Dances With Myths
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Synopsis
The pervading image we have of American Indians is of a race that lives in tepees, dances round totem poles and wears moccasins and buck skin. A race that lives in harmony with nature, conserving everything and wasting nothing.But how does that image square with real life tribes like the Mashantucket-Pequots of Connecticut, who operate the world's largest casino? Dances With Myths asks whether the old stereotype has any basis in reality and reveals the ways in which white America has miscast Indian people from the outset. Far from being the passive creatures of nature that whites portray them as, Indians have constantly manipulated their environments – and even damaged them The examples range from 19th century buffalo hunting and prairie burning to contemporary whale hunts. From the earliest contact between Indians and Europeans, to the present day, this programme separates myth from reality.
The pervading image we have of American Indians is of a race that lives in tepees, dances round totem poles and wears moccasins and buck skin. A race that lives in harmony with nature, conserving everything and wasting nothing.But how does that image square with real life tribes like the Mashantucket-Pequots of Connecticut, who operate the world's largest casino? Dances With Myths asks whether the old stereotype has any basis in reality and reveals the ways in which white America has miscast Indian people from the outset. Far from being the passive creatures of nature that whites portray them as, Indians have constantly manipulated their environments – and even damaged them The examples range from 19th century buffalo hunting and prairie burning to contemporary whale hunts. From the earliest contact between Indians and Europeans, to the present day, this programme separates myth from reality.
Duration
1 x 50'
Definition
SD
Genre
History
Subgenre
Factual
Producer
n/a