Blogs

Who has the right to tell "our" stories?

Submitted by professorshawna on June 20, 2012 - 7:57am

I watched a filmed called "Sip'ohi- El Lugar Del Mansdure" directed by Sebastian Lingiardi. It was a film about the Wichi Tribe in Argentina. The opening of the film we see a close up of someone trying to create a fire. It goes into this great creation story, oral traditions in the tribe. The main character is, Gustavo, a member of the tribe who has left the city life to go back home, or as we Natives in the US would say, “going back to the rez.” What drew me into the film within the first few frames was the language. It was a cross between Spanish and Navajo. It was weird. There were very similar glottal stops and intonation that the Navajo Language has, but I couldn’t figure out any of the words and it sounded like Spanish at the same time, but it wasn’t Spanish (I know because I asked some Spanish speaking audience members.)

As the film went on, I was “duped” into thinking that the filmmaker was Gustavo. I didn’t find out until the Q&A session that the filmmaker was not from the Wichi tribe and is simply (or not simply) a documentary filmmaker. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the filmmaker and the very traditional content that he captured within the Wichi Tribe. I mean, this has been done for decades! Outsiders, coming into Native Communities, filming them and galavanting off with a film they call their own letting people watch it all over the world. This could be seen as an objectification and exploitation of Indigenous people. But I wanted to keep an open mind, so I kept listening to the questions and answers between the audience and the director.

As people talked and asked questions, it was revealed that Sebastian worked closely in collaboration with Gustavo to make the film. He also provided some training and guidance for people of the Wichi Tribe to develop their own media. In fact the Wichi Tribe did produce a film that has been seen in different venues (I need to find out more about this so stay tuned). Once I heard this, I felt that Sebastian was perhaps doing something good and that I could unclench my fists for the moment.

I rose my hand to speak and commended Sebastian and reminded all filmmakers that if they are going to go into someone else’s space, they must not just take. As in a lot of Native cultures, you must give an offering or give something in exchange if you take something from someone or something. I reminded the filmmakers that Indigenous people have stories to tell that identify us and they are important, sacred stories, not ones to be objectified and used as “art.” I liked the fact that Sebastian respected the people of the Wichi tribe enough to empower them with the technology and skills to start telling their own stories with their own voice using media.

I reminded the filmmakers that you must have respect for your content. A few people actually came up to me after the session and thanked me for reminding them about giving back and thanked me for saying what I did. But does that make it okay for others to go into Indigenous communities and film? I would argue that it is up to the responsibility of the filmmaker, but not all filmmakers are responsible. And it was very evident at a screening the next day.

So the next day we watch a film called, “The Creation as we Saw It” directed by Ben Rivers as a work in progress. It was the first showing of the morning, then we saw Moana directed by Robert and Frances Flaherty which was presented by their great grandson, Sami van Ingen (he has some interesting stories on the Flaherty family and seminar which was awesome to hear about over lunch....) Anyway, I watched Ben River’s film and then went to the question and answer session. Now maybe it was the gruelling schedule we have been on, taking in up to 9-15 films a day that I didn’t catch this until later, but something was very disturbing about this film.

The film is a documentary style story with the Indigenous people of The Vanuatu Republic. It is scenery of the tribe and the people with a voice over of their oral legends and creation stories about how humans and pigs came to be what and who they are. It reminded me of Navajo creation stories of how certain animals came to be. It was a well made film, very beautiful cinematography. I went to the question and answer session and someone asked the Ben (born in Somerset, England) why he made the film. His answer was, “We won free plane tickets and decided to go to The Vanuatu Republic.” My 5 hour delayed response to this was, “WTH?” Not to mention the title of the film is not empowering to the Indigenous people at all, “The Creation as We Saw it.” REALLY!?!?

I wish I would have responded to his disregard and objectivity of the Native people of The Vanuatu Republic. I would expect more of an explanation of an “artist” about his work. Indigenous people’s lives are not “art” to be shown on screen that outsiders can take credit for. The stories that the Vanuatu people were telling are a part of who they are, a part of their culture and traditions and to see a filmmaker blatantly take their stories and show it as an experimental, art, documentary or work in progress made me feel quite sad. He did mention that the Indigenous people were collaborative and the chief worked with him for the creation film, but does that make it okay if he’s showing their stories as his own story all over the world after he won plane tickets? I didn’t get a sense of any kind of interest or emotional connection between the filmmaker and the content other than, this is my art, take it or leave it. This could be an assumption. If I get the chance to speak to the director of this film this is something I will surely ask him about, but right now I think I would be too emotional to carry on a logical and decent conversation about this film with him.

I know there are people out there who have great intentions when filming other cultures but the important thing to remember is RESPECT. You can’t take a story from another culture and call it your own or call it art in the objective, disrepectful sense. Filmmakers have a certain obligation and responsibility when it comes to media. Media is influential. You can make a person laugh, cry, get angry, get happy all with a story on screen. But a filmmaker must also realize that there are stories out there that are not for you to tell.
Truth is Negotiable? #FlahertySeminar2012

Submitted by professorshawna on June 16, 2012 - 8:27pm

When we watch films, we want to be taken to another place, another time, we want to live vicariously through someone else's experience. We want to feel the catharsis that allows us to briefly disseminate our feelings out of our bodies. This can be cleansing, enlightening, inspiring, frustrating or even vindicating.

But what is truth when we watch a film? As Native American’s we can probably agree that for the most part, how “Natives” are represented in film has been off for the past century. But what is real? Who has the right to tell a story about a certain subject? How can a filmmaker be trusted with content? What constitutes entertainment vs. educational media? You are the audience. It is important to watch media with an open mind and active participation, especially when it comes to “non-fiction” based movies.

At the Flaherty film seminar, it has already been an interesting 36 hours. I’ve met scholars, filmmakers, educators, programmers and producers from all over the world. I’m surrounded by people who are passionate about making documentary films and who tirelessly devote their lives to tell a story that is real and important to them. Last night I watched some of my fellow peer's excerpts from their films, some completed and some works in progress. I saw films about death, amputees, relationships, defiance, Buddhism, immigration, Natives losing land, amongst many other films about social and political issues. Despite my tiredness I was tuned in. Tuned into the true reality media, and no I’m not talking the Kardashians.

In a discussion this morning, we talked about the truthfulness of film. What is truth and at what point can we take every movie, cut for cut? As an editor, it is very easy to turn the truth into a finely chiseled, well told story and it is very easy to throw the real “truth” on the cutting room floor. Films are there for you to be entertained as well as to be informed. With this seminar’s theme “Open Wounds,” we’ve visited some very uncomfortable issues surrounding humans. Film can be a way to reopen past wounds in order to relive our past, deal with our past and perhaps accept our past and move on. Film can be our own personal therapy not only for the filmmaker, but for the active audience member as well.

I was able to sit and have an intimate one-on-one conversation with an amazing documentary filmmaker tonight. Ms. Lourdes Portillo has made many films about social justice issues and has been very prominent in the Latino Filmmaking community for many years (See Photo Below). She has recieved many awards and praises but what was I enjoyed about Ms. Portillo is her very sincere heart. Although I, myself have not made my own documentary yet, she has already taught me some very valuable lessons about the craft of filmmaking that you won’t learn in film school:
Getting Ready for the Flaherty Film Seminar

Submitted by professorshawna on June 12, 2012 - 10:26am

This past year has been very enlightening for me as a person, educator and student. A year ago I was accepted into a doctoral program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I thought that my destiny had already started with a terminal degree in film production. However, there is always more to learn if you are willing to take your aspirations to the next level.

When I started on my doctorate degree I wondered what I was getting myself in to? Why do I want to take that road as a poor student once again and do this to myself, racking up more student loans? The reason wasn’t clear then, but it is clear to me now. As cliché as it sounds, everything happens for a reason and sometimes we may not know what the reason is until we look back at our lives and see the bigger picture. A year later, I can see the bigger picture and it is becoming clearer. And with this clarity, I’m also becoming more passionate about my future as an educator and educational media producer.

I was chosen as a Flaherty Film Seminar Fellow for this year’s week long extravaganza of indigenous films from all over the world by NAPT. I am excited, nervous and hope that my intellectual film brain synapses start working again. This year the seminar is focusing on the theme “Open Wounds,” and films will be programmed by Josetxo Cerdán. This year’s theme is about the changing perspectives “on politics, the economy, technology, culture and ethics over the past Century, and explore how filmmakers contribute to new ways of seeing the world based on their own heritage.” It all sounds so exciting and educational.

The seminar has been going on for over 50 years and is considered the longest, continuous film event in North America. The name comes from “The Father of Documentary Film,” Mr. Robert Flaherty. You may know him from a little documentary he produced and directed called, “Nanook of the North.” The Seminar prides itself on “exploration and non-preconception.” Film as an art form allows us to explore the worlds around us. And the non-preconception part is a bit different from any other film festival or screenings I’ve ever been to. The Seminar starts in less than a week and we have no idea what we will be watching prior to entering the theater. Thus, we have no preconceived notion of what we expect to watch. I assume this allows the viewer to be completely involved in the film on a more intimate level than if they went in with prior convictions or expectations. I think it is brilliant.

I’m still working on narrowing down my dissertation idea. I want to develop educational media for tribal communities with an emphasis on revitalizing indigenous languages, especially those that are becoming extinct. Everything that I have been doing this past year has been helping me develop this idea and I have been learning more skills on how to execute this idea. I am looking forward to this seminar in the great hopes to see other indigenous filmmaker’s perspectives, hearing different struggles, seeing what works, what doesn’t work and see some good educational story telling done on screen. I am looking forward to the experience of a life time and hoping that this trip will help me further my knowledge in my field of study.

Stay tuned for my upcoming experiences with THE FLATHERY FILM SEMINAR 2012!
Using Google Plus as a Production Tool

Submitted by eric on June 5, 2012 - 3:30am
Recently, I've been using Google+ a lot, not as a social network, but as a way to communicate. I've also been talking with producer about ways they can use it in their productions in order to reduce costs and increase their efficency. Here's a few ideas:
1. Use the Google+ Hang Outs to talk with your production team. It's free and you can have up to ten people on at once.
2. Upload your rough cuts or parts of the film you want to disucss to a private link on YouTube and use the YouTube button in Google+ Hang Outs to watch the footage in unison. People in Google+ Hang Outs can all control the playback of the video. The participants' audio is automatically muted, but there is a little button on the screen that you can click on if you want to make a comment about the video while it is still playing.
3. Use the screen share button to discuss things like your website development or equipment that you need to purchase, where it is easier to show someone what you are talking about than to send an e-mail to a link and then type out what you want them to see. I've personally done both of these to great effect.
Google+ Hang Outs Air is in beta right now and if you get a Google for Non-Profits account, you should be able to use it right away. I think this could be a great tool too for such things as virtual screenings and Q&As with filmmakers where you have a panel taking part in a Google+ Hang Out that has the YouTube video of the film (or selected clips) and have the general public watch it. I don't think it would work right now, but hopefully soon.

If you come across other applications that you think work well, let me know and I'll share them here. Also, let me know if you are interested in being a guinea pig for the Google+ Hang Out Air screening idea.
How to Get More People To Talk About You on Facebook Without Being Part of Scandal

Submitted by eric on May 22, 2012 - 7:50am
One of the most helpful stats for a project or a non-profit is the "People Are Taling About You." It is total number of important interactions with your page on Facebook, including Page Likes, Shares, Mentions, etc. What's even better is that the number is public, so you can compare how you are doing with other similar non-profits or projects.

Here are a few tips on how to get more Likes and Shares
1. Keep your text short. If you give people a full story, they'll just keep scrolling and won't interact.
2. Ask questions to get people to respond. Most people won't comment, but will like or share as a way to "respond".
3. Another way to keep the text short is to use a quote from the article, video, etc. that you are sharing. Again it's about piquing people's interest.
4. Let organizations know that you are talking about them by "mentioning" them in the text. If you precede an organizations name by the "@" symbol then you'll see a drop down option where it links to their Facebook page. They'll get a notification that you did that and many times will share the post.
5. Space out your posts. Every three hours is great. Never post more than every two hours.
6. Post when people are getting in, at lunch and about to leave remember timezones and check your stats for results.
7. Choose the best available thumbnail for links.
8. Edit the headline and description of links you share to say what you wish they said. You can do this by scrolling over them until they become highlighted in yellow and double clicking.
9. Follow like organizations and share their great content.
10. Promote your Page. One way is to use Facebook's Social Plugins (inlcuding the "Like" box)
11. Look at your Facebook "Insights" to see what posts are working and try to replicate it in future posts
22 Tweeting Tips - Tech Tuesday

Submitted by eric on May 8, 2012 - 12:42pm
1. Listen. Twitter is a two-way communications tool. Whether you just click on the @ Connect button in Twitter or use a high-end social media management software like Radiant 6, listening to what people are saying to or about you is important. A great tool that we use is social mention.
2. Ask a question, start a dialogue. The best way to engage with your followers is to ask them a question. Plus, studies have shown that people are more likely to respond, share or click on the link of a social media post that is in the form of a question.
3. The best way to get followed, is to follow other people/organizations; however, don't just follow everyone. Make sure they are relevant to what you are tweeting about and it's best not to follow more people than are following you.
4. Social media is social. Retweet what you learn from those your follow. Thank people for promoting what you do. Help promote what your friends/organizations with similar missions are doing.
5. Tweet more, but only if it is good content; however, make sure to ...
6. Pace yourself. Don't send out a ton of tweets all at once. After so many tweets clumped up together it just starts to become noise. Make sure there is at least five minutes between tweets.
7. One great way to make sure that you don't send out too many tweets at once is to use social media management software to schedule your tweets. We use Hootsuite. Another popular free piece of software is Tweetdeck.
8. Schedule tweets when it makes sense for people to read them. Think of your audience. If you are trying to engage people at home, tweet when they are at home. If you are trying to promote a screening, schedule it about the time people are asking themselves, "What do you want to do this weekend?".
9. Use TweetWhen and other analytics to see what times you get retweeted the most and schedule during those times. We've noticed lunch, weekends and evenings are times when people tune in to their Twitter feeds.
10. The average lifespan for a tweet is three hours, so don't tweet about the same thing for about three hours, unless it is for an event that it coming up soon, then tweet about it around the time the other tweet is coming to the end of its life.
11. Keep your tweets to about 100 characters. This will allow people to add their comments when they retweet you. Shorter tweets are also more likely to have their links clicked on.
12. Shorter tweets are better, but try 2 avoid the text style of writing, where u shortn wrds by takin out letters & using signs & numbers. 2 much of this can make ur tweet hard 2 read.
13. Use a URL shortener. Both Hootsuite and Tweetdeck have them. Another popular one is bit.ly. Not only does this make your tweets shorter, but it allows you to track how many times the link was clicked on.
14. #Don't #Over #Use #Hashtags in #Your #Tweets. Limit it to two or three max.
15. Use hashtags only when appropriate like to target a geographic area, a well-established or event-related hashtag and in rare cases as a way to emphasize a word or as a punchline. That said ...
16. Watch for trending hashtags that you can jump on that can be connected to your mission or that would be of interest to your audience (i.e. What do you think of the Navy Seal Team 6 using the code name Geronimo for #Osama Bin Laden?).
17. Check your hashtags before using them. If you have a typo in your hashtag, you won't be part of the conversation that you thought you would be. Also, if you just make up a hashtag that is being used for something else, you might be part of a conversation you don't want to have associated with your brand.
18. Tweet more photos. People love photos and if they like them, they will share them. A picture is worth a 1,000 words right? Also, they will show up on your Twitter profile as "Recent Images" and give people a sense of what you are about.
19. Posters are "photos" too. Want to get all the information about an event out in a single tweet? Turn the poster for the event into an image and tweet it. In most cases, depending on how you tweet them, people can see them right from their Twitter feed.
20. Tweet more video clips. You can use the shortened URL from the "share" section of YouTube videos (i.e. http://youtu.be/87ZSLhfLz5E) and the video will play within people's Twitter feeds.
21. There are many more tips that could be given, but the most important is that you experiment with different types of tweets and see what your audience responds to.
22. You can tell how your audience is responding by using free analytics like Klout, twitalyzer, twtrland and tweetstats. The best person (or organization) to compare with is you. Don't obsess about how others are doing, just work to improve your own Twitter stream's results from week to week, month to month.
A Responsive Website: Responding to Feedback - Tech Tuesday

Submitted by eric on May 1, 2012 - 2:46pm
In an earlier blog post I shared examples of resposive design found at the site Media Queries and encouraged people to incorporate responsive design in their site's redesign, but I found that people were asking, "That's great but how do I make my site responsive?"

Many non-profits will use WordPress or Drupal as an out of the box cheap DIY method for building their site, so I wanted to include a few themes for the two platforms that use responsive design.

Some examples of themes for Drupal that use responsive design:
- Zen
- Doune
- Sky
- Omega
Some examples of themes for WordPress that use responsive design:
- Responsive
- Oxygen
- iFeature
- Reveal
If you are really DIY, here is a great tutorial from net.tutsplus.com
Native Word: Julie Cajune

Submitted by AIROS Native Network on May 1, 2012 - 8:00am

Julie Cajune is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana. She holds a bachelor's in elementary education and a master's in bilingual education. Julie was the first to teach the Salish language in the school system on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. She is also the executive director of the Center for American Indian Policy and Applied Research of the Heartlines Project. She was profiled in UTNE Reader as one of “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.”

Julie is the executive producer for Heart of the Bitterroot and also produced and directed the film Remembering the Songs. These projects were undertaken with the assistance of a generous grant awarded to her by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Julie says, “In all of this, I’m hoping to get young people to think about music in a different way, and maybe think about other traditions and learn about them. And for Indian kids, my hope is that they might get curious or involved in the music traditions of their own community.”

Recently, Production Assistant Tobias Grant (Omaha) talked with Julie about her background, her experience as an educator, as well as, her video and music projects.

Interview with Julie | CAIPAR website | Heart of the Bitterroot website
Uranium in the Drinking Water?

Submitted by jess.kinser on April 26, 2012 - 1:33pm

In an article by Matt Goodlett of Omaha, Neb.'s The Reader, the question is raised of "What is Uranium Mining in Nebraska Doing to Pine Ridge's Drinking Water?"

Elisha Yellow Thunder and her daughter Laila Pettigrew have a very personal reason for their research into the mining contamination. Laila was born with a number of medical anomalies--a cystic kidney, partially developed organs and a deformity in her lower spine. She also has catheter tubing located near her collarbone that is used for her kidney dialysis treatments three days a week.

As the article states, when Elisha was pregnant with Laila, she was living in Loneman, SD, near Oglala--a hotspot for uranium contamination. Elisha began to suspect that the birth defects were due to drinking the contaminated water.

Documentary filmmaker Suree Towfighnia (Standing Silent Nation) --who is shooting a film about Laila entitled Crying Earth Rise Up (image still above from film)--explores the opinions of those who oppose and support the expansion of uranium mining over the High Plains/Ogallala and the Arikara aquifiers in western South Dakota and Nebraska.

Find out more: Read the full article at The Reader
The Role Online Schooling Plays in Education for Native American Students

Submitted by Estelle.Shumann on April 26, 2012 - 8:25am

Native Americans face a unique set of challenges, as Native populations strive to maintain their history, traditions and cultural identity while keeping pace with developments in the country around them. With Native Americans historically ill-served by the traditional education system, new initiatives hope to leverage the flexibility of online colleges and universities, as well as other virtual education programs, to make the difference.

In 1992, a Northern Arizona University study found that American Indian and Alaska Native students had a 30% chance of dropping out before completing high school, both on reservations and in cities. That’s about double the national average, and the gap has proven stubbornly difficult to bridge.

Part of the problem is that Native populations are kept somewhat apart from an education system that never made including them a priority. By law, tribal sovereignty recognizes the distinct status of Native populations as being outside the typical structure of American government, with reservations operating according to customs and rules that vary according to each individual nation. And bringing the diverse cultures of America’s Native peoples, most of whom are highly geographically localized and isolated, into a comprehensive education system could be problematic.

More seriously, educators with little exposure to Native history or culture may be regarded as condescending or dismissive toward the issues important to Native students. This can drive a wedge between student and teacher, and help to undermine faith in the school as a whole. Recognizing the importance of Native American educational topics, can be an important part of reaching Native American students.

Over the last decade, some schools have responded by offering specialized programs that focus on local issues important to Native populations. An Evergreen State University Program has been promoting instruction about cases involving tribal affairs in the Northwest, which has shown success in engaging Native students. Faculty who participated in the initiative unanimously reported that students gained a greater awareness of Native perspectives and their work improved the curriculum for Native students.

Not coincidentally, this is the sort of specialized instruction that online education programs are ideally suited to deliver. Online courses can provide students access to instructional material that their local college may not have the personnel or resources to provide. In addition, online education can make it economically viable for educators to offer such specialized programs in the first place.

Reliance on the Internet does come with its own problems. As a Federal Communications Commission report noted in 2010, Native American communities have historically been chronically underserved when it comes to Internet access. The number of subscribers on reservations is half the national average, and only 47% of Native households even have telephone service. Online education can provide an unprecedented range of opportunity to Native populations, but unreliable or unavailable Internet service is often standing in the way.

However, extending more robust telecommunications infrastructure to the reservations may be considerably easier than redesigning the traditional American education system. Online schooling bypasses the even trickier set of logistical challenges that can come with attending a brick-and-mortar school, and gives students access to an education they can feel invested in. When high-speed infrastructure is finally extended to the broader Native community, one of the most stubborn challenges in American education could finally be overcome.