Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian

Ohiyesa: The Soul of an Indian

Kate Beane, a young Dakota Woman, explores the extraordinary life of her celebrated relative, Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa). Biography and journey come together as Kate traces Eastman’s path—from traditional Dakota boyhood, through education at Dartmouth College, and in later roles as physician, lecturer and Native American advocate.

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Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Story

Carolina Chocolate Drops Trio

A documentary portrait of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a string band from Raleigh, North Carolina, and their mentor, fiddler Joe Thompson (1919—2012). The film captures how three African-Americans from the hip-hop generation embraced a 19th-century genre and took it to new heights, winning a Grammy in 2010. The story of the band’s meteoric rise, from…

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First Speakers: Restoring the Ojibwe Language

Ojibwe parade

A language is lost every fourteen days. One of those endangered tongues is Minnesota’s own Ojibwe language. Now a new generation of Ojibwe scholars and educators are racing against time to save the language. John Whitehead: Writer, Producer, Director, Editor

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Make ’Em Dance: The Hackerberry Ramblers’ Story

In their nineties when this was filmed, members of the The Hackberry Ramblers have been playing a toe-tapping blend of Cajun music and Western swing for seven decades. Part band biography, part road movie, Make Em Dance keeps up with these agin’ ragin’ Cajuns on tour from the Louisiana bayou to MTV. Aired on PBS’…

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Death of a Dream: Farmhouse in the Heartland

Death of a Dream

This documentary about the rise and fall of the classic American farm house aired nationally on PBS in 1999. A co-production of The Afton Press and Twin Cities Public Television. John Whitehead: Writer, Producer, Director, Editor.

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