I chose to review the American Indian Firm Institute (AIFI) website because I was intrigued to learn of creative opportunities for Native Americans. We know that there are museums showcasing Native American artwork, which tells the story of their history and culture, but what about the creative market of the film industry which could bring the Native tradition of storytelling to the big screen?
The American Indian Film Institute created this website and according to its mission statement, its goal is “to encourage Native filmmakers to bring to the broader media culture the Native voices, viewpoints and stories that have been historically excluded from mainstream media” (AIFI). Another mission of the AIFI that I thought was crucial is their desire “to advocate tirelessly for authentic visual and work-force representations of Indians in the media” (AIFI). I think this point is crucial because of the key work authentic. How accurate can a film be about Native American history if it is created by non-Natives? Can a non-Native person develop a film from Native people’s perspective? Or is cultural bias inherent in a film created by a non-Native simply because s/he is non-Native? I believe that a film can be created accurately when it is created in collaboration with Native Americans, however, why not promote the creation of films made by Native people themselves? Also, I believe the AIFI promotes Native Americans in the film industry to explore all opportunities in media.
I believe based on the mission statement of the AIFI, not only is this website conveying the perspective of the Native American, but I believe it’s purpose is also to integrate non-Natives and Natives in the film industry as well as engaging non-Native people into the culture and creativity of Native people. AIFI states that its mission is to, “develop Indian and non-Indian audiences for this work.”
I also like that the AIFI has a Tribal Touring Program which reaches hard to reach youth and exposes them to media arts and tools so that they too can learn about the different aspects of the film industry. According to the AIFI website, “The program uses technology to attract youth (ages 13-20) to a sequential program that introduces them to media-making tools, gives them the experience of making films related to their own lives, and prepares them for work-career options in the media industry.” Providing this tutoring program is an essential way to exposed teens to careers that they would otherwise never consider.
I think this web resource was put into this module because we are now learning about contemporary issues in Native American culture. We’ve moved through early history from pre-Columbian times, into first contact periods, followed by removal, relocation and reservation periods. U.S. policies and treaties of the recent past, and contemporary issues have broadened our knowledge even further, so I believe in order to expand our knowledge further, why not learn about what is going on now to promote Native Americans in all aspects of today’s society? The film industry makes billions of dollars per year, and Native Americans, like many other ethnic groups, are underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. This is a great website to promote growth and opportunity to Native Americans.
The website has several of the qualities that make an academic resource credible, according to Guidelines for Evaluating the Academic Quality of Internet Resources (2002): the information is up-to-date, timely, and maintained; the resources’ links work; the resource site has proper grammar/text; the site is easy to use and readable; and it provides accessible contact for questions and feedback through an address, telephone number, or email link - this website provides two telephone numbers and a mailing address.
My view on native communities has changed; I’ve learned even more than I had in our last module. Native American culture is not on my mind as I go through life every day, however, now when I am faced with questions from my children, or when I ask my high school daughter what she’s learned this year in history, I am able to add to her knowledge with more information then I had growing up (unfortunately the information my daughter receives now is not much different from what I learned, and she’s learned more from me exposing her to this course than she has throughout her schooling). Having reviewed this website and others, stereotypes that are reinforced by the media are eliminated from my mind because I now have information that I hadn’t had one month ago. For example, I have never heard of the AIFI, and now that I have read about it, I know that they are about empowering and offering opportunities to an underserved and underrepresented group in our society. The only time I hear of any news relating to Native American culture is when I hear about a casino on the news, and because I am in NYC, I have no connection to those stories so I do not pay attention. But now, I take my knowledge from previous modules, and add it with positive information like what I’ve learned about on the AIFI website, and I can change stereotypes because Native Americans are more than their past struggles and hardships.
Works Cited
American Indian Film Institute. American Indian Film Institute. AIFI, 2012. Web.
13 April 2013.
Guidelines for Evaluating the Academic Quality of Internet Resources. Colorado State University
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/staffres/web-guide.pdf
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteVery good point about Native Americans and the news, I too only hear about them when it is about something like casinos. This is very unfortunate and it should not be this way. The resources that we are researching and investigating so far have taught me many new things about the Native Americans. I am learning about them and getting my information here instead of the news, because our resources cover so much more than mundane things like casinos. There is so much depth and richness to the culture and history and heritage of the Native Americans that we don't get thru the news or other media. I am very thankful for this class and what I have learned so far.
-Michael
Hi Michael,
DeleteThanks for your comment. I agree with you about the wealth of information we have learned here in our course and texts. I've never known as much information about Native American people as I've learned in this course. The perspective of the indigenous people, and following their voices in the reflexive scholarly project has been most valuable to me. I've learned that I've had these learned stereotypes about Native Americans - not by choice, but when all you hear or see is one type of description about a collective people, and you receive no information to dispute it, you believe what you learn. Even thhough I felt conflicted with certain stereotypes (like using Indian mascots etc) I didn't have a valid reason why I should feel conflicted - just that I thought it didn't seem right. Now I learned that it's wrong because it perpetuates stereotypes, it undermines their worth and it mocks and denigrates them as a whole. Now I'm able to put myself in their shoes and feel what it would be like if I were Native American.
I also appreciate the information that I've learned because I can teach my kids what they have not and apparently will not learn in school.