March 1st, 2022 — 7:10am
Te Ata
****
Generally, there is not as much attention paid to the historical treatment of Native Americans as there is to other groups. This film focuses on a young girl growing up in Oklahoma in a small poor town made up mostly of Native Americans from the Chickasaw Nation tribe. Orianka Kilcher inhabits this character magnificently. As we see her growing up, she is drawn to acting and story-telling. She convinces her parents to let her go to a college in Oklahoma on a scholarship, where she comes under the tutelage and encouragement of some of her teachers. She develops a mission to tell the story of her people and does it extremely well. The trajectory from a poor Native American girl to an actress who appears on Broadway and eventually performs at the White House for the President of the Unites States is heartwarming and unforgettable.
This is the true story of Mary Thompson Fisher, best known as Te Ata. She is shown as a beautiful person who is portrayed magnificently by Ms. Kilcher in an unforgettable performance. Both mind and heart are captivated by this important film.
Comment » | 4 Stars, Biography, Documentary, Drama
November 14th, 2019 — 8:03am
****
The Warrior Tradition (PBS)
The Warrior Tradition is a one-hour documentary film about the proud connection and tradition of native Americans and the United States Military. It is produced by Florentine Films, Lawrence Hott, producer. Early in the film, the question is asked by someone as to why would the people who were almost wiped out defending their homeland would want to join the very military that they had fought against? The question was eloquently answered by an American veteran, who stated they join the military “so our land cannot be taken away again.†The words of so many warriors both in native dress and in the United States Military uniform tell the story of the proud service to our country that has been done in the highest percentage of any other group. We see through pictures and clips from the earliest wars fought by the United States, the contribution made by native Americans. Of particular note was the role of Code Talkers during the World War II, when native Americans took over radio communications for a time when their language was the only “code†that the Japanese could not break. This documentary film captures the numerous contributions as well as the emotional connections of both the young and the old native Americans to their warrior tradition and to the United States Military. (2019)
Comment » | 4 Stars, Documentary
Generally, there is not as much attention paid to the historical treatment of Native Americans as there is to other groups. This film focuses on a young girl growing up in Oklahoma in a small poor town made up mostly of Native Americans from the Chickasaw Nation tribe. Orianka Kilcher inhabits this character magnificently. As we see her growing up, she is drawn to acting and story-telling. She convinces her parents to let her go to a college in Oklahoma on a scholarship, where she comes under the tutelage and encouragement of some of her teachers. She develops a mission to tell the story of her people and does it extremely well. The trajectory from a poor Native American girl to an actress who appears on Broadway and eventually performs at the White House for the President of the Unites States is heartwarming and unforgettable.