In the Light of Reverence

Focusing on three Native American tribes--the Lakota of the Great Plains, the Hopi of the Four Corners area, and the Wintu of northern California--and their efforts to regain sacred ground central to their religious beliefs, this excellent documentary weaves the topics of tolerance, religious freedom, civil rights, and environmental awareness into an even-handed exploration of American values. Drawing on the legal maneuverings between tribal members, landowners, and the United States National Park Service, director Christopher McLeod's In the Light of Reverence, narrated by Peter Coyote, documents prejudices on both sides, vividly illustrating the breadth and depth of cultural misunderstanding, and how it can lead to social, political, and cultural intolerance. The first segment explores the use of Devil's Tower by both the Lakota, for whom it is a sacred site, and gung-ho weekend mountain climbers, who regard the Tower's spiritual force as central to their well being. When the National Park Service instituted a ban on climbing during a religious month for the Lakota, the climbers filed suit against the NPS for violating their civil rights, sparking heated debate among local constituents on the legitimacy of government's role in protecting the rights of Native Americans to practice land-based religion. Similar care is taken to document efforts by the Hopi to regain sacred land depleted through strip-mining, and the California Wintu's fight to protect land threatened by ski area development at Mount Shasta. While the film is sympathetic to the tribes, its true core is an exploration of the clash between deeply-ingrained cultural ideologies--the sanctity of individual rights and ownership as embodied in the United States Constitution vs. the belief in the inviolability of sacred land as embodied in Native American culture. With its timely subject matter, even-handed approach in addressing multiple views, and excellent production values, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (A. Cantú)