The historical mistreatment of indigenous peoples is heartbreaking, particularly in the way that native cultures are drummed out through suppression and punishment. Filmmaker Karen Lynn Weinberg’s documentary explores the tragic consequences of past U.S. policies toward a specific group of indigenous people in Alaska, but also holds out signs of hope. The film focuses on the efforts of four Native women from Alaska who are desperately trying to keep alive an old, vanishing language called Alutiiq. When they begin their mission to save Alutiiq, only 40 community elders remain who still speak it fluently—a testament to the success of policies to eradicate it (one Native man says that parents were given the choice of speaking only English at home or shipping off their kids to boarding schools, where children were hit for speaking Alutiiq). The women set out to teach a new generation the importance of saving their culture, although not in a typical classroom setting: linking Alutiiq with other aspects of cultural identity, these teachers employ dance, music, and stories. In time, many of the kids come to embrace Alutiiq strongly, identifying with this once lost but now resurrected heritage. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Keep Talking
(2018) 79 min. DVD: $24.95 ($295 w/PPR). Vision Maker Media. Closed captioned. Volume 33, Issue 6
Keep Talking
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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