Native American Narratives

     Storytelling, more specifically history, has provided humanity with a plethora of attested records including photographs, sound clips, video footage, writings, and artistic impressions.  The crucial key for defining any documentary impulse therefore has to be within the root word “document”.  The word “document” itself can be either a noun or a verb depending upon its usage, yet both forms coincide with one investigative purpose in relation to storytelling. Defining the documentary impulse from a historian’s point of view requires a confrontation with reality through the immersion process. By examining oral traditions of Native Americans and early artistic impressions we, as historians, are able to gain valuable insight into a unique world view of which is often overlooked. To open, here is a painting by George Catlin entitled, "Ball-play of the Women, Prairie du Chien, 1835-1836. 

 

     Luce Center Label-  George Catlin witnessed Choctaw lacrosse in Indian Territory in 1834, but a year later, at Prairie du Chien in today’s Wisconsin, Catlin saw and recorded the Eastern Sioux/Dakota version of ball-play. He later described the game: “In the ball-play of the women, they have two balls attached to the ends of a string, about a foot and a half long; and each woman has a short stick in each hand, on which she catches the string with the two balls, and throws them, endeavoring to force them over the goal of her own party.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no.” (Ball-play of the Women, Prairie du Chien) 

     Within this frozen moment in time, eyes are drawn by the viewer to the action within the scene along with the surrounding audience watching a game/activity take place.  Personally, this writer, found this particular image to mirror the message of communal importance amongst Native American tribes as mentioned in the documentary Oren Lyons Faithkeeper.  Additionally, the film expounds upon how the importance of community is intertwined with family values, religion/spiritualism, history, and tribal laws themselves.  In light of this communal importance, I became fascinated with the different stories and personal accounts shared concerning historical tradition and social activism within Native American culture.  In the article “Growing Up Indian” by Tom Hill (Seneca) and Richard W. Hill, Sr. (Tuscarora) for example, provided an excellent description of their view of Creation, spiritualism, and the balance between each level of life.

     Ultimately, by us as the viewers/historians immersing ourselves within each narrative, we are reestablishing this same sense of communal importance.  This essentially keeps the oral tradition of storytelling alive that was so much a part of Native American tradition.  With this link to the National Museum of the American Indian provided in Content Guide number two about Oral History and Tradition I came across an incredible narrative documentary about the life of Chief Wilma Mankiller.  “She revolutionized the largest Indian-run health care system in the country. She doubled annual tribal revenue and tripled tribal enrollment. Under her leadership the Cherokee Nation became what her parents had set out for decades earlier—a modern world.” (Carrillo)  Her accomplishments reflect the narrative theme of community importance.  “Here is a link to the documentary preview” 

  https://vimeo.com/121095767

Works Cited

Ball-play of the Women, Prairie du Chien. 24 November 2017 <https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/ball-play-women-prairie-du-chien-3887>.

Carrillo, Sequoia. The National Museum of the American Indian-Doing "what I could", Wilma Mankiler Changed Native America . 13 August 2017. 24 November 2017 <http://blog.nmai.si.edu/main/2017/08/mankiller-review.html>.

Entertainment, Val Halla. Vimeo . 2015. 24 November 2017 <https://vimeo.com/121095767>.