News from MIAC/Lab

Santa Fe’s Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and New Mexico History Museum Announce Salon Breakfast Series and Native Cinema Showcase

Events from August 4—September 1, 2017 Complement Indian Market Week, August 15–20
JUNE 15, 2017


Tricia Ware
(505) 603-0356
tricialouiseware@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 15, 2017 (Santa Fe, NM)—Santa Fe’s Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and New Mexico History Museum announce their programming in the days surrounding Santa Fe Indian Market, North America’s premiere Native Arts event, in which more than 1,000 artists from more than 20 tribes celebrate their culture through traditional and contemporary art, jewelry, music, fashion design, and filmmaking. Organized by the Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWIA), Indian Market is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious juried exhibitions of indigenous artwork.

This August, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (710 Camino Lejo) hosts a series of salon breakfasts at the neighboring Museum Hill Café, while the New Mexico History Museum Auditorium, (113 Lincoln Ave.) hosts the 17th annual Native Cinema Showcase produced by The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The showcase delivers more than 50 films of both short- and feature-length. Among the many noteworthy screenings this year are Mankiller, Dolores, and Angry Inuk. The showcase also includes a special showing of Disney’s new animated feature, Moana, outdoors in Santa Fe’s Railyard Park.

Costs: All film showings are free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The MIAC breakfasts are $30 for Museum of New Mexico Foundation members and $35 for non-members; call (505)-476-1269 for payment and additional information.

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) Salon Breakfasts

August 4 8:30am, Center for New Mexico Archaeology, 7 Old Cochiti Road, Santa Fe Enjoy breakfast and a pointed discussion when you explore MIAC’s collection of projectile points (read: arrowheads) with research collections manager C.L. Kieffer. Also: a flint-knapping demonstration.

August 11, 8:30am, Museum Hill Café, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe Join artist Frank Buffalo Hyde, curator Valerie Verzuh, and three contemporary Native artists for breakfast at the Museum Hill Café, a brief tour of Hyde’s I-Witness Culture exhibit, and a panel discussion—moderated by Hyde—on the current state of the contemporary Native art market.

August 18, 8:30am, Museum Hill Café, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe Enjoy breakfast with author Charles King and collector Eric Dobkin, whose book Spoken through Clay: Native Pottery of the Southwest—The Eric Dobkin Collection (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2017) includes photos of nearly 300 pottery vessels plus portraits and voices of more than 40 renowned Native artists. After breakfast, King and Dobkin offer a short presentation and book signing.

August 25, 8:30am, Museum Hill Café, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe Join Joyce Begay-Foss, director of MIAC’s Living Traditions Educational Center, for breakfast and a preview of the stunning objects she is curating for the upcoming exhibit, Lifeways of the Southern Athabaskans, opening December 10. As this is a rare opportunity to visit MIAC’s private collections. Space is very limited; please register early!

September 1, 8:30am, Museum Hill Café, 710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe Join Curator of Archaeology Maxine McBrinn for a special tour of Stepping Out: 10,000 Years of Walking the West. The exhibition of sandals, moccasins, and other Native footwear opens a few days before on August 27. Be the first to receive a VIP tour of an exhibition three years in the making.

New Mexico History Museum Auditorium Events: 17th annual Native Cinema Showcase

TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave. 7pm Mankiller (USA, 2017, 74 min.) Director: Valerie Red-Horse Mohl (Cherokee) Mankiller explores the life of Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, who led her people in building one of the strongest Indian nations in the United States. Mankiller’s humble leadership style and her strength reminds audiences of the true meaning of leadership.

Preceded By: Ohero:kon (Under the Husk) (USA, 2016, 27 min.) Director: Katsitsionni Fox (Mohawk) Follow the journey of two Mohawk girls as they take part in a challenging four-year adolescent rite-of-passage ceremony called Oheró:kon (Under the Husk).

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave.

1pm Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth Program running time: 52 min. Produced by Smithsonian Channel The story of Pocahontas has been passed down through the centuries. Her relationship with John Smith has been characterized as a romance that united two cultures and created lasting peace. However, the life of this American Indian princess was anything but a fairytale. Join us as we look beyond the fiction and reveal the real story of Pocahontas, a tale of kidnapping, conflict, starvation, ocean journeys, and the future of an entire civilization.

3pm Future Voices Program running time: 90 min. Native Cinema Showcase welcomes the sixth Future Voices showcase of Native films. Future Voices of New Mexico is a collaborative filmmaking project that works with indigenous and under-represented voices from around the world. Future Voices brings together filmmakers and various cultural institutions to encourage young producers to tell stories through film and photography.

7pm 100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice (USA, 2016, 76 min.) Director: Melinda Janko In 1996 Elouise Pépion Cobell (Blackfeet) brought a class-action lawsuit against the United States government for the mismanagement of Indian trust funds earned from oil, timber, mineral, and other leases since the 1880s. Through 15 long years and three presidential administrations, Elouise Cobell’s unrelenting spirit never quit in defense of hundreds of thousands of American Indians.

Preceded By: Smoke That Travels (USA, 2016, 13 min.) Director: Kayla Briët (Prairie Band Potawatomi) English and Potawatomi with English subtitles A personal documentary that explores preservation and loss of culture and the filmmaker’s own identity as Prairie Band Potawatomi.

Four Faces of the Moon (Canada, 2016, 13 min.) Director: Amanda Strong (Métis) Ojibwe, Cree, Michif, Nakota, and French with English subtitles Four Faces of the Moon explores the reclamation of language and nationhood and peels back the layers of Canada’s colonial history.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave. 1pm

On the Path Shorts Program Program running time: 80 min. Nitanish: À Ma Fille (To My Daughter) (Canada, 2015, 3 min.) Director: Melissa Mollen Dupuis (Innu) French with English subtitles      Melissa Mollen Dupuis is awaiting a daughter. While making the blanket that will keep her daughter warm, she addresses a tender message to this woman growing within her.

Soup for My Brother (USA, 2016, 10 min.) Director: Terry Jones (Seneca) Today is a special day for Jimmy’s brother, Danny. As Jimmy prepares a batch of soup for his brother, we learn about brotherly love, tradition, and loss.

Advice to Myself 2: Resistance (USA, 2015, 5 min.) Director: Heid E. Erdrich (Ojibwe) This powerful poem offers a message of personal, political, and universal resistance for women.

Returning (USA, 2015, 4 min.) Director: Elizabeth LaPensée (Anishinaabe/Métis) Stories unravel to "Trade Song" by the Métis Fiddler Quartet in this experimental stop-motion animation.

Juuret On (Under Two Skies) (Sámi/Finland, 2017, 13 min.) Director: Suvi West (Sámi), Anssi Kömi Finnish with English subtitles The director is expecting her first child with her husband Anssi, who is not Sámi. She longs for her ancestral land in hopes that her child has a Sámi identity. The couple must decide on how to keep their family roots and love for each other while considering a different lifestyle.

My Father’s Tools (Canada, 2016, 7 min.) Director: Heather Condo (Micmac) In honor of his father, Stephen continues the production of traditional baskets, where he finds peace and connection with the man who taught him the art of basket weaving.

Red Path (Canada, 2015, 15 min.) Director: Thérèse Ottawa (Atikamekw) French with English subtitles Tony Chachai, a young Aboriginal man, is moved by the desire to reconnect with his Atikamekw roots. He delivers a touching testimony of the journey that brought him closer to his family and community.

Athabascan Guitarman: Still Rocking after Seven Decades (USA, 2016, 4 min.) Director: Tara Young Herbie Vent, one of interior Alaska’s few guitar players, shows off his guitar skills and love for music.

Feels Good (USA, 2016, 15 min.) Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Iñupiat) FOR MATURE AUDIENCES: STRONG LANGUAGE Kelvin, a young Tlingit man living in Fairbanks, Alaska, gets by delivering “packages” for village bootleggers. When his car breaks down on a deserted rural highway, it sets off a chain of events that forces Kelvin to choose between heroism and his front teeth.

Aroha Bridge: Angeline in Concert (New Zealand, 2016, 5 min.) Directors: Jessica Hansell (Ngāpuhi/Samoan /German) and Simon Ward English and Māori with English subtitles The Aroha Bridge whanau (family) think they are in for a special evening, but they are quickly put to the test. Can everyone come through for each other and embrace the meaning of whanau?

3pm Angry Inuk (Canada, 2016, 85 min.) Director: Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Inuk) English and Inuktitut with English subtitles In her award-winning documentary, director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins a new tech-savvy generation of Inuit as they campaign to challenge long-established negative perceptions of seal hunting. Armed with social media and their own sense of humor and justice, this group is bringing its own voice into the conversation and presenting themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.

Preceded By: Bisonhead (USA, 2015, 9 min.) Director: Elizabeth Lo A Native family journey through Yellowstone to take part in a controversial wild bison hunt.

Unalakleet: Native Elder Lorena Paniptchu (USA, 2016, 2 min.) Director: Tara Young Lorena Paniptchu has slowed down a bit in recent years, but she still manages to sew and bead to make a living and carry on traditions.

7pm Dolores (USA, 2017, 98 min.) Director: Peter Bratt (Quechua) English and Spanish with English subtitles Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the first farm workers’ union, is among the most important yet little-known activists in American history. With unprecedented access to both Dolores and her children, this film reveals the raw, personal stories behind the public figure. It portrays a woman both heroic and flawed, working tirelessly for social change even as her eleven children longed to have her at home.

Program presented in partnership with Sundance Institute and PBS.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave. 11am and 7pm (Please check SWAIA website for schedule: www.swaia.org) Indian Market Classification X Winners 2017 Featuring the Santa Fe Indian Market moving image Classification X winners, this category is the tenth classification to be added to the SWAIA juried market. Awards for Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation Short, Experimental Short and Feature, and two youth divisions recognize an artist’s dedication and skill in working with new media and innovative art forms while retaining a commitment to traditional creation and technique.

Following: Q&A with attending winners will be moderated by Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet).

3pm NMAI “State of the Art” Conversation: Indian Art and Activism Art always reflects and often comments upon the political and cultural issues of the day. The last few years have witnessed an increase in activism by Native Americans, peaking with the events surrounding the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River reservations. Many recent works by important American Indian artists reflect this surge in American Indian activism. For many artists, the making of American Indian art is itself a form of activism. A panel of noted Indian artists will give their thoughts on art and activism, how they merge, and whether American Indian art is moving into a period of more activist Native artists and more pointed commentary on the world around them.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave. 1pm Future-Focused Shorts Program Program running time: 66 min. This program of family-friendly short films is fun for kids of all ages.

R is for Routine (USA, 2016, 2 min.) Director: Sally Kewayosh (Cree/Ojibwe) Commissioned by the Sesame Street Workshop, we follow Coralie as she demonstrates her morning routine. Televised April 1, 2017 on HBO.                                                                                                        

Kamx’id (Canada, 2015, 2 min.) Director: Jeremy Wamiss (’Nakwaxda’xw ) English and Kwak’wala A magical animation that celebrates the carver.

Our Heiltsuk Ways (Canada, 2016, 3 min.) Directors: Grade 6/7 class in the Bella Bella Community School An animation sharing the ancient ways of keeping food cool, as well as a few traditional stories come to life: The Xla Xla, The Tanis, and the Little Green Men.

Adzaa Doo Ats’a (The Lady and the Eagle) (USA, 2015, 5 min.) Director: Brian Young (Navajo) Navajo with English subtitles A young pregnant lady, Adzaa, prays for the safe return of her husband and finds Ats’a, a young male eagle who may be able to help her. 

Caminho dos Gigantes (Way of Giants) (Brazil, 2016, 12 min.) Director: Alois Di Leo In a forest of gigantic trees, Oquirá, a six-year-old indigenous girl, will challenge her destiny and come to understand the cycle of life. The Owl and the Lemming (Canada, 2016, 3 min.) Director: Roselynn Akulukjuk (Inuit) In this traditional story, a young owl catches a lemming to eat and learns the value of being clever and humble, and why pride and arrogance are to be avoided.

Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing (Canada, 2017, 5 min.) Director: Nadia Mike (Inuit) Ukaliq the Arctic hare and Kalla the lemming are two unlikely friends who go on an ice-fishing trip and learn the importance of being patient, kind, and prepared for whatever comes.

Gwa’sala: ’Nakwaxda’xw Herring Roe Harvest (Canada, 2016, 10 min.) Director: Jamaine Campbell (Mi’kmaq/Seminole) Gwa’sala - ’Nakwaxda’xw nations set to revitalize an old practice of harvesting herring roe.

No Worries (USA, 2016, 4 min.) Producer: John Riley Productions Filmed by Kahena Productions Singer Moni (Diné/Laguna Pueblo) performs her song about enjoying life with one’s family.

Home to Me (Canada, 2016, 5 min.) Directors: N’we Jinan Artists An honest glimpse into a community stripped of clean drinking water and their continuous battle against deforestation. The words, the voices, and the faces tell a story of hope as the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation look toward a better future.

The Bears (Canada, 2015, 5 min.) Director: Jimmy Medellin A deep-rooted passion for hockey draws young and talented players from all over the nine James Bay Cree communities to play for The Bears, a Cree Nation hockey team based in Mistissini, Quebec.

 Lacrosse: Our Own Way (USA, 2016, 4 min.) Director: Raven Two Feathers (Seneca/Cayuga/Comanche) A lacrosse youth league in Washington learn the traditional values of health and wellness through the game.

Obedjiwan 5-0 (Canada, 2015, 3 min.) Director: Fyanna Boivin (Atikamekw) French with English subtitles A portrait of Fyanna Boivin, a 14-year-old Atikamekw teen who wishes to travel untrodden paths and become a police officer.

AKKIL: Davás (North) (Sámi/Sweden, 2016, 3 min.) Director: AKKIL Produced by: Björn Thuuri Sámi with no subtitles Davás (North) is AKKIL’s first release, and is probably the first release to ever sample a barking reindeer-herding dog.

3pm Mayors of Shiprock (USA, 2017, 56 min.) Director: Ramona Emerson (Navajo) In the small community of Shiprock, New Mexico, a group of young Navajo leaders meet to decide how they will help their community. For more than seven years, the Northern Diné Youth Committee (NDYC) has worked to give youth opportunities to directly make changes within their community. While they love their community, they all must consider their options both on and off the reservation.

Preceded by: Metal Road (USA, 2017, 26 min.) Director: Sarah Del Seronde (Navajo) For decades thousands of Navajos worked the railroads maintaining the transcontinental network in the US. Metal Road centers on the world of Navajo rail workers through the lens of one workday on the 9001 Heavy Steel Gang.

8pm, SANTA FE RAILYARD PARK SCREEN, Guadalupe St. and Paseo De Peralta Moana (USA, 2016, 107 min.) Director: Ron Clements and John Musker Starring: Dwayne Johnson (Samoan) & Auli’i Cravalho (Native Hawaiian) From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes Moana, a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who is inspired to leave the safety and security of her island on a daring journey to save her people. Inexplicably drawn to the ocean, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) convinces the mighty demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to join her mission. Together, they voyage across the open ocean on an action-packed adventure, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills her quest and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave 1pm Rise Above Shorts Program Program running time: 90 min.

My Soul Remainer (USA, 2017, 5 min.) Director: Nanobah Becker (Navajo) Composer Laura Ortman’s passionate and soulful My Soul Remainer roars from the mountaintops with the elements of earth, water, air, and fire. Starring Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) and Jock Soto (Navajo).

Raven (USA, 2017, 11 min.) Director: Razelle Benally (Navajo/Oglala Lakota) A narrative of suspense and intrigue that engages one to think about the emotional depths that a woman is challenged with after losing an unborn child.

Sonny Side Up (Canada, 2015, 6 min.) Director: Sonny Papatie (Algonquin) This film tells of how a young man changes his life from drugs and alcohol to become a traditional dancer.

Believe (Canada, 2016, 5 min.) Director: Justin Petonoquot (Algonquin) Justin is what every policeman should be—a true member of the community who is sworn to protect, a guardian of the youth, and a role model for all.

Cree Code Talkers (Canada, 2016, 13 min.) Director: Alexandra Lazarowich (Cree) English and Cree with English subtitles The true story of Charles “Checker” Tomkins’ involvement with the US Air Force developing the Codetalkers communication system, which transmitted crucial military communications using the Cree language.

Osage Language Speaker Herman Mongrain Lookout (USA, 2016, 8 min.) Director: Ryan Red Corn (Osage) English and Wazhazhe (Osage) Herman “Mogri” Lookout is the master language teacher for the Osage Nation in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He has studied the language for forty years and helped revitalize it by creating an Osage orthography for Unicode, the computing industry standard for the encoding of text.

An Honorable Way of Being (USA, 2016, 2 min.) Director: Longhouse Media For the Suquamish Nation, the canoe symbolizes a connection to cultural teachings and community.

Heart (Canada, 2015, 3 min.) Director: Sam Carney (Métis) A filmmaker and poet journey to Winnipeg’s North End to find some of the most wonderful and warm people, dispelling many of their misconceptions about the people who call the place home.

He Walks With Thunder (USA, 2016, 5 min.) Director: Razelle Benally (Navajo/Oglala Lakota) Oglala Lakota medicine man and spiritual leader Mike Little Boy recounts how he became who he is today—a protector, healer, and leader of the people.

Rien sur les moccasins (Nothing about Moccasins) (Canada, 2015, 4 min.) Director: Eden Mallina Awashish (Atikamekw) French and Atikamekw with English subtitles When the director’s grandmother denies her access to film her making moccasins, she reflects on cultural loss and maintaining traditions.

Maria (New Zealand, 2016, 14 min.) Director: Jeremiah Tauamiti (Samoan) An ailing Polynesian matriarch must find the strength to lead her family one last time.

68 Voces: La Última Danza (68 Voices: The Last Dance) (Mexico, 2016, 2 min.) Director: Gabriela Badillo Mayan with English subtitles Based on the poem La Última Danza by Isaac Esau Carrillo Can.

Tidal Wave (USA, 2017, 3 min.) Director: Christi Bertelsen (Navajo) An animated short about letting go of a dream while envisioning what could have been. Odyssey (USA, 2015, 4 min.) Director: Kayla Briët (Prairie Band Potawatomi) Multi-instrumentalist Kayla Briët (Prairie Band Potawatomi) performs a live version of her song “Odyssey,” a song about self-discovery.

Aroha Bridge: Radical Bro (New Zealand, 2016, 5 min.) Directors: Jessica Hansell (Ngāpuhi/Samoan/German) and Simon Ward English and Māori with English subtitles Uncle Noogy directs the twins’ new music video, and the content shocks everyone. The twins find themselves branded delinquent militants—but did their uncle have a point after all?

3pm Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film (USA, 2017, 74 min.) Director: Sam Wainwright Douglas Through the Repellent Fence: A Land Art Film follows art collective Postcommodity as they strive to construct Repellent Fence, a two-mile-long outdoor artwork that straddles the US–Mexico border. Postcommodity consists of three Native American artists who “put land art in a tribal context.” In 2015, aided by communities on both sides of the border, the artists installed a series of 28 huge inflatable spheres emblazoned with an insignia known as the “open eye” that has existed in indigenous cultures from South America to Canada for thousands of years.

Preceded By: Samantha Crain Talks Identity, Politics, and Empathy (USA, 2016, 7 min.) Director: Allison Herrera (Salinan) A portrait of Choctaw singer and songwriter Samantha Crain.

Dig It If You Can (USA, 2016, 18 min.) Director: Kyle Bell (Thlopthlocco/Creek) Dig It If You Can is a short documentary that explores the mind and art of Native American Renaissance man Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa).

* Film programs are subject to change, visit www.nmai.si.edu or www.swaia.org for an up-to-date schedule.

The MUSEUM of INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE, one of four museums in the Museum of New Mexico system, is a premier repository of Native art and material culture and tells the stories of the people of the Southwest from pre-history through contemporary art. The museum serves a diverse, multicultural audience through changing exhibitions, public lectures, field trips, artist residencies, and other educational programs.

The New Mexico History Museum is part of a campus that includes the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States; the Fray Angélico Chávez History Library; the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives; the Press at the Palace of the Governors; and the Native American Artisans Program.

Native Cinema Showcase is a collaboration between the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and SWAIA—partners with shared goals for education both within and outside the Native community.