New documentary examines dwindling Indian land holdings By JODI RAVE
Missoulian A new documentary focuses on the loss of tribal lands through 120 years of federal policy and how the land loss affects American Indians today.
The 78-minute film, "American Indian Homelands: Matters of Truth, Honor and Dignity Immemorial," is narrated by ABC newsman Sam Donaldson.
The film was viewed by American Indians and non-Indians before its release, drawing mixed reaction.
"The Indian focus groups that we showed it to absolutely loved it and thought every Indian should see it," said Cris Stainbrook, president of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation in Little Canada, Minn. "They thought it should be longer. "The non-Indian groups got a lot out of it. But their first question every time was, 'Is this for real? Are these really facts behind this?' It's hard for people to understand how you can have an 80-acre piece of ground with thousands of owners."
The film helps answer questions about the difficulties of economic development on tribal lands held in trust by the Department of the Interior.
"All you have to do is look at the structure of Indian land ownership on reservations and you get a real quick hit on why it's so difficult," Stainbrook said.
"American Indian Homelands" reports a two-part story, effectively recounting the recent history of Indian lands. The film reveals the voices of those affected by the land loss and of those trying to clean up messy land deals that linger today.
In June 1996, Elouise Cobell, a banker from the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, filed the largest class-action suit ever brought against the federal government. She sued the interior department on behalf of 500,000 landowners who didn't receive just compensation for leases and mineral royalties earned on their holdings.
"American Indian Homelands" helps clarify some myths. A lot of people, Stainbrook said, have a "longstanding belief that every Indian gets a government check."
"Well, that was their money coming back to them from the Department of the Treasury for land leases," he added.
The Cobell lawsuit has its roots in the Dawes Act of 1867, a federal land policy that broke up tribal land masses by creating individual landowners. Ultimately, the act led to the loss of 137 million acres of tribal land by 1934.
The Burke Act is also included among the acts of Congress that devastated tribal land holdings. The act was intended to protect land holdings for 25 years after land was allotted to individuals. But the act was more effective in taxing Indian land and taking it away. Often, the land was secretly taxed. Indians would find out they had an unprotected land title, which was then seized for taxes.
The "Homelands" film explores how the Dawes and Burke acts have led to problems associated with such terms as trust status and undivided interests.
"All those pieces that are so foreign to non-Indians," Stainbrook said. "When they see this stuff, a lot of people think you're not telling the truth."
In June, the film's writer and director, Barry ZeVan, received an international Telly Award, a coveted prize among production companies for outstanding documentary-making.
"Homelands" has aired in metropolitan markets, such as Minneapolis, and airtime dates have been scheduled in San Francisco and Albuquerque, N.M. A contract has been signed to nationally distribute the video to retail outlets around the country. The film is also becoming a part of curriculum and reference libraries, including at the University of Minnesota, Dartmouth College and Ball State University in Indiana.
"Everybody who cares anything about American history, not just Native American history, has got to see this film," ZeVan said. "It will open a lot of people's eyes and let people realize all these Machiavellian actions that have been taken against Native Americans."
Others interviewed in the film reflect similar thoughts.
"It's probably the saddest chapter in our long history, and the exploitation of Native Americans continues today," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Tom Daschle, a former Democratic senator from South Dakota, said: "Our treatment of Native Americans is a national tragedy. Unfortunately, it's not a tragedy with an end. A lot of that tragedy continues today. It's a tragedy that has meant embarrassment to this country, but far more importantly, a painful experience for Americans who deserve better."
Added Tim Coulter, director of the Indian Law Resource Center in Helena: "The federal government can take Indian land at will without compensation. The United States can't do that to anyone else except Indians."
Jodi Rave covers American Indian issues. Contact her at jodi.rave@lee.net or 406-523-5299.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/23/news/state/60-documentary.txt |
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