne used to fight. Although this will not replace a simple acknowledgement of the wrong that has been done for centuries by the government, it will give a clearer idea of what to say and what not to say as well as what is true and what is false.
The book is even more interesting; there are a series of guidelines and references in the different appendix of the book, helpful in teaching others. It also has a ‘do and don’t’ section where you can find tips on American Indian culture and history, useful whether you teach kids or adults.