National American Indian Heritage Month is celebrated every year in the month of November to honor and recognize the original peoples of this land. The first “American Indian Day” was declared by the State of New York in 1916, but a month long recognition of Native Americans was not achieved until 1990. In that year President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.” The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) hopes to encourage the media to recognize National American Indian Heritage Month this year. Each year many ethnicities receive coverage nationally and internationally including Asian-Pacific Heritage, LGBT Pride, Latino, and Black Heritage Month. This year National American Indian Heritage Month should receive more recognition not because of the lack of media coverage but because of the importance of educating the public about the heritage, history, art, and traditions of the American Indian.
Since 1975, the American Indian Film Festival has displayed over 1000 films providing inspiration and support for Native film projects. We encourage Native/non-Native filmmakers to bring to the broader media culture the Native voices, viewpoints and stories that have been historically excluded from mainstream media; to develop Indian and non-Indian audiences for this work; and to advocate tirelessly for authentic representations of Indians in the media. The 33rd annual American Indian Film Festival, presented over nine days, will run Nov. 7-12 at the Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level; and conclude Nov. 13-15 at the Palace of Fine Arts,3301 Lyon St. @ Bay Street.The American Indian Film Festival will premiere over 80 new feature films, shorts, public service, music videos and documentaries of USA American Indian and Canada First Nation communities. Some highlights include: A special film and music tribute “Remembering Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936-2007) on Nov. 13; AIFI’s Tribal Touring Program, a Native youth film workshop program supported by tribal host partners on Nov. 14; AIFI’s American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show which honors filmmakers, actors and showcases contemporary Native American talent, to be held on Saturday November 15, beginning at 6:00pm, at the Palace of Fine Arts

Possible American Indian profiles:

Floyd Red Crow Westerman (1936- 2007): An accomplished singer/songwriter whose 1969 debut album “ Custer Died for Your Sins” earned critical acclaim. His recordings offer a probing analysis of European influences in Native American communities. In addition to several recordings of his own, Westerman has collaborated with Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Harry Belafonte, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. He also was a human rights activist who performed with Sting in the rainforest benefits; and actor receiving world-wide attention and acclaim as “Ten Bears” in Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves.

Marshall McKay: Tribal Chairman of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, has been a resident with the Tribe for over 20 years. He has served as a member of the Tribal Council since 1993. After serving terms as Treasurer and Secretary, McKay became the Tribal Chairman of the Rumsey Tribe in January of 2006.McKay also serves the Tribe as a member of the Fire Commission for the Rumsey Rancheria Fire Department and as President of the Yocha-De-He Preparatory School Board of Trustees. His leadership and commitment to education has been fundamental to the success of the Tribe in recent years. Mr. McKay currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Cache Creek Casino Resort.

Mitchell Cypress: Tribal Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, presides over one of the most successful tribes in North America. For 16 years Cypress was a representative for his community and in 2003 was elected tribal chairman. In 2006, the Seminole Tribe of Florida purchased the Hard Rock Cafe chain of restaurants making a integral mark in the growing world of tribal gaming. Among Cypress’ priorities is to push for educational reforms within the tribe and encourage its youth to attend college.

Drew Hayden Taylor: award-winning playwright (with over 70 productions of his work), a journalist/columnist (with a column in five newspapers across the country), short-story writer, novelist, scriptwriter (The Beachcombers, North of Sixty etc.), librettist, and has worked on over 17 documentaries exploring the Native experience.

Georgina Lightning: First-time director with her feature film “ Older than America” brings a long track record of creative experience in the film industry as an actor, producer and acting coach. Lightning is also the cofounder of Tribal Alliance Productions, a production company committed to producing media that matters told from a native prospective.

Byron Moon: He is an actor, choreographer, dancer, playwright, and founder of the Coyote Arts Percussive Performance Association, a dance theatre company. He has made appearances in several well-known American and Canadian TV shows (such as MacGyver, North of 60, Stargate SG-1, Da Vinci’s Inquest, Highlander: The Series, and appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as several feature films. Some of his dance theatre pieces have included Possessed, Dancing voices and Voices, as well as Jonesing, an experimental video dance piece. He is also known for his choreography work on the documentary Echoes of the Sisters and the dance film Quest.

Andrew Okpeaha MacLean: An Inupiat filmmaker and playwright from Barrow, Alaska. In his hometown of Barrow Alaska, he co-founded the Inupiat Theater, the first theater company in the country dedicated to performing entirely in the indigenous Inupiaq language. His recent short work Sikumi/On the Ice is the first film to be written entirely in the Inupiaq language. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking.

Kevin Red Star: This year’s poster artist, is an internationally acclaimed artist who draws from his Crow culture for his subjects — historical and modern. Raised in the language and ways of his Indian heritage, those early years imbued him with the Crow culture which is fully expressed in a real and heartfelt way in his art. His talent was recognized early and he had the opportunity to develop as he studied at the Institute of American Indian Art in New Mexico, the San Francisco Art Institute, Montana State University in Bozeman and Eastern Montana State in Billings. Marking his emergence as an artist, his paintings have received recognition and awards including First Prize and the Governor’s Choice at the Scottsdale National Indian Exhibition.

Drew LaCapa: He believes his humor is not discriminatory because everyone is worthy of being teased regardless of ethnicity or religion. Drew has broadened his stage act from hosting pageants and parades to performing stand-up comedy at casinos, schools and conventions throughout Indian country. His act personifies the hardships of Native people in this century. Drew’s physical antics complete with costumes create a unique and hilarious image of indigenous people in present America.

Michael Spears: a multi-talented actor, hand drum player and singer. Michael’s film credits include an earlier role as the child character Otter, in the Academy-Award-winning 1990 film Dances with Wolves, a major role as “Dog Star” in the 2005 Steven Spielberg’s Into the West and 2007 Michael Linn film “Imprint”.

Tantoo Cardinal: An award-winning Metis actress, who turned her political activism into an acting career that has included roles on television and film including “Dances With Wolves” “Where the Rivers Flow North”, “Legends of the Fall”, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”, and “North of 60”.

Cindy Benitez
Public Relations
American Indian Film Institute
email: publicrelations@aifisf.com
www.aifisf.com

*Notice the Great Cherokilmer is nowhere on this list of potential American Indians the press should consider covering. tsk tsk.