Blackfeet

Establishing shot: Blackfeet elder Leo Bull Shoe gives instruction on how to measure and cut a drumhead from cow hide. 

Named locations:Blackfeet Boarding School in Browning, MT

Establishing shot:  A girl hand-stitching a canvas Tipi pattern

Named locations: Browning, MT
Major themes covered: Blackfeet elder and artist Leo Bull Shoe, crafts a hexagonal hand drum from wood and cow hide.

Native activities shown:  Native American Arts & Crafts

Individuals Named: Leo Bull Shoe 
Native language spoken: Blackfeet word for “drum” is toh-gee-mah, which roughly translates to ‘sound.’
 

Establishing shot: Men sitting in a car parked in front of a town building waving at the camera.

Named locations:  Blackfeet Community Pre-School Special Education class (once a week), Piegan Street in Browning, MT, The Blackfeet Crafts Association, Heart Butte, Sarcee Indian Reserve.

Major themes covered: children—Blackfeet Crafts Association—tipi designer—rodeo. This video highlights the Blackfeet Crafts Association, which strived for economic independence through the sale of authentic American Indian arts and crafts.

Establishing shot: Two tribal elders making announcements at a Powwow.
Named locations: Heart Butte CDP, Blackfeet Indian Reservation
Major themes covered: Singing and dancing. This video was recorded by two Blackfeet youths who are mentioned by the Powwow announcer in the film. Wayne Many Guns and Joe Fisher were young Blackfeet men who took it upon themselves to document the history and culture present on the Blackfeet reservation during the mid to late 1970’s.

Establishing shot:

Named locations:
Major themes covered: Blackfeet youths trying to interview and discuss the arts and crafts of elder tribal member, John Bear Medicine. This video documents a perfect example of the cultural gap between the older generation and the younger generation of Blackfeet tribal members. The youths are seeking to learn from an elder of their community, but it is difficult to communicate with him because they do not know their Native Blackfoot language.

Establishing shot: Gordon Valcourt giving a speech at the Native American Days Morning Ceremony, 1976.

Establishing shot: Camera zooming in on an open field with a white storage unit in the center while telephone poles stand to the left, as a child stands in front of a white fence.

Named locations: North American Indian Days Celebration (NAID), Oldman River Regional Planning Commission, Blood Indian Reserve, Alberta, Canada.
Major themes covered: Drum playing, singing, and dancing at the Annual North American Indian Days Celebration.

Establishing shot: Loretta Pepion facing the camera, introducing herself and the purpose of the film.
Named locations: Browning, Montana
Major themes covered: Tour of the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning, Montana. This video showcases the importance of the Museum of the Plains Indian to community of Browning and the Blackfeet Tribe. The Museum verifies the significance of preserving Plains Indian history and culture within the larger context of society.

Establishing shot: Robert L. “Rice” Crawford speaking with an unknown interviewer.

Named locations: Black Wolf Gallery, Glacier National Park, Browning Montana
Major themes covered: Traditional Blackfeet Tipi construction, Blackfeet headdress construction, Blackfeet artist critique

Native activities shown:  Tipi building, Headdress construction

Establishing shot: Elouise Cobell, Blackfeet Tresurer, sitting in her tribal office speaking to a co-worker

Named locations: Browning, MT; Chewing Blackbones Campground

Major themes covered: The responsibilities of the Blackfeet Treasurer. The land use plans for the Blackfeet Reservation to promote economic development