Imagining Indians

1992, 30 min, color, sound

Working with an all-Native American crew, Hopi artist Victor Masayesva Jr. visited tribal communities in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington and the Amazon to produce a 16mm film. This is a re-edited version of that project. Masayesva writes, "Coming from a village which became embroiled in the filming of DARKWIND, a Hollywood production on the Hopi reservation, I felt a keen responsibility as a community member, not an individual, to address these impositions on our tribal lives... I am concerned about a tribal and community future which is reflected in my film, and I hope this challenges the viewer to overcome glamorized Hollywood views of the Native American, which obscures the difficult demands of walking the spiritual roads of our ancestors."

Writer/Producer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor: Victor Masayesva, Jr. Cast: Patty Runs After Swallow, Ed Jones, Shirley Atene. Original Music: Jerry Hunt, E.Vincent Warren. Director of Sound: John L.Butler, C.A.S. Post-Production: Tele Edit, Minneapolis. Online Editor: Kevin James. Supervising Editor: Mark Sheldon.