PBS Mini-Series on Native American History

PBS Mini-Series on Native American History

April 13, April 20, April 27, May 4, May 11

We Shall Remain is a groundbreaking mini-series and provocative

multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part

of American history. Five 90-minute documentaries spanning three hundred

years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native

American perspective.

Episode 1 After the Mayflower

In 1621, the Wampanoag of New England negotiated a treaty with Pilgrim

settlers. A half-century later, as a brutal war flared between the English

and a confederation of Indians, this diplomatic gamble seemed to have been

a grave miscalculation.

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Episode 2 Tecumseh’s Vision

In the course of his brief and meteoric career, Tecumseh would become one

of the greatest Native American leaders of all time, orchestrating the

most ambitious pan-Indian resistance movement ever mounted on the North

American continent.

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Episode 3 Trail of Tears

Though the Cherokee embraced “civilization” and won recognition of tribal

sovereignty in the U.S. Supreme Court, their resistance to

removal from their homeland failed. Thousands were forced on a perilous

march to Oklahoma.

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Episode 4 Geronimo

As the leader of the last Native American fighting force to capitulate to

the U.S. government, Geronimo was seen by some as the perpetrator of

unspeakable savage cruelties, while to others he was the embodiment of

proud resistance.

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Episode 5 Wounded Knee

In 1973, American Indian Movement activists and residents of the Pine

Ridge Reservation occupied the town of Wounded Knee, demanding redress for

grievances. As a result of the siege, Indians across the country forged a

new path into the future.

PBS Television Series

At the heart of the project is a five-part television series that shows

how Native peoples valiantly resisted expulsion from their lands and

fought the extinction of their culture — from the Wampanoags of New

England in the 1600s who used their alliance with the English to weaken

rival trib

es, to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the

momentum of the civil rights movement to forge a pan-Indian identity. We

Shall Remain represents an unprecedented collaboration between Native and

non-Native filmmakers and involves Native advisors and scholars at all

levels of the project.

Web & New Media

An in-depth Web site will serve the general public, educators, and

students, offering educational resources and several hours of streaming

video. Part of PBS Online, one of the leading dot-org sites on the

Internet, the We Shall Remain site will feature Web-exclusive videos

exploring contemporary topics such as language revitalization efforts,

Native enterprise and tribal sovereignty. The site will also host

behind-the-scenes production stories, streaming of the ReelNative films,

and information about upcoming events across the nation.

ReelNative

This unique project offers Native Americans a venue to share their stories

with a national audience. At workshops in Arizona,

Massachusetts, and Oklahoma, participants ranging in age from fourteen to

fifty-five were taught to produce short films. Quirky, touching, funny,

and profound, the films reveal the diversity of the contemporary Native

experience and testify to the resilience of Native people and culture.

Community Engagement Campaign

A nationwide community outreach campaign is engaging Native communities

and organizations, Native radio, public television stations,

universities, museums, schools, and libraries. The events, activities, and

dialogue that come out of these relationships will extend We Shall

Remain’s crucial message to invite audiences to tune in to the

broadcast.

Educator Resources

The We Shall Remain Web site will launch an extensive Teacher’s Guide

< http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/w…

earn>  for social studies educators. The guide will incorporate video

segments from the five documentaries into social studies resources,

offering both viewing and comprehension aids and classroom activities. T

his 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.

National Library Initiative

WGBH is working closely with the American Library Association (ALA) and

its 2007-2008 President Loriene Roy (White Earth Anishinabe) to build

awareness of the series among librarians, Native organizations,

scholars, and writers. Ms. Roy is also collaborating with WGBH to

develop innovative ideas for how to use We Shall Remain materials to serve

the unique needs of local communities and tribal libraries. 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. The kit offers programming ideas and resources to

help libraries organize and deliver engaging events related to We Shall

Remain. 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.