This content was published: May 6, 2004. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC Native American Film Series
Photos and story by James Hill
You are invited to the Sylvania premiere of the following films as part of the PCC Native American Film Series: For Those Yet to Come.Monday, May 17, 6:30p.m.Film: If the Weather Permits Library Room 11228 min. 2001, CanadaResearched, written and directed by Elisapie IsaacA young woman from Salluit who now lives in Montreal, decided to return to her roots by talking to Qaqqaayummarik, her grandfather who died a few years ago. In what could be called a letter on film to him, she confides her hopes and fears, and, above all, asks him whether Inuit culture can truly survive in the modern world.Tuesday May 18, 200412:30-2:00p.m.CC Oak RoomFilm: Iron Lodge – Native American Spirituality Behind BarsSpecial Guest: Jimmy SimmonsThe sound of drums, the sweat-lodge heat, the voices of his First Nation tribal brothers speaking the ancient, sacred words together. These were the moments when Jimmy Simmons’ soul could soar outside the concrete walls on wings of hope for a better life.“Being able to practice my Native American spirituality behind bars was the key to my getting out of prison,” says Simmons, who lives in Los Altos.Simmons shares his story in the documentary “The Iron Lodge: Native American Spirituality Behind Bars.”Director: Jason Katz, 58 min, USAThis documentary is about making visible invisible human lives?those of Native American men behind bars for life, men who have perpetrated brutally inhuman acts, and men who have been unjustly incarcerated, yet men who have vibrant and important stories to tell – stories filled with personal pain and tragic social histories, stories filled with spirit, wisdom, and hard lessons learned. Thursday May 2012:30p.m.-2:00p.m.CT Little TheaterFilm: Tribal Journeys: Celebrating Our AncestorsSpecial Guest: Scott Macklin, Director”If you don’t know where you’ve been, you’re not going to know where you’re supposed to go in life.” Chief Guy Capoeman, Quinault Indian Nation Message given to canoe pullers as they embark on a six-day journey from Neah Bay to TaholahTribal Journey: Celebrating our Ancestors is a film documenting the voyage taken by more than 20 ocean-going dugout canoes representing 25 Indian nations from the United States and Canada. Traveling from Vancouver Island, Puget Sound and Washington’s Olympic Coast, we follow the canoes as they all meet at Neah Bay and continue down the coast for the final six days of the paddle to the Quinault Nation in Tahola, host of this year’s Tribal Journey.These tribal journeys, which happen every four years, are part of a series of inter-tribal cultural exchanges catalyzing a reaffirmation and reawaking of the canoe cultures of the Northwest coast. This film portrays the celebration of ancestors through the journey of the canoes; through the art, dance and songs of the participating tribes; through the preparation and sharing of meals; and through the celebration of the potlatch gift giving ceremony. This film is made in that spirit and is intended as a gift.Friday May 2110:00a.m. – 12:50p.m.Film: Is the Crown at War Library Rm 11296 min. 2002, CanadaDirector: Alanis Obomsawin Aboriginal filmmaker and artist bears witness to the dramatic conflict with the National Film Board feature documentary Is the Crown at war with us?. Casting her own cinematic and intellectual nets into history, Obomsawin provides a context for the extraordinary events on Miramichi Bay and introduces us to the key local and national players. This series was made possible by the United Tribes Native American club, Social Science department, the PCC Sylvania Diversity Fund, and the Multicultural Center.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »