Editor: Keith Davis Writers: Alex Dippold, Dave Maley Publisher: Office of Public Information Volume 22, No. 5   October 18, 1999

Two Events Offer Exposure to Native American Cultures A film about contemporary Native American life and a group of young dancers from the Ganondagan State Historic Site will be coming to the College this fall. Smoke Signals, winner of the Filmmaker’s Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, will be shown on Thursday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Textor 102. There will be a suggested donation of one dollar to benefit the Young Spirit Dancers, who will give a performance of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) songs and social dances on Friday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Ben Light Gymnasium. The performance is free and open to the public. "These appearances are part of an initiative to educate people in Native American culture," says Brooke Olson, an instructor in the Department of Anthropology. "Smoke Signals is a significant film because it was produced, directed, acted, and written by Native Americans. It’s an important step forward because it gives them a chance to tell their own stories from their own perspectives." Using the plot device of a road movie, Smoke Signals shows what happens when two young Coeur d’Alene Indians — one stern and withdrawn (Victor), the other skinny and gregarious (Thomas) — set off from their reservation in Idaho for a trailer park in Phoenix to retrieve the ashes of Victor’s father, who left him and his mother when Victor was very young. Though exploring some very serious themes — fathers and sons, friendships, culture clashes — the film is full of wry humor. The Young Spirit Dancers, a group of some 15 Native American young people from ages 3 to 20, represent another culture, the Haudenosaunee (Hoe-dee-nee-sow-nee) — what the French called Iroquois. Although they perform regularly at their home base at the Ganondagan historic site near Victor, New York, the dancers also travel, using their performances to carry on the traditions handed down from the six nations composing the Haudenosaunee. A recent trip took them to California, where they performed at the Humboldt State University Powwow in Arcata. They also performed for first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton during her visit to the Ganondagan site in 1998. For more information on the Ithaca College events call Brooke Olson at 274-1735. The Ganondagan Web site is located at www.ggw.org/freenet/g/gan-shs.

Created by Andrejs Ozolins. Updated 2 Nov 1999