American Outrage

Beth and George Gage's documentary chronicles the three decades of legal fights between the U.S. government and Carrie and Mary Dann, two elderly Western Shoshone siblings living in Nevada. Beginning in the 1970s, federal marshals made numerous efforts to remove the sisters' cattle and horses from their property, but the women and their lawyers argued that the Dann family was entitled to their land under the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, and when they rebuffed offers of compensation to forfeit it, the government charged them with trespassing on federal property and confiscated their livestock. Neither Congress nor the Supreme Court backed the Danns, although their case was heard by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (a purely symbolic gesture with no legal ramifications). Not coincidentally, after being seized, the Danns' land was almost immediately leased to a gold mining company. Telling a story ignored by the mainstream media, American Outrage is a bit rough around the edges: many shots are dimly lit and the Gages occasionally overlook key events, such as the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act of 2004, which authorized payment of $145 million to the tribe for the transfer of 25 million acres (legislation co-authored by Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, neither of whom are interviewed by the filmmakers). But for those interested in the current state of Indian affairs, American Outrage is an aptly-titled overview of the continued struggles faced by the nation's indigenous population. DVD extras include the documentary short “Crisis at Mt. Tenabo” (with a new song by Grammy-winning Iroquois artist Joanne Shenandoah). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)