Traveling the Distance

Native Americans on Long Island? Filmmaker Ziggy Attias attends the 50th anniversary of the Shinnecock Reservation's Labor Day Pow Wow in Southampton in this documentary on the original Long Islanders. While there is some discussion about the tribe's modern revival of the Pow Wow, most of the emphasis here is on the event as it occurs, with filmmaker Attias interjecting himself onscreen and as narrator a bit too frequently (rather than allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions). Perhaps he's hoping to paper over the conflicting comments made by the interviewees. An Eastern tribe Cherokee dancer describes how annoyed he is by whites who ask if he lives in a tipi, and he frets about the dilution of traditional culture, yet he wears the brightly dyed clothing and feather bustles of Plains tribes. Apparently, dilution of Shinnecock culture by other native groups is okay, but providing modern American education in reservation schools (as one parent gripes about) is not. As in other videos examining traditional societies in modern America, the elders appear the most concerned about passing on authentic language and cultural skills. For local history collections; optional elsewhere. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)