PBS launches Native American TV saga April 13

(This article originally appeared on the Transcendent TV & Media site.)

A five-part TV program on the Public Broadcasting System's (PBS) "American Experience" series begins Monday, April 13, and will continue on subsequent Mondays through May 11.

The groundbreaking presentation, "We Shall Remain," looks at American history since the arrival of Europeans from the Native American Indian points of view.

The five segments of the program include: "After the Mayflower" (part one, April 13), "Tecumseh's Vision" (part two, April 20), "Trail of Tears" (part three, April 27), "Geronimo" (part four, May 4) and "Wounded Knee" (part five, May 11).

The award-winning filmmakers involved include Chris Eyre, Ric Burns, Dustinn Craig, Stanley Nelson and executive producers Mark Samels and Sharon Grimberg, according to the "We Shall Remain" Web site.

The TV series itself is part of a larger effort that includes a nationwide community involvement campaign involving Native American Indian communities, organizations and radio stations.

In addition the overall project involves coordination and outreach with and through public television stations, universities, schools, libraries and museums.

Related activities and events include special screenings, lectures, discussions and conferences. A comprehensive teacher´s guide for social studies curriculum has also been developed.

SEGMENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

The "We Shall Remain" Web site provides overviews of the program that briefly describe each show.

In part one, "After the Mayflower," viewers go back to 1621 when the Wampanoa people in New England made a treaty with the new settlers – the Pilgrims. A few decades later, war erupts between regional Indians and the English.

Part two, "Tecumseh's Vision," covers the Indian leader Tecumseh who helped coordinate a joint resistance involving many tribes against the European invaders in their land.

"Trail of Tears," part three, takes us to the horrible tragedy experienced by the Cherokee people of the Southeast and Appalachian Mountain region. After adapting to the white man´s ways, including much intermarriage, most Cherokee were forced from their ancestral homeland to western lands.

The fourth segment, "Geronimo," then shows us the same struggle years later as settlers and the authority of the United States government moved into the American Southwest.

Finally, part five, "Wounded Knee," brings us to contemporary times and the 1973 incident involving demands of the American Indian Movement for justice.

The "We Shall Remain" Web site calls the project "an unprecedented collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers and involves Native advisors and scholars at all levels of the project."

The program "could not have been made without the extensive involvement of Native people. In addition to the involvement of Native directors, producers and professional actors, the production teams reached out to Native communities to cast dozens of non-professional actors who brought a wealth of knowledge about their cultures to the set," according the program's Web site.

COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL EXPERIENCE

The program's online site also includes detailed information on the many activities and efforts associated with the TV series itself.

A trailer, information on the cast and crew, feature videos and a photo gallery are available on the site. Lists of, and links to coalitions, groups and supporters who will "plan and sponsor activities that promote understanding of local Native history and contemporary life" can also be found there.

The many planned local events around the country include a featured event at Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on April 14. The evening´s activities will feature an advance screening of the "Trail of Tears" segment.

Actor Wes Studi, who appears in the program, and executive producer Sharon Grimberg will be present. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, the Cherokee National Youth Choir and local cast members will also be in attendance.

The activities are hosted by Indian University Scholars Society (IUSS) and sponsors include the NSU Office of Academic Affairs, NSU Center for Tribal Studies and Cherokee Nation.

Other endeavors associated with "We Shall Remain" include educational resources that "incorporate video segments from the five documentaries into social studies resources, offering both viewing and comprehension aids and classroom activities," according to the program's Web site.

"This resource will inspire and support teachers to integrate Native history and issues into their curricula and encourage them to present Native history as an integral part of American history," the site explained.

The National Library Initiative involved with the program is a joint effort with the American Library Association (ALA) and "to build awareness of the series among librarians, Native organizations, scholars and writers."

In addition, "A library event kit developed specifically for public, college, school, and tribal libraries will be distributed to 17,000 public libraries, as well as to all tribal libraries. Features include storytelling days, Native literature reading circles, cross-cultural art projects for youth, discussion forums, guidelines for evaluating media about Native peoples, and an extensive bibliography of book, film and Internet resources," according to the program's site.

Exclusive corporate funding for "We Shall Remain" was provided by Liberty Mutual, with major funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Additional Funding was provided by National Endowment for the Humanities, Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, Kalliopeia Foundation, Gretchen Stone Cook Charitable Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Public TV station WGBH in Boston produces the "American Experience" series.

NOTE TO READERS: You can learn more by visiting the "We Shall Remain" Web site.

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For more information, please visit the Joint Recon Study Group and Transcendent TV & Media sites and have a look around.